"guest relations"

working on an aircraft you witness quite the variety a relationships.  The other day i saw my first "cougar". what i thought to be a mother with her  7 yr old daughter and college aged son turned out to be mom and daughter plus mom's boyfriend. Now this cougar is no where near the league of  the tight bodied and ever youthful madonna and demi moore.  she was... well OLD!!!! she appeared to be in her mid 60's  with long frizzy white and grey streaked hair and the over all frayed and worn look of an old berkeley inhabiting hippy. the boy at first glance looked to be in his late teens, skinny and tall, a bit awkward in his movements. they sat and watched the disney channel together, snuggled and then started making out. i was shocked at first to see this "mom and son" going at it like newly weds.. and as "Sweet" as that sounds it was not something i wanted to see.

i thought i was liberal, but apparently but i need a few more experiences to broaden my perspective.

Being healthy on the go.

I may be a flight attendant extraordinare but my sometimes my body is not aware of this. Recently I've been feeling a bit like the frumpier version of flight attendant and not the young sexy version. so i'm revamping my eating and exercise routine and since your here i thought i'd share. 

So, for a three day trip like the one i'm on it's fairly easy to pack. in your suitcase you just need a pair of running shoes, at least two pairs of socks, exercise pants or shorts, an exercise bra, and two gym shirts. 

Now get your lunch box out and turn it upside down and shake it until all your chocolate, pastry, and bagel for breakfast tendencies are on the floor. yes, say good bye to all that. and say hello to this! for my trip i have packed a salad which i made at home and put in my favorite to-go container "Fit&Fresh" which you can find at Target. it includes the purple boxes you see on the right. the big box has my salad on the bottom, a flat reusable ice pack in the middle and the little box on the right? well it comes with two of those that you can put right on top of the icepack and snap the lid on. I put lightly salted peanuts for protein in one little box, and greek yogurt in the other. i still had room in my lunch bag for both the container of strawberries and blueberries, which went very nicely with my yogurt this morning. i also have a plum and asian pear there, inside my lunch box which you can't see i have dried mango and instant miso soup along with a variety of tea bags and drink mixes. it looks like alot huh.... yeah maybe i over did it.. any whoo as day one is already over this will feed me for the next 2 days and hopefully i'll have a little left over for my flight home after work!

Next, exercise!!! im sure you've heard it but many hotel gyms are really nicely equipped to keep you in shape during your stay. and as i personally do not belong to a gym at home (what would be the point? im only home one or two days a week?) i try to take advantage of  what the hotel offers on every layover on every day of the trip. for instance day one i had a late show so i walked two miles around my neighborhood before work, then after work when i reached my hotel i IMMEDIATELY went to the gym to jog 3 more miles and  do some weights focusing on my legs and abs. i say immediately because the longer you sit around in your room the less likely you will get to the gym. something will come up and you'll never make it. on that note, don't turn on your t.v. ever. if you want to watch a show just take your earphones down to the gym, plug in to one of the machines and march your way through that episode of "dancing with the stars". If youre not a fan of exercise watching a tv show will help pass the time, i like to bring a magazine and my mp3 player to keep me occupied. Today i am hitting the gym again. goal: 5 miles of jogging and walking uphill. plus lap swimming if the weather gets a bit nicer. and of course weights for my arms and core.

lets make a list of things to be remembered when traveling:

• pack fresh food
• always pack gym clothes even if you don't think you'll have time to run.
• go to the gym immediately unless you have super will power. but go.
• don't turn on the t.v. in your room. just watch while you run, jog, or walk on the treadmill. or bring a magazine, book, or music with you.
• have a goal of how far you want to jog. or how long you want to run. and stick to it. 
• work different muscle groups each day. legs, arms, core, abs etc..
• vary your daily work out and sometimes just get outside for your walk. you'll see things, get some vitamin D, and some exercise.
• most importantly you have to be CONSISTENT. which is my greatest sin. EVERY DAY! do some sort of exercise. 

well, i'm off to the gym! wish me health!