Travels With Melissa …

Travel Tribulations

It can be really difficult and frustrating, after getting comfortable with your food ways at home, when you have to navigate new surroundings to figure out the healthiest choices.  Sometimes it is so overwhelming I find myself on the brink of giving up and looking for the easiest most unhealthy food around.  However, I have learned from my experiences and want to share some of the ways  I minimize stress and appreciate the journey!

I encourage you to embrace what you are able to do and enjoy the adventure of being somewhere new!

1. Make some travel foods to fill in the blanks.  Granola bars are great!  They last for a long time, don’t need to be refrigerated and can be individually wrapped.  Check out: Ina Garten- Homemade Granola Bars Recipe for an awesome recipe! Another good travel food is hummus if you have a cooler. If kept cool it can last for about a week and you can pre-cut veggies ahead of time.  My favorite travel food is quinoa salad!  It can be eaten cold or hot and if you have a cooler it will stay good for up to a week.  Quinoa salad is full of protein and other awesome vitamins and minerals!

2. Don’t be afraid to stop along your route for local fresh foods.  Check it out and see what they are offering in that area.  If its local it is obviously fresh with bonus points for supporting local farmers!

3. If you go to a supermarket take your time, look at all your options, read the ingredients, keep it simple and ask questions.  Some of the “freshly” made products might not have been made right away and sometimes a marinated meat in the prepared foods section is a bottled marinade with all kinds of crazy ingredients.

4. Don’t stress out.  Make the best decision possible and enjoy your vacation!  A couple sub par meals will not ruin everything you have worked for!

Being happy will always be a part of being healthy! Trust in yourself to make the best choices and don’t obsess too much over bad options. Enjoy and appreciate everything you do have!

Happy traveling 🙂

The Plan-

The Workout-

A funny thing happened the other day while sorting through countless emails from our dear readers.  A trend started to emerge from the rubble.  Nearly 80% percent or so emails were asking when Melissa would stop back over to save yourself from reading our tired and exhaustive posts daily.  The remainder of the emails primarily focused on one question/topic:  “How do I perform a Perfect Pull Up?“

The invidious Uncle Mo opines: “Do more Pull Ups, duh!”  Ah, if it was that simple … Ladies? We are throwing you all under the bus so be prepared!

Pop Quiz Hot Shot:  What are the steps involved before an infant takes his or her first steps?  Lie on tummy, roll over, reaching for an object, crawling, supported stand, falling, falling, falling some more and finally one day?  A first step … So what happened from puberty on when you magically surmised that by simply grabbing a pull up bar you should be able to do one?  Life is about patterns, pattering and progressions.  There was and is a reason why we perform Fractal programs from time to time around these parts.  You can not measure the importance of this program today in traditional ways:  Form, Flow, Grace …

Happy Hips Warm Up followed by:

30 Second Natural Dead Hang From Pull Up Bar (Neutral Grip- Thumbs around top of bar.  Open your pits/axilla and lengthen.  Neutral spine and eyes forward, gently look through your grip …) Followed by:

30 Second Handstand Hold (Absolutely no flopping around!  Actively press through the floor while pointing your toes to the sky.  Neutral spine, take a moment to look through your hands … The exact opposite of your hang!  Feel your breath and under control return to standing) Followed by:

5-10 Perfect Push Ups (Thumbs centered on nipples.  Pinkies pointing at 3 and 9 o’clock.  Elbows tucked in at your sides in the bottom position.  Three points of contact at the bottom:  Hands, Feet, Chin.  Allow your breath to control and initiate movement throughout.  Load on the way down slowly- Anakin squeeze!  And initiate the upward movement through your stinky pits!)

15 Times Through Today!  1-5: Focus on length.  6-10:  Focus on control.  11-15:  Let your breathing take over … Form , Flow, Grace!

How about a nice little wager ladies of CultFit?  Perform this program twice a week for one month?  And we will guarantee that you will be able to do a Perfect Pull Up.  Without one of those lame ass bands!?!

To accept our challenge and to decry to the blog-o-sphere that you are giving our challenge a go:  Leave a comment and keep all of us updated on your progress!

When you are successful in your new task, and you will be successful!  We will send you a nice shirt to wear out in public!!!

Notes-

Sister Hazel did our program last month and needless to say she cursed out her blue pull up band, it was rather unseemly for a woman.  But damn was it hot!!!  Dudes?  Feel free to join us as well!  The choice is yours … ENJOY!!!

**If you need some more clarification on the movements?  Please feel free to ask for some help, that’s what we are here for.**