T-Minus 4 Weeks

We got back from Mexico late Thursday night, and yesterday, I did a 9:30 practice and then 4:00 practice. The morning one wasn't too hot - a mellow welcome back - but then at the 4 p.m., the heat was downright broken, so it was a little warm but mostly, uh, tepid yoga. I can't complain, as doing a double after essentially 6 days off was a hearty goal! Today, just one. I'm sore from Bikram in the cold I think!

I thought about ranking my practices...how shall I go about it? 1-10 scale with these categories:
Physically:
Emotionally:
Heat Factor:
Anything else? So for yesterday, I'd say:

9:30 -
Physically: 4
Emotionally: 2
Heat Factor: 2
Comments: Overall, it was a nice, good, solid Bikram class. I only had a couple times where I felt slightly overwhelmed by the heat and a little annoyed with my new shorts.

4:00 -
Physically: 5
Emotionally: 1
Heat Factor: 1
Comments: No heat, but I situated next to a small wall heater that burned my toes during locust, as they were inches away from blarring heat! I got bored, actually, in that usually I'm so focused on my practice under the duress of heat, it was kinda dull just doing...yoga. :) And, the heat really opens you up - Jill and I both noticed lots of postures were harder without the warmth. I guess it goes to show how valuable the heat factor is!

I will be on a plane 4 weeks from today headed to Acapulco. I am terrified and excited. Perhaps that should be the re-name of this blog..."Terrified & Excited"... :) Yesterday I did a bunch of "homework" and figured out where the Costco is in relation to our hotel; where our hotel is in relation to the downtown area (technically, it's a "Suburban Hotel" - which is good in that we may be able to find regular-people grocery stores and laundromats, but bad in that you are truly resort-trapped most of the time). We are staying at the Fairmont Princess Acapulco. The upside is that it's got a lot of services (5 pools, spa, tons of restaurants) the downside is that it's its own microcosm so unless you take a taxi 20 minutes into town, you are stuck there; and having just gotten back from a slightly-outta-the-way-Mexican-resort, though there were several eateries they basically had all the same foods everywhere, which I was sick of after 2 days...it'll all get figured out, but considering the stressful situation the whole training is, these are the things that make me most nervous outside of training itself:

1) Money - Again, having just gotten back from a resort in Cabo, running up a bill takes no effort at all. Jill and I wracked up a somewhat shocking final bill on what seemed like snacks and little meals. I know myself, and under duress, I will spend money to feel better (room service, spa, etc.) so I will need to be super careful.

2) Food - Since I had weightloss surgery a couple years back, I do have food restrictions as to what will "go down", how fast I can eat, and how often I need to eat. The lunch buffet is provided daily, which is great! One of my teachers, however, suggested that "With just an hour for lunch, you're not gonna wanna stand in a long line and waste that precious time...plus, you have to shower after the morning class..." so the option of grabbing a big plateful and stuffing it down isn't going to work for me. So, I'm working on my "food plan" with these goals in mind: 1) I don't gain weight 2) I eat enough to not get hauled off to a Mexican hospital on a stretcher and 3) I don't spend insane amounts of money on mediocre high-calorie foods out of convenience/laziness.

3) Foreign Land - I don't know a lick of Spanish, and sadly, being in a foreign country presents its challenges. For example, past students in LA or Hawaii easily found off-site Chiropractors, Massage Therapists, etc. - here, well, I wouldn't know where to start, so I'll be relegated to the $2/minute+ massages at the resort, etc. Again, it'll all work out and be fine, but it is a stress-adding factor for me.