So as you can guess, there ain’t a whole lot of cooking and writing going on here.

While I’m scrambling to prepare for the move, may I direct your attention to my new favorite healthy foodie blog, Happy Katie Eats. I love this gal because I always learn something from her.

I’ll be here the next few weeks, but sporadically. When I return I’ll have a new life, with big plans for this little corner of the internet.

Photo credit davipt

That is until I had to go out of town for a research meeting. I learned this weekend that it is hard, nay, IMPOSSIBLE to log my every bite when

1. Others are cooking for me
2. I don’t have a scale and measuring instruments to weigh my portions

Dangit, I tried my best to log the meals I was being forced to eat served at our meeting, but have you ever tried to guess the amount and composition of ingredients in a perfunctorily titled dish like “Sauteed Chicken with Vegetables”? I gave up halfway through the second day at the conference and just relied on my judgment to steer me away from the bad stuff. I chose the vegetarian option when it was available and hunted the snack tables for dried fruit and nuts.

A greasy lunch at The Woodlawn Tap, similar to mine today

And then I flew to Chicago to visit my boyfriend, and all those good intentions have melted away, much like tonight’s Bryers Cherry Vanilla ice cream on my tongue. EATING WELL WHILE ON THE ROAD IS HARD FOR ME. I turn into a toddler when I’m traveling, just grabbing at what looks good and shoving it in my mouth. My biggest hurdle? Especially when I visit Chicago, every meal feels like a celebration and I give myself a free pass to eat what I want. Couple that with my ambitious sightseeing goals when I come here, and I have little time to prepare and eat the food I would eat at home. That said, there is no excuse for the beer and french fries I had for lunch today.

Does anyone have some advice they’d like to impart on how to eat well on the road? How do you guys make your selves “behave” while traveling?

Photo credit Jasmined

I started jumping rope and using resistance bands the past two weeks in preparation for all the traveling I’m doing this summer. Check out my gear:

I know this will fit in your suitcase

That’s a light resistance band, a jump rope with a built-in counter, and medium resistance band. All three weigh less than a pound total and I can fit them easily into the front pocket of my carry-on roller bag. I’ve been working on a routine where I start off jumping rope for a minute, then I do three sets of resistance training, another round of jumping rope, another 3 sets of resistance exercises and so on. I repeat the intervals until I’ve gotten to each major muscle group (legs, biceps/triceps, back, chest, shoulders). I finish off with 150 crunches in five different flavors (30 reps of each). This routine takes me about 40 minutes to complete.

With so many distractions in Chicago, it will be difficult to stay on my routine. I’m gonna try my best and let you know how I fare. Wish me luck!

How stupid is it that I’m actually taking this trip? Very. This is my point, I guess. As much as I try to live a healthy lifestyle sometimes I’m forced to make decisions that aren’t exactly “healthy”. ASCO is the biggest event of the year for my company, and my counterpart at work has just welcomed a newborn baby boy into his household. Budget cutbacks have limited the participation from the rest of our team. My boss and I are IT this year, plus one of my team mates who graciously offered to pay his own way to attend. My boss told me I could skip it, but I know I’m really needed so I’m just gonna grit my teeth and power through.

Say a little prayer for me that I am 100% better tomorrow. I get the feeling I’m in for a bumpy ride.

Yay, Chicago! I took this from the Sears Tower, facing north.

I’ll be back next week and I might have time to put up something before I head out again, this time to Florida. I’m attending the biggest cancer conference of the year, ASCO. Hopefully I’ll some great information to share with you when I return.