TRAVEL: MIAMI FIT-CATION
I’m a bit overdue with this post but I wanted to share how I stayed on track during my recent visit to Miami a few weeks ago.
The last time my wife and I went to Miami we ate everything under the sun, had drinks at all the cool bars and didn’t lift a finger the whole time. This time around, we committed to doing the opposite. We had worked so hard on our summer bodies and didn’t want to set ourselves back on this vacation so we decided to make it a fitcation instead. That being said, we still had a lot of fun and decided to indulge when we felt like it was worth it.
We stayed at 2 different hotels during our 8 day stay. For the first half of the trip, we had partnered with the Four Seasons and we stayed at the Four Seasons Miami. Even though we were working with the hotel and you’d expect me to have a positive review, it exceeded my expectations. I’ve stayed at other Four Seasons before but this location was by far the best experience I’ve ever had! From the staff, to the food, to the amazing rooftop pool. Everything was perfection. Things like making specific menu changes and healthy requests were a breeze at FS Miami. For example, I asked for some coconut oil for my coffee (which doesn’t get any weirder) and the staff went on a hunt to find some. Each day at breakfast the Edge steakhouse staff had a side of coconut oil ready for me. It’s the small things that count! Thanks to the staff, I had the same type of breakfast that I would have at home (5 scrambled eggs, a side of smoked salmon and avocado) every day and was able to stay on track with my nutrition.
The pool at FS Miami was the main highlight. It’s on a rooftop and you feel like you’ve been transported to a tropical destination. There’s even a smaller pool (to the side of the main pool) with hammocks and palm trees for some R&R. We spent the day swimming, tanning and snacking on the delicious ceviche. We limited the drinks to a glass of champagne and drank loads of water with ice and lime juice instead. Drinking lime water is a great way to cleanse your liver and prime your stomach to absorb nutrients better.
It might seem kind of lame but we really weren’t in the mood to drink. I’ve actually cut down drinking from 1x a week to 1x per month. I find I haven’t been enjoying consuming alcohol like I used to and it’s not worth the empty calories and sugar to me.
The Four Seasons also had a partnership with Equinox Brickell so we made sure to use the gym daily. The gym is basically attached to the hotel so it’s hard to miss. This was one of the coolest Equinox gyms that I’ve ever been to. Loads of windows and natural light and everyone there looked like they were in incredible shape which was inspiring.
Another way we stayed on track was by walking everywhere. It didn’t matter if something was a 45 min walk away, we would do it anyways. We walked to the Brickell City Centre, to a local Whole Foods, to the beach, to dinner etc. We even walked to the Design District a couple of times – We had some great coffee at OTL, shot some content and picked up a pair of sweet Valentino sneakers (linked). Not to mention, it was hot AF the whole time so we were sweating up a storm and burning calories like crazy.
For the second half of the trip, we stayed at The Kimpton Angler in South Beach. This was a great transition because we wanted to wrap up the trip near the ocean. The Kimpton Angler was an amazing stay. The price was right especially for the value – maybe this is because it’s a brand new hotel and people haven’t figured it out yet.
The hotel was located a bit further south on SoBe which was great because we were a bit removed from the touristy stuff but close enough at the same time. The hotel wasn’t right off the beach but they supplied a beach bag, beach towels and beach umbrellas for free. The rooms were really warm and modern with great little decor details. The rooftop pool was amazing perk too.
The hotel also had a gym but we opted to train at Muscle Beach South Beach daily since we were so close to the beach. There’s something about training outdoors on a beautiful beach with other fit people that helps motivate your workout and push past the heat. The way I see it..if you’re having fun while working out, you’re most likely to want to come back and train again the next day.
We found another Whole Foods in south beach and ate at the salad bar daily for lunch. This was key to staying on track throughout the trip.
We spent the rest of our trip exploring, shopping a bit and hanging by the beach. At the end of the trip, we were pretty proud of ourselves for not going ham on all the unhealthy foods that were readily available everywhere.
On the last day, we capped off the trip with an XL pizza and bottle of white wine as a small reward for sticking to our healthy routines. It’s funny how unhealthy food tastes so much better when you don’t have it all the time.
