Monthly Archives: September 2011

Pandora’s New Workout Stations!

Posted on September 8, 2011 | 2 Comments

Good morning!  I wish I were feeling a bit more bright and cheery this AM, but I woke up with my allergies in full-force.  I had planned on doing my 9 mile long run this morning, but it looks like I might have have to push that off until tomorrow.

Here’s a quick run-down of my meals yesterday…

Yesterday’s Breakfast

I wasn’t feeling anything too complicated, and I wasn’t overly hungry.  Surprisingly, this bowl of cereal kept me full until lunch—that never happens!

IMG_2278

Lunch

I tried a new Progressive soup—Baked Potato.  Wasn’t really a fan, even when I tried to dress it up with some salsa and pepper.

IMG_2282

Which is why DARK CHOCOLATE Reese’s peanut butter cups were necessary Smile  I can’t decide if I like these better than the original…

IMG_2287

Dinner

It’s been a stressful week for Josh, as he’s worked the past 10 days straight!  We went on an impromptu date night at The Cheesecake Factory, where I proceeded to order this enormous plate of food—Stuffed Chicken Tortillas.

photo

I only made it through two of the tortillas and half of the black beans.  I’ve got a good lunch of leftovers waiting for me today!

Running

I also was able to get one of my 2 mile easy runs in last night—2.03 mi in 22:55.  I might do another one of my 2 mile runs today, so that I can bang out those 9 miles tomorrow morning!

Working Out with Pandora

So I’ve been using Pandora stations for my workouts lately, as I’m in a major music rut.  This morning, I discovered that Pandora has made 12 new workout stations for every workout you could imagine—cardio, strength, and yoga!

image

I particularly love the Yoga Workout, Electric Cardio, and the Classic Rock Power Workout.  You should check these out!

Question—what sort of music do you like to listen to while working out??  I tend to listen to a lot of electronic/techno and a lot of rock.  Anything with a good beat!

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged , , ,

Vacation Review: Azul Fives in Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Posted on September 6, 2011 | 2 Comments

Hi Friends!  Hope you all have been having a great day.  I had one of those days—the kind where you don’t know where the day went?  So instead of telling you about a rather uneventful day, I’m taking you back 6 months to talk about my spring break vacation!

My Dad, being the generous (macho) man he is…  Winking smile

took the entire family to Azul Fives in Playa del Carmen, Mexico for 7 days of R&R!

Accommodations

We stayed in Villa 9 in a large suite with 2 bedrooms.

Thumbs up for clean, simple décor…

and a large kitchen—which we barely used!  Azul Fives is part-condo/part-resort, and since we were on an all-inclusive plan, we didn’t cook at all.

Amenities

The pools and the beach were beautiful.  Azul Fives has an infinity pool, and a few windy pools that go around the villas.  Even during the height of spring break season, we had no trouble finding chairs by the pool or on the beach—major plus.

The parents insisted on trying for a Christmas card picture in the infinity pool on a very windy day—the entire time, I was thinking: “I really hope that they don’t drop my camera in the pool!!”

The swim up bars were pretty awesome, too.  Booze + beautiful clientele = A+ in my book! Smile

I found a new favorite drink while down there—a Caipirinha.  It tastes kind of like a mojito without mint.  Because I really hate how the mint leaves get stuck in your straw—does anyone else have this problem?

I didn’t try out the spa or the workout room—I only got a few runs in down there, but I liked how the path around the resort was about 3/4 of a mile.  Big enough for me to get a few laps in—to counteract all the food/drink Smile

Food and Drink

I don’t have any pictures of the food—but I can tell you that it was pretty standard for an all-inclusive.  Azul Fives had a buffet-style breakfast, and many options for lunch and dinner.  Options for lunch/dinner included:

  • Flavors—buffet-style restaurant (the same one that served breakfast)
  • Sea Olive—Mediterranean restaurant
  • Tsuki—Asian restaurant
  • Lizards Bar—pool bar with food

There was also room service, which was surprisingly good—especially their club sandwich!

We got kind of sick of the food after a few days.  There wasn’t enough variety, and a few of the options were just not that good.  Also, there was a serious lack of vegetarian options.  The food is really where Azul Fives lost points (in my opinion).

Drinks were plentiful and delicious.  No complaints here!

Concluding Thoughts…

Overall, it was an awesome family vacation!  It was completely stress-free, and involved lots of R&R.  Even though the food was a bit lackluster, I give Azul Fives my stamp of approval.

I’d rate it 4/5 stars!  StarStarStarStar  Even though the resident lizard does creep me out just a bit…

You really can’t go wrong with a beautiful resort and lots of sun!  Sun

(For legal reasons, I should tell you that I was NOT contacted by any companies, including Azul Fives, to do this review.  All opinions are solely my own.)

Question—Are you a beach or a pool person?  I’m a pool person, without a doubt.  Although the beach is pretty to look at!

→ 2 Comments

Posted in Uncategorized

Tagged ,