One of my long held beliefs is that the Mexico pavilion at Epcot Center leaves a little something to be desired. They recently added a large restaurant right outside the main building that is decent. As a kid, I once begged my mom to let us eat at the "fancy" restaurant that is inside the big Mayan temple building and sits along the River of Time. She relented and the dinner was a big disappointment - flavorless and oniony.
The only bonus to the Mexican pavilion is that there is a ride inside the temple building. The ride used to be super dorky and I thought that there was not a chance in hell the ride could be made dorkier. WRONG!
A few years back, the ride was updated to include Donald Duck and his singing duck companions. Together I guess they make the Three Caballeros? I'm not big into the Disney cartoons, so I have no idea if this is a real thing? Or just a thing that was made up for the ride.
The "grand" result is that it's the exact same ride, using the same photos and videos from the early 1980's, except now there is a cartoon duck over the photo doing silly things. I don't know if kids will find this amusing. For adults, just visit the La Cava del Tequila first and then you will probably find it a gas. Me, most of the ride I'm staring at the scenes thinking "What in the hell is going on here?" I still don't quite understand if the point of the scenes is that Donald Duck is running away from the other two caballeros because he's afraid of performing. Does Donald Duck have performance anxiety?
The only saving grace is one of the final scenes where there is a "It's A Small World" type fiesta with only Mexican children dancing around and there are fireworks on the wall. Those make me feel good because I'm a Fourth of July baby.
This ride is pretty terrible. 1 out of 5 or 3 out of 10 stars. Suck city.
Since turning 30, I have learned a horrible secret. When you get older, a moment on the lips can actually mean a lifetime on the hips. Biology is no joke, my metabolism basically shut off when I turned 30. It sucks.
I've never really been one to formally workout. I have never had a gym membership. I hate the idea of spending money on fitness and I prefer to spend time with friends and family rather than in the gym. This doesn't mean I never work out. I go to community ed yoga/pilates classes and during the warmer months I love nothing more than long walks and hikes with my cutie Kirby. Let's look at a picture of the sweetheart.
He makes my world better. Okay, so back to being lazy and working out. Like I said I don't really like working out, but now that my metabolism has crapped out I have to fit in burning calories somehow. Here's some simple little things that I do to try and burn more calories throughout my day:
1. Standing as much as possible. This is kind of a new thing for me, but I actually have been enjoying the rewards of it. Have you heard of standing desks? Well, I have and would like one at my desk, but due to the cost it's currently out of the question. Which is a bummer, but I have taken to doing some of my daily tasks while standing. I have researched and found lots of different information as to exactly how many calories an hour standing will burn, but the average is 100. Sitting is around 70 calories per hour. So, just that little bit will burn you an extra 30 calories per hour.
2. Short walks. When my mom and I were last in Disneyworld, she wore an odometer, or whatever those things are called that count your steps. We were walking an average of 13,000 steps per day. And we were eating crap. And I lost weight. So, steps matter. I try to find little tasks at work that will take me on a walk. For instance, whenever I have mail I always take it to the furthest mail bin that I can find to get a little walk in. I also pace, which could be it's own separate category. Sometimes when I am thinking, I like to pace and lately I've been doing it for the calories burned benefit as well. It's a nervous habit, but stressed out people are usually thin.
3. Staying on my feet after work. Sometimes when I get home from work it's really easy to just sit on the couch and watch TV until Mike gets home. Lately, I have been avoiding this bad habit and staying on my feet until at least after we are done with dinner. My routine is to feed the dog, take him outside on a short walk to go to the bathroom, then start dinner and do any little chores that need to be completed. When Mike gets home we eat and then, weather permitting, take Kirby on a long evening walk. Again, it sounds really dumb, but I have found on those days when I fall into the TV trap, my waistline feels it.
4. Weigh-in every morning. I weigh myself every morning. EVERY MORNING! I like to know exactly what food does to my poundage. I think this is a good way to figure out what you can eat during the day. For instance if I have gained a pound from the day before, I know to cut back on my snacking throughout the day or increase a workout in order to get back to my base weight.
5. Five-pound weights. One of my problem areas is my arms and back. I always gain more weight in these areas and right now I'm feeling majorly top heavy. I try to do simple arm exercises every day with five-pound weights in order to tone up those key areas. They are simple to do and you can do them while watching TV, which is a huge bonus for me. With more toned arms, I feel better in sleeveless and summery clothes. Planks also help, but you can't do those while watching The Real Housewives.
I'm always trying to find good cheats to working out. My grandma was (and still is) tiny and she never had a gym membership, but she does stay on her feet all day every day. Just another useful thing I can learn from my grandma.
