Yesterday, after a trip to Golds gym during lunch & a shower to fluff up.. I was off to the Houston House of Blues for a show. Even with planning for the infamous traffic, we got stuck in a jam, so ended up dining at The Hobbit Cafe rather than the Cuban place planned. With home baked whole grain breads, locally grown veggies an a host of vegetarian delights, along with a tasteful collection of deluxe micro-beers beers, I felt everyone could discover a pleasurable meal that Chrisitne Lynch might even consider a reasonable occasional indulgence.
Hobbit Cafe makes it own breads and the interior smells like your grandmas kitchen on fifteen different days all combined into one short visit. I ordered a sandwich packed with veggies and a fresh fruit side. But there was also a huge platter of sprouts, veggies, salsa & guacamole & chips. I ate some, then I ate a few more. I should have put 1/2my dinner in a to-go-box.. but I had skipped my evening snack on the ride in, not wishing to eat in front of others with ought to offer them...(was This simply an excuse?) And the beer... I enjoyed a Left Hand Milk Stout! It was the most incredible beer I've had to date.. I should have switched to only water at the show.. rather than 1 more Guinness( As I must whisper... it didn't compare being in a CAN). Really, I learned a few lessons for better utilization next time, but don't feel too badly here.
The House of Blues is situated in a nice area of downtown Houston, close the the Convention Center, with a comfortably dark cheery interior, perfectly sized for interactive, even intimate shows. A quick parking & brisk walk and I was in. I had missed the first band Architects. Frank Turner & His Band were on next. I wrangled a Guinness & enjoyed an impromptu dance with a Viking throwback, who promptly introduced me to his cohorts, including a guy with a Mohawk( I resisted the urge to ask to touch his hair!) I had buddies now, for the mosh pit! I'll definitely be adding this band to my Pandora collection and buying a cd or three. The singer had an emotional voice and incredible energy! The bass guitar was worth watching simply because he was drinking Heineken & getting knockered. I kept wondering when he was going to fall over. Ditching my jacket I headed for front & center. Celtic rock mosh isn't like metal or death metal-mosh. There's a kind of warm, fuzzy, connected feeling to all the jumping, sweat, smashing & spinning. I love it. Stage presence and energy, Flogging Molly has in excess! They gave unstintingly to to the crowd & the energy boomeranged back to the band infinitely increased. Sadly the show had to end, if only so I can anticipate another great show in my future.
Dripping sweat off my bangs, soaked completely through, I rejoined my companions for the drive back to Aggieland. Everyone wanted snacks & water, so we pulled into a gas station. I had planned ahead... but there are probably ways I could have done better(aside from not going!) I stayed in the van & asked for a water. In my bag I had a mix veggie, mango & ginger smoothie with protein powder added, & a salmon cup. Whislt everyone else is eating Hershey's, Little Debbie's(this was even a 1-time triathlete), & ice cream sandwiches, I was sporking up my salmon. I think it was good that I planned ahead & packed healthy snacks, yet I failed with food earlier in the evening, while still at dinner.
I couldn't sleep last night been wound up from all the fun & music. This morning I was a whimpering, sleepy, sullen, when I stumbled towards the shower. And Thursdays are 'work family' breakfasts here in IT... Breakfast offerings included an overabundance of breakfast tacos in assorted meaty varieties, tangelos, grapes, two kinds of doughnuts & a Mardi Gras cake. The set-up for a fall is all in place and all self-created. Holding back, I selected 2 tacos, doctored them up with salsa and added both colours of grapes to the plate, along with a stout cuppa Scottish Breakfast tea. I was holding back. I didn't get a doughnut or ... well not then anyway....
For myself, it seems that when one is sleepy, one is hungry. Does any one else experience this phenomena? Apparently so, yet the debate rages on in circular fashion. What came first? Lack of sleep, or overeating/extra hunger sensations? Regardless of which may be contributing to the cause the treatment may be the same.... Always eat healthy well planned small meals and snacks that are within your lifestyle diet needs and consistently get a goodly amount of sleep. I hadn't realized the impact of being sleepy on the next day... I was tired, knees sore from the mosh & it was extra-cold for this part of Texas... I ended up eating another breakfast taco a few more grapes & a corner off the King Cake. Planning ahead doesn't just include packing snacks for the night of an event so avaliable food/drink alternatives exist to reduce or mitigate impact from the fun activity..it also needs to extend to the next day or 2... Being sleep deprived, sore, tired, (or even hungover) all affect energy levels for planned exercise, and hunger levels(or at least perceived hunger). The two days after the event, portion control was difficult to maintain an awareness of. I ate too much and only realized it because I was uncomfortably full later. Sensations of fullness increased sleepiness leading to a choice for sleep rather than exercise. These are all primitive triggers from my cave-man ancestors that I need to be aware of and possibly mostly ignore. In this modern world, I have more to fear from over-eating than I do from under-eating. My body is an incredibly efficient energy storage system that I need to convert to a wasteful energy burning model!
I am not sure how to plan ahead to deal with the sleepy-hungries the day after an event out. Its possible that all one can do is be aware that you will be plagued by these sensations and to ignore them. Do some of you make a choice to not engage in any activities of social nature when training for an event? I am trying to approach this as a lifestyle adaptation... so my preference is for incorporating these events (how could I skip a Flogging Molly show?) into life. By incorporating social venues into the month, I remove any ideas of deprivation. I did OK picking a restaurant.. I could have made better choices within the restaurant and better choices at the show... as much as I was sweating 2 stouts wasn't even going to provide any bit of blurry. I am wondering what you do? How often?
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