Breaking Through The Plateau

I have been stuck on what seems to be a plateau in my life for the past couple of weeks. My injury hasn’t really been improving (at least enough for me to acknowledge it.) I am still not working because of my inability to stand for 30 minutes without pain. I can’t run, bike, hike, or do so much as walk for exercise, and I have been going crazy! Swimming has become monotonous and boring….or was it always that way??

This past week I have noticed enough improvement to at least call it what it is. Granted, I still can’t stand for more than about 45 minutes without pain, I am starting to feel a little stronger, and much more confident about all of my physical therapy exercises. (Not to mention the focus on glutes and core have definitely helped in those areas!!)

This weekend, I decided to get out of the house and do something relaxing and fun that doesn’t require me to be up walking around! Plus, a little vitamin D never hurt anyone, right??

Yes. I drew a pair of sunglasses on my face because the sun was shining directly into my right eye, making me look like I had a droopy eyelid. Those of you who know me well know how I feel about droopy eyelids .

Hotel Palomar’s pool is so nice and chill and relaxing. I definitely want to go there again. Not to mention they have mint to use in their drinks, so I got soda water with lime and mint all day long, for free!!

Adam and I hung out at Palomar all day…

Then, we went out to dinner at an amazing Mexican food place called La Condesa. It has a salsa bar with like 16 different salsas! (This is only one side of it.)

Some of the salsas they had were strawberry, chipotle, peanut, and jicama.

It was a little piece of heaven…in tiny plastic cups….

I got the Mayan Cochinita Pibil Taco and another taco that had chicken, mushrooms, spinach and cheese. I forgot the name, and it’s not on the menu on their website. Rice and beans were included on the side. Overall, I am a big fan of this place! I definitely want to try different things on the menu. I’ll be going there again!

I’ve been having awesome healthy grilled flank steak salads again this week.

I grilled flank steak medium rare, added quinoa, dried cranberries, reduced fat feta cheese, chopped walnuts, and dressing to a spring lettuce mix.

I’m also a fan of snacking on white peaches, Braeburn apples, tart cherries, and pineapple.

So is Ali!

Speaking of Ali, she finally got her picture taken with the gnome from Sit Stay Ahwatukee Pet Sitting!

How adorable is this picture!! I love seeing my baby so happy

I also love seeing my friends’ pugs! I got to see Miss Bridget last night:

Last, but not least, I saw this on Facebook today, and it is so perfect!

Isn’t that right? We Pug Moms are one of a kind! We love snorts, sneezes in our faces, puppy breath, and that little curly tail. Our little ones are like our kids-especially when you’re like me and don’t have any human kids. Ali has been my best friend through thick and thin for 9.5 years. She makes me smile and laugh every day. I love you little turdlet!

Today, I feel like I broke through my plateau a little bit. I swam, biked (to the Y and back), and did 15 minutes on the elliptical!! This is the most exercise I have had in about 7-8 weeks. It wasn’t 100% painless, but it felt incredible! Nicole cleared me to do 15 minutes on the elliptical at a time as long as the stride of the machine is short, I keep the proper positioning of my pelvis and upper body, and I use my heels to push so the glutes do the brunt of the work. Yay!!! Hey Nicole, how about 6 times a day?? Is that ok??? Lol!!

That’s all for now. I will be blogging from Sedona this weekend, and I’m very much looking forward to it!!

I hope everyone has a great rest of their week!

Happy Trails!

Stacey