Whole Lotta Love

Tuesday Mitch and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary and had the pleasure of having lunch at Season’s 52, in Boca Raton and I LOVED it.  Mitch has been there several times before, but I don’t get out of my 3 mile radius much (seriously) so this was a treat for me.  I ordered their farmer’s market vegetable platter and it was fabulous.  It came with a small (really small) piece of tofu with ponzu sauce but there were so many yummy veggies, the tofu was enough.  Asparagus, butternut squash, broccoli, red peppers, fresh beets and a side of cranberry tabbouleh colorfully decorated the plate and the taste was every bit as good as the aestheticc appeal.  Mitch had the rainbow trout and said it might have been the best meal out he has ever had!  The atmosphere is so nice and the prices were very reasonable (especially for “Boca.”)  And yes, you have to love their mini-indulgences…their dessert tray.  Served in shot glasses, I did have to step out of my comfort zone and taste the chocolate peanut butter mousse which was definitely not vegan, but hey….it was our 30 year anniversary celebration.  Had to let my hair down a little!!!!  It was insane!!!  The rest of the choices looked equally as insane!  The waiter told us they change up their menu 4 times a year (hence “Seasons”) and we hope to go back and experience the change of seasons.  Whatever YOUR eating style, this place has something wonderful for you.

Since I have been wanting to revisit tennis, a game I haven’t played since pre-children, some 30 years ago,  Mitch grabbed us some racquet and balls and we hit the courts on Tuesday.  I had one goal, and that was to be able to make a connection between the racquet and the ball.   We both played much better than we expected, though clearly we are not at all ready to be anywhere near other people…yet!  After almost an hour of play, we were laughing and sweating and looking forward to the next time. I LOVED the experience and felt great getting out there!  Yesterday I definitely felt some soreness in my obliques and forearm, which once again proves that every activity you do recruits different muscle fibers.  Tennis is often called the “sport for a lifetime,” and competitive tennis burns more calories than aerobics, inline skating or cycling according to Dr. Jack Groppel (PhD) an internationally recognized authority on the application of sport science to human performance.  Additionally, it is fabulous for the cardiovascular and nervous systems.  My only concern is that one sided sports tend to put a lot of overuse on some muscles, while leaving others idle.  This is often a recipe for injury, (can we say tennis elbow?) so I wouldn’t suggest playing more than twice a week, with rest days in between, and I would DEFINITELY suggest this not be one’s only form of fitness.  Pilates (or yoga)  is an ideal compliment to any one-sided sports as it pays very careful attention to our imbalances and focuses on creating symmetry.

Speaking of physical fitness and symmetry, I read a great, informative article about Cross Fit this week.  I am pretty sure it was in this month’s issue of Men’s Health Magazine.  I definitely understand the theory behind it and understand how people LOVE it and get so hooked and high from it!  The idea of being fit “across the board,” really appeals to me and makes so much sense.  All too often I have witnessed people who could, for example, out bench-press anyone else in the gym, but ask them to do a pose like downward dog and it is too great of a challenge.  I have always subscribed to the fitness model that looks like a triangle…strength, cardiovascular endurance and flexiblity.  Without one, the triangle falls apart.  Maybe us, too.  Unfortunately, the author of the article, a one time cross-fit attendee, highlighted some negative aspects as clearly this type of training is mostly for the young, the competitive and the extremely driven.  It is not without it’s own risks, including working through reps when muscle fiber is already too fatigued, just to name one very obvious one.  If you are interested in trying a Cross Fit WOD (workout of the day) there is probably a facility near you.  Though this started back in the 90s, only recently has it been cropping up on every corner.  If you want to see more about the WODs, you can find LOTS of you-tube videos!  Check em out.  Cross Fit is DEFINITELY not for this blogger, but it might be right for you.

Be smart, be safe and get some peace, health and fitness and LOVE on!  Have an awesome VFT.  I am always grateful to you for stopping in.

Related articles

• Improve Flexibility for Tennis With Yoga (stack.com)
• Tennis Elbow Symptoms (mademan.com)