You know the feeling. You are amped for a vacation. Time to relax, throw all of your cares to the wind (especially post-covid vacays). Long vacations are really the best opportunities to indulge in your senses, especially the sense of taste. Alcohol and fatty foods usually are abundant. Our recent trip to Key West was no exception. In fact, Key West, and the Duval Crawl, can run its course after a week. The plane ride home can be sad, but also leaving you planning out how long it will take you to get back to feeling normal after having started the day with boat drinks and frozen cocktails at 10am, and bar apps and heavy late meals around midnight. Yep, it’s time for a post-vacation detox.
We immediately began our healthy eating routine upon returning home, but we also added a reset of sorts, to get our bodies ridding the cravings of sugar, salt, and fat that we developed while away. We thought we would share these steps with you, in hopes that it would help you get back to your normal self, when you come back from your “revenge travel trip”, aka- post-covid vacation.
Drink lots of water.
Drinking water is probably the most underrated advice that is ever given, regarding health. Water not only hydrates, but it reduces bloat and inflammation, especially after a vacation. Suffice to say, you probably consumed a large amount of alcohol on your vacation, and not a lot of water. Water will aid in regulating your digestion, and help protest your organs and tissues, which may need some extra loving right about now.
Cut the alcohol.
We add the additional set of not drinking alcohol at all, the first week we return from vacation. This isn’t too difficult for the first few days, but sometimes we want to extend that vacay-vibe and have wine, beer, or a cocktail on the porch, but for a week, it’s always a good idea to give your body a break. We can usually tell the inflammation in our face and hands immediately reduces after a few days of this.
Eat your greens.
For a week, eat mostly greens. We also cut starches from our diet during the first week, just to help keep things clean. We usually eat enough starches on vacay to last a few months, so it’s not as if we will be deprived. It’s a great idea to consume lots of salads with leafy greens, fresh green fruits and vegetables, and smoothies to mix things up. The more greens the better. Greens are an excellent source of fiber, great for your heart, and they act as antioxidants in the body. All things you need on a regular basis, but especially post-vacay.
Exercise.
You probably aren’t going to feel like starting, but be sure to get back on your exercise schedule. If you didn’t have one, now is a great time to carve it into your day. You can always keep it, after the post-vacation detox. Set a goal to take a walk each day, 10,000 steps, or a timed walk for 30-45 minutes, something to get your heart pumping. You will feel better about yourself, and it is great for your heart, and will help rid those toxins that are in your body from all the crap you put into it while you were living it up!
Get your sleep.
On vacation, we stay up late, sleep in, and our sleep schedule gets really out of whack. When you return home, get back to your normal sleep schedule as quickly as possible. Getting an adequate amount of sleep will help you feel back to your normal self before you know it. This will also help curb your appetite for those sweet and salty snacks and cocktails you were indulging in on your vacation.
All of these tips are beneficial to our bodies on the regular, so feel free to implement this post-vacation detox anytime you feel you are overdoing it. Of course, don’t beat yourself up. From experience, it’s always best to not weigh yourself when you return from vacation. Reflect on the fun you had. Were the restaurants and cocktails worth it? Absolutely! So, don’t look back on vacation with negative feelings. Just look forward as a way to spring forward, love your body, thank it for taking you on this amazing ride, and treat it really well so you can get ready for the next adventure!
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