Field Trips, Food and Fitness
Hey everyone! Out here in Northern Virginia we are experiencing some amazing weather. I just got back from my local old school gym and had an amazing workout. Lately, I have been having a hard time applying balance in my workout and today was right on the money. I think I am motivated by this weather.
Anyhow, this past weekend we went on a field trip to Charlottesville, VA to learn a little more about American History in a non-textbook, hands on, real life experience way. We toured Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and the took the historical tour of the University of Virginia campus. I would recommend both of these tours as they both give a different perspective of history. The tour guide at UVA was a current Sophomore and gave a very interesting and passionate tour based on her feelings of the historical events and culture of the university, as well as the current political events that the students have experienced on campus. It allowed for further deep intellectual discussion for the homeschool curriculum.
If you do get out this way, keep in mind that James Madison's Montpelier is also not too far away. We were unable to make the stop, but plan to in the future.
As you can tell, I love taking the family on field trips. It allows for wellness in so many ways. We get to learn in a creative way, spend quality family time together and interact with new, interesting people. We undoubtedly get to do plenty of walking and even found a gym at our hotel that every family member worked out in while we were away, not to mention the pool time!
The most difficult part is probably the eating. I LOVE trying new foods. I would absolutely love if every restaurant we went to had fresh, natural foods, but this just is not always the case. I know we will not eat perfect while on these trips, but to help us with our nutritional wellness, I usually pack a bag of healthy or healthier snacks. Basically, anything that would be better than stopping for fast food or making an unhealthy choice because we let ourselves get too hungry.
On this trip, my packing was very last minute (like I did it in 5 minutes) so it wasn't planned out or made ahead. I have done better, but this DID help out and stopped us from spending high dollar prices on food we didn't need or want and kept us eating a little healthier.
In Coach Karen's Bag:
Macadamia nuts (Trader Joe's)
turkey slices (Trader Joe's)
Salame Di Parma (Ummm....want to guess where I got it?)
Fruit Sauce Crushers (Yep! Now you know where I went grocery shopping last week)
Roasted Plantain Chips (Ehhh, it's hard to find these anywhere else!)
Wow, that's a Trade Joe's heavy list! Anyhow, it isn't perfect, but who is? It IS, however, a realistic attempt of a homeschool wellness coaching mom to balance healthy foods on a long field trip weekend. When we were famished after visiting Thomas Jefferson's Monticello and the Cafe's (yes, plural) seemed so easy to stop at, I remembered we had some better options in the in the car. It was also nice to have on the drive to and from Charlottesville rather than taking the time to stop somewhere that would not only cost more money, but also likely be less healthy than what was in my bag! Now, don't get me wrong, we DID stop and have a few fun meals out, but balanced it with bringing healthy snacks and choosing foods mindfully.
What I would would change:
Add some fresh fruit (blueberries are my absolute favorite for trips!) and maybe some good cheeses (if that's your thing)!
Bring my own homemade fruit sauce, rather than packages. Homemade is ALWAYS better!
I hope this motivates you to not only plan an adventure, but to plan on bringing food that will protect you from making unwanted, expensive choices while you are out!