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Off the Mat is a series on YBC that shares bits and pieces about what goes on off the yoga mat, and in my everyday life.
Traveling
Hello from Miami. If you've been following me on snapchat (@yogaby_Candace), you know that I've been deathly ill for the last few days which was a bummer for a number of reasons. One, being suck is ba-rutal. Two, I'd been planning to spend the majority of the weekend at the YJ Live! events, but couldn't because I was burning a fever and my nose was running like a faucet. And three, I had our first YBC book photoshoot scheduled for Sunday and wanted to feel my best. Instead, I felt pretty awful, but I rallied and did the best that I could. We have a few other photoshoots scheduled over the course of the next few months so there will be other opportunities to get great shots if nothing came out this time around. However, I did have a quick peek (sneak peek below and I think we have a few great options for the book).
Post massage at the W
Indulging In
Before I got sick, I hopped on Groupon and picked up a massage deal from The W Hotel at their Bliss Spa. It was a fantastic massage, although kind of a quirky place (brownies and kettle corn in the waiting room, really weird wallpaper in the bathroom (elderly people on the beach?)). But like I said, the massage was great, so who can complain. As an aside, my mom (also a massage therapist), said that maybe I got sick from the massage because massage tends to 'stir things up' and it's not uncommon to have a reaction, especially if you haven't had a massage in a while. Just thought that was interesting to note!
New buys: hat from j crew, rosewater toner, new lipstick in media
Shopping
I picked up a few good things this month I thought I'd share with you.
1. A hat from j crew - All my winter accessories are in storage in Germany (ugh, does someone want to go over there and clean out my storage unit?!) so with winter around the corner and my husky needing two walks a day, a new hat was in order.
2. A new lipstick in media - This lipstick looks intimidatingly dark at first glance but once I got it on my lips I was at ease. It's actually a deep berry color that I think is really nice for the holidays. Lipstick reminds me of my grandmother, who never wore makeup except a bright lipstick on her lips and cheeks.
3. A rosewater toner - This is something I picked up at Whole Foods after hearing good things about it on social media. Rose is a really anti-inflammatory so it's nice for skin like mine, which gets cranky if I have too little sleep, not enough water, or lots of travel (seems like I've had all three in the last two weeks or so, blah).
Eating Lately
I've been doing so well since starting to work with a nutritionist. My fitness goals are to continue to lean out, and she's been having me incorporate some more traditional carbs as I transition off the GAPS diet, but has me getting my energy mostly from fat which I la-la-love. I will do a full post on that soon but just quickly, I wanted to talk about eating while traveling. It's tough to stick to a specific diet, so I have just tried to go with the flow while in Costa Rica. I didn't eat as well as I wanted to, but I did the best that I could and really didn't stress out about it too much because I know I've been pretty consistent at home, so a week wouldn't kill me. I ate a lot of beans, plantains and other things I don't normally eat, but my stomach was fine and I didn't have any strange reactions. I'm super thankful because coming off GAPS can be hard for a lot of people but so far I'm doing well!
In Miami, same thing. I opted for an Airbnb rental because it was less expensive than a hotel and I love having the convenience of a kitchen, so I ate very well with the exception of a frozen yogurt with lots of toppings (I was just ca-raving one like no body's business, so I had to indulge!) and an eggs benedict which isn't exactly the craziest cheat meal ever but it included hollandaise sauce and an English muffin which I'm not used to eating.
I also discovered this amazing drink by Temple Turmeric. At first I couldn't figure out if I loved it or hated it because it burned my throat and tasted....interesting...but overall I think it has helped to kick my cold to the curb.
Reading Lately
If you are into thrillers, you need to read You. It was so good, I whipped through it in, oh, three days or so. Now I picked up Unravel, and will report back once I get a minute to dive into it. If you've read something good, please let me know!
Watching Lately
I have seen one great movie and one movie I had to stop after ten minutes. The great one was Southpaw with Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams. The blah one was Trainwreck, although I admit that ten minutes probably isn't a fair amount of time to give a movie but in my defense I was on a plane and the first few minutes were awkward sex scenes soooo.
Looking Forward To
A Friendsgiving celebration next weekend and getting back home so I can settle back into my routine.