If you have kids you will understand the following scenario: taking a toddler to a birthday party and even after warning them, “Not too many sweets and cakes, dear!” your child, who is generally only allowed sweets on a Sunday, dives into the table before the party even officially begins and devours an entire Willy Wonka World’s worth of sugar. Moderation, to a three year old, is an impossibly difficult concept.
Well picture the same scenario but to a Mom, on an island holiday. Moderation? What.the.heck.is.that?
Within five hundred meters of where I sit right now is an ultra-zen spa, an amazing gym, a heated pool and a three-tiered cool pool, about four different cocktail or champagne bars selling ridiculously overpriced but seriously delicious beverages, six restaurants and one incredibly lush boutique. Oh, an the most amazing coast I have ever seen beside the turquoise-est water ever. The temperature is about twenty-eight degrees. It is not humid at all. There’s a gentle breeze. Get the picture? I could be pampered, could go for a run in air-conditioning, could swim twenty laps, could lounge beside a splash pool. I could walk on the beach. I could eat and drink to my foodie heart’s content.
Well, I have done almost all of that. In fact, I haven’t stopped since we got here, and a as result, I'm not sure I am going to make it another five days.
But here’s what I've learnt so far:
Lesson One. There’s a reason I'm not a size six. Basically it has to do with choices.
Breakfast buffet offers egg-white omelettes, it offers fruit and muesli, it offers yogurt and health bread. I choose the waffles and crepes. With maple syrup. I learnt this lesson when the guy with a round belly and rounder still thighs and arms walked past me with a plate piled high in fried foods. Yes, I am ashamed to say, I passed some judgement on the man. But sadly, I realised that my plate of refined flours and pure white carbs was probably no better. Especially considering that I am sort of wheat intolerant. Oh well. Supper time wasn’t much better I’m afraid. About sixty deserts to choose from, (and I wish I were exaggerating!) plus the most glorious ice-creams I have tasted in my life. I was doomed from the start. But, and here is the real lesson. The food is delicious and I am savouring each tantalising memory. Life really is too short to miss out on crepes for breakfast and a delicious chocolate ice-cream for dessert.
Lesson two. Running is good for you.
I wish I had learnt that lesson a long time ago. I have really shunned running for so long and I can share it here, though I would never admit it to some people (as they are the main ones I have shunned running to,) that I regret not taking it up years ago. I have tried before, but like anything serious or life changing, I think I tried and gave it up too quickly. For it to be really effective, you need to set a realistic time of edification, before really assessing it’s worth. How did I learn this lesson on holiday? Well, simply, by swimming thirty laps in the pool.
Naturally, I am more of a swimmer than a runner. But I haven’t swum laps in a long time. The pool outside our villa is gorgeous and mostly deserted. I decided to take a dip and since my hair is ridiculously short (and blonde!) at the moment, I thought I would swim a few laps to get rid of those waffles. Thirty or so laps later, I still felt strong and good. And then I realised, running had made me fitter. Well, Duh? I hear you say. But seriously, I can not re-iterate it enough, I felt STRONG. And FIT. I haven’t felt strong or fit since school days. Plus there’s the added bonus that I haven’t called reception to ask for the golf cart to fetch us once; I've been able and happy to walk. For any naysayers out there, try to understand that I am never going to be a long distance runner; not Comrades or even a normal marathon. But my little three kilometres, three times a week, has paid off. I never, ever imagined I would be so pleased about it.
Lesson Three. If you are going to spend your first day of holiday in the pool/sea. Don’t forget the sunscreen. Even Baz Luhrman knows that. What a rookie error. I'm as red today as a Brit in Barbados.Here's Baz's song about Sunscreen.
I am a little too much like a kid in the candy store at the moment; don’t want to miss a thing. It’s a spoil from my husband, as he is here on business and we got to tag along. Given the family vibe at our hotel, I am sure he would have missed us. Given the holiday vibe of the hotel, I am so glad to have come.
Maybe I should employ a little moderation when it comes to the waffles, but it really is only for five days before its back to non-fat, wheat-free, dairy-free, sugar-free breakfasts. So maybe I should enjoy it while it lasts. The only thing moderation will from this point on NOT be exercised on, is the sun-cream.
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