Midsummer Balancing Act

Cocktails at Toloache
I'm starting to think of July kind of like a Wednesday. You can have some good times, but it's still kind of like the "hump-day" of the year.

I was on a roll with fitness and food since sometime last fall. I made it to the gym a decent amount, stepped my Bikram schedule up to 2 days a week, remembered to take my vitamins, and continued to reduce meat from my diet. Even with all this I was somehow punished with some cold virus for about 3-1/2 months, including being sick in India. Good or bad, I was on my way to a more pleasing weight, at least!

But, with my Libra balancing tendencies, what goes up must come back down, and what goes down must eventually go back up. Nobody said constant balance-seeking was a gift. In fact, sometimes it feels like I struggle against myself. Pushing and pulling. Winning and losing at the same time.

July found me at both a high and low point - much like going out on a Wednesday night for cocktails (which I did plenty of in the past weeks). It feels like it's going to make the week pass quicker, but Thursday morning kinda sucks. One low was the fat July 4th hot dog that lured me down a slippery slope towards steaks and chops. I tried to balance that by hitting Bikram class more and more. Yet, my motivation receded as my waistline did, and I began to go less and less. Especially because my summer social life was peaking, and suddenly became more important than self-control and will-power.

Then there was restaurant week. One big two-week-long excuse to pig out. Which is really why you haven't heard from me in a while. I only cooked once or twice, because I had little time in between social engagements this month - not to mention the "low-point" in my cooking game. The stuff I've made just hasn't been terribly noteworthy.
Kittichai
For restaurant week, I hit Kittichai for awesome cocktails, yummy shrimp salad, juicy curry steak and (of course) wines. Plural. Snobby bartenders, but otherwise totally cool.

Fabio Piccolo Fiore
Inside Fabio Piccolo Fiore
There was also a gluttonous (non-restaurant-week) night out at our fave Italian restaurant, Fabio, where we're treated like family and the wine flows oh-so-freely! And did I mention the perfectly cooked salmon that I've never been able to recreate at home? Outstanding.

Trio of Guacamoles at Toloache
And then I had another (giant) steak at Toloache chased with ice cold Pacifico, fruit guacamole and various desserts. And only two days later, Asia De Cuba, with (several) lovely Latin cocktails, a killer calamari green-salad and a disappointingly boring and improperly accompanied barbecue chicken.

Inside Asia de Cuba
Asia de Cuba food and lounge
I was just trying to get through hump month. Can you blame a girl?

It's not all bad to let go sometimes, throw caution to the wind, enjoy several cocktails, nosh on something naughty and take a break from being healthy. But when you let it go on for a month, you might need to rebalance, reset, and rethink the next one.

In August: eat better, stay social, exercise more, be balanced.




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