Birthday Weekend in Miami

   Hello, from the Miami airport! I’ve been flying so much lately with pretty good luck, I almost forgot how bad it can suck to board, sit and deplane due to technical issues. I should be landing in an hour in Boston but instead am waiting for details at MIA back in the terminal. Since Thursday night, I’ve been celebrating my birthday down here so I can’t complain too much.

As always, when I travel I like to balance my days between sweat and good food. I love trying local cafes, juice bars and fitness studios. Friday morning, I made a reservation at RedZone Fitness in Coral Gables with Carlos. I found the class using the MindBody app, which was located within a mile or where I was staying. The gym had 4 treadmills, 4 ellipticals, 8 rowers and lots of equipment neatly organized at individual stations. 
I wore a heart rate monitor during class and my info, along with the other ladies, was displayed throughout the 40 minute class on large prompters. Like Barry’s, we broke up into two groups. One started on the treadmill and the other at one of the stations. Our workouts were written on white boards. The first 15 minutes were cardio intervals on the tread and then the rowing machine. The remaining 30 were strength and plyometric exercises. I burned about 400 calories and worked my butt off. The all women 9 person class was super friendly, varied significantly across all levels of fitness and was motivating. I really enjoyed it and will be back for sure when I return next year. I also received a pdf file with my HR info in my email shortly after class! Everyone’s first class is free so check it out. 

After class, I discovered a small smoothie and juice bar called the Urban Market. I ordered the signature MKT smoothie made with coconut mana, kale, almond milk and more. I also grabbed a mason jar filled with chia pudding, buckwheat groats, and berries plus a homemade local protein muffin. The muffin was my favorite. 

During the day, I laid out by the pool and soaked up my missing vitamin D from the winter. I tried to stay off my social media profiles and email to truly relax. 

The rest of Friday was not very healthy and filled with lots of wine, beef tartare, mussels in a blue cheese sauce and dessert at a small French restaurant called Frenchie’s. I workout on vacation to enjoy these things and this trip was no different. Saturday morning was spent at Orange Theory Fitness, another heart rate based studio like RedZone Fitness that uses the Polar GTX technology and is set up similar to Barry’s. 

Orange Theory Fitness is a nationwide chain. The treadmills I am convinced were a little slower than the speeds I am used to. I ate the chia pudding before my workout and couldn’t get my heart rate up very high despite running at 8 mph for 3 minutes. I was also wearing my favorite Adidas Boost sneakers so I’m not sure which factor made me faster and stronger but my money is on the treadmill not being calibrated the same as mine at Barry’s. I’m going to do a full review for a later post but the quick gist is that OTFitness is like a less intense version of Barry’s that tracks your heart rate. My instructor was Juanster and I wished he has a little more enthusiasm which I think would have pushed me harder. I burned the same amount of calories in the hour long class as I did at RedZone in 40 minutes. 

After class, I visited MKT again and this time grabbed another protein muffin and green juice. 

For lunch, I ordered a salad at Season’s 52 which I really do like. Every meal is under 450 calories. I tried the salad with ahi tuna and pineapple. I highly recommend it! After a little pool time, we drove over to South Beach. Walking down Lincoln road, I spotted the famous Laduree to my right which just opened less than a month ago.
I had no idea they had a location in Miami! I love French macarons and have been dying to try these. I got a box of 8 and so far the caramel is my favorite by far. This made me very excited to celebrate my birthday for some reason. It took it as a good omen for what is to come in the next few years.

 

For Saturday night dinner, we went to a fabulous seafood restaurant called Alta Mare that I love. I got dolled up and wore my favorite black dress from Splendid that reminded me how much Barry’s had really lifted my bootyI ordered the Grouper that came with sautéed eggplant. Afterwards, roomie and I visited Haven, Jovia and finally the Delano. It was a long night and I can’t think of a better way to ring in the fabulous 3-0. 

Sunday morning meant back to the pool and a day to rest my body. Yes, for my birthday I did not workout. Instead, my Dad came to visit and we went out for lunch and hung out by the pool.

We had a quiet dinner at the house and celebrate my actual birthday which of course landed on a Sunday… damn you Skimm for not sending weekend editions. If you know what I’m talking about, you are awesome and give yourself a high five for being wicked smart. The night ended perfectly with not one, but two cakes! Roomie knows I like my desserts.

I’m excited to be a member of “Club 30” as I truly have loved this journey I am on. I can’t wait to see what the next year has in store for me personally and professionally. Now, 4.5 hours later… I’m en route to Boston for the next 3 night before I head to Sedona, Arizona for a super exciting work trip I can’t wait to share with you guys. The fun and travel never ends…