COVID-19? Try COVID-38 (lbs)! Getting outdoors to lose that Coronavirus padding

Hello, Voyagers!

Ever tell you about the time I decided to stop drinking the day before Cinco de Mayo? Or the time I gained about 2-3 times the required 19 lbs during COVID? No? Well, then there was the time I went to a fitness retreat. Trust me: they’re all related.

Recently, I stepped on the scale for the first time in 2021. Then I pretty quickly opted to try and change course.

So, that’s how I found myself headed to Newark Airport, got a car to eastern Pennsylvania, and instead of finding Mare, I actually ended up…

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…hiking the Appalachian Trail.

(No one serial killed us! YAY!)

This is part of the story of me at a health retreat in the Poconos. The perfectly reasonably priced and effective Deerfield Spa.

The spa features the opportunity for several workouts each day, including Pilates, free weights, Zumba, and pool workouts…with pool noodles, which is even more fun than it sounds, especially with the amazing Tanya as the fitness coach! I definitely left there with more muscles than I had when I arrived five days earlier.

Plus, hiking with views like this:

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waterfalls.

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rivers.

Below is the serene porch at Deerfield. I spent a few peaceful afternoons in this rocking chair.

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Deerfield definitely served its purpose for me, which was to get a jump start (kick in the ass) for getting back into shape. And by “shape” I mean, real pants. Plus, I made some cool friends there, like you used to when you were a kid at summer camp!

BTW, at the risk of your judgment, I must confess that I really don’t like healthy food. I have the taste buds of a 12 year-old boy (and the budget of a grownup, which is a real problem when you set me loose in a 7-11). Anyway, now that I am no longer, you know, “young,” I gotta force myself to do things I wouldn’t normally do. Like, eat a salad once in a while. #imtrying! But, for someone who avoids such food items at ALMOST all costs, I gotta tell you, the healthy and low-cal food at Deerfield is…

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Deeeelicious

…and not to mention, gorgeous.

Back in the Big D, I am doing my best to keep the momentum going by sticking to a regular workout schedule of barre classes and other strategies. The book This Naked Mind is a good resource for cutting back on the ole Chardonnay (which, dear Voyagers, you know I love!)

I am also walking the lovely Katy Trail a few days a week, but, lest I end up on my own true crime podcast, I won’t tell you when or what time of day I’m usually there.

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Dallas’s Katy Trail.

I like this photo ‘cause it looks like I am running at a high rate of speed. (I’m not.)

Stay tuned for another Poconos post so I can share with you all I learned about the brilliance of cooking with an air fryer, the REAL way to count calories, and - most importantly - the shopping to be had in the adorable downtown Stroudsburg, PA, where I bought a gorgeous pair of “aspirational” pants I hope to wear someday soon…🤞🏻

Until then, Voyagers, get out there. Enjoy #GreatOutdoorsMonth.

And stay Veracious.

-VV