Per my last blog I was participating in a 24 Day challenge which was going fabulously as I had a group of close friends participating with me which was an amazing new experience. The input that was offered by them was invaluable and their successes really championed my goals and helped to keep me focused. It was just really refreshing to get back to the basics of the challenge and get back into eating clean and rejuvenating my body and soul through clean, healthy, positive food.
On Day twenty (20) of my challenge I departed for Beijing to assist my grandmother in returning home after a three week stay in China. Day 20 of my challenge was extremely challenging as 1) I couldn’t control what time the flight would serve my meals, 2) I did not have 100% control of what food I’d be served, 3) due to DHS rules and regulations (without spending a small fortune) I wouldn’t have enough water for the 14 hour flight, and 4) I would be miles off of my step count due to be on a plane for 14 hours. With all that on my mind I did the best that I could in terms of what I ate on the plane, packing some easy to stow snacks and crushing an AdvoCare Rehydrate before boarding the plan. I managed to come close to my daily goal of 10,000 steps thankfully both Dulles and Beijing International Airport are huge and require you to walk a fair amount.
Days 21 – 24 were very very easy for me to control because China offers a huge array of fresh fruits and vegetables, tons of varieties in snacks, bottled water is easy to find and ridiculously cheap, and finally I was not invited to any functions those days. I had total control of when I ate, what I ate, how I ate and it was fantastic! I was on schedule with my core products and was able to consume more than enough water; not to mention I averaged 18,000 steps for each of those days because 1) I’m too cheap to pay for a taxi and 2) I’m too scared to take the subway and buses so I had to rely on my legs and feet to get me anywhere I wanted to go. The only draw back to finishing my challenge in Beijing is that I did not have access to a scale…so I still need to finish my measurements for the challenge.
The bad about finishing a challenge in China… Banquet meals, now I’ll be the first to say that banquet styled meals are AMAZING but for a recovering FAT GUY they’re a trap of deliciousness! Being invited to banquet meals and hosting two myself over the last 4 days of my stay in Beijing I definitely overindulged and it’s slightly devastating. I think for most westerners the concept of banquet meals is totally foreign, outside of large holiday meals or family gatherings, but for a majority of Chinese banquet meals are THE way to celebrate anything and everything and the culture that goes along with the banquet meal can be as difficult to grasp as the fact that you’d have one everyday for four days because 1) not having some of everything that is served is extremely rude and could be a total loss of face, 2) you have no real say in what dishes will be ordered, and 3) there are assigned seats with no seating chart!
Beyond finishing my challenge in China I had a fabulous few days. I met some new people, saw a lot of family friends and personal friends, returned to the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan) got lost for a few hours with a very attractive lady and explored the park at Peking University.
The flight back to the US was a lot better than the flight to China because I was able to get the upgrade! The amenities in first/business class are just hands down better than economy and you don’t have to worry as much about Chinese that don’t know how to operate a western style toilet (I have nightmarish stories of economy class bathrooms…). BTW I had a beautiful woman sitting next to me who enviously was able to sleep for about 8 hours to my 2 but who was counting. And no, I don’t have any pictures with her because that would have been awkward to explain why I was trying to creep her into a “selfie.”
I’m happy to be home and my body is starting to get readjusted but of more importance I’m ecstatic to be back in my own bed! How I missed my pillows and the comfort of an actual bed versus a roll away mattress.
Misadventures of JH3 