Ice Cream and Exercise

I'm on a totally fabulous trip, all around the western Mediterranean on a cruise ship. Today is Monte Carlo in Monaco, home to the very origin of fabulousness and nothing but beautiful people. No travelogue right now, just an update on eating and exercise, because my body still does its thing, no matter what my current place on the planet or my state of mind.

It is hot hot hot here, and in Italy before this. That is, hot even by their standards: up to 100 F yesterday in Florence. I cannot begin to describe the sense of beauty and culture from being in Italy. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is to walk and walk and walk, looking at people and things and taking pictures. I've done that, and interrupted the walks with beer or ice cream at many opportunities.

Europe is expensive beyond belief, and that managed to keep the eating down before we boarded the cruise ship. Beer and gelato is quite affordable, but all four courses of an Italian meal with wine is not something I could afford very often, because of both money and calories. But now we're on the cruise ship, and so all the food is already included. It's a good thing I really don't care much for wine anyway- onboard its not cheap either. Beer and mojitos are more my style, and they go down really well on a hot fabulous vacation.

For two days in Rome we walked and stood around on tours. Yesterday in Florence and today here in Monte Carlo there were a few hours walking in the high heat. But this morning, no one else in the family was rousing and I was restless, so I went off to the gym on the ship. Me and the iPod put in a couple of miles on the treadmill, and then waved some dumbbells around for a while. I really really enjoyed it. The feeling of getting my heart really pumping is very stress relieving, and the full extension and stretching with the weights makes me feel good.

I'm having the full meal every night, and very indulgent breakfasts. Lunch has been just gelato a couple of times, without my feeling deprived in the least. I definitely will gain weight on this cruise, and I don't care too much about it. I'm choosing the immediate gratification. It's easy to tell myself the food is part of the never to be repeated experience. But I'm also going to keep active. There is no way my little workout comes close to equalling my extra calorie intake, but I work out because I enjoy it while I do it, as well as for the benefit it brings me of keeping the energy level up so I can do other things. It's part of what I do when I'm on vacation and pleasing myself.