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recovering from vacation

I just got back from vacation.  The trip of a lifetime, actually.  The trip with our girls we had planned for Fall Break 2020 that didn't happen.  

It was fabulous,  We took our girls to New York City and did all the New York things: the World Trade Center, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty, and the Empire State Building. We saw artwork at the Met and MOMA that made our eyes dance with happiness in our heads.  (Yes, I said that out loud in front of Van Gogh's Starry Night. Any opportunity to embarrass my teens!)  We also saw Wicked on Broadway, and waved at Joda Kotb and Al Roker outside the Today Show window (they even waved back!)

Vacations like this are amazing because they take you to places you haven't seen before, they give you a chance to show your kids life outside their little bubble, and they teach you so much about history, art, and architecture in the process.  Not to mention the mental break they provide from work and the everyday routine.  And after the last couple of years, boy, did we need that.

Traveling can also give you a new perspective on what you have and what you appreciate about your everyday life.  I appreciate homecooked meals, drinking all the water I want without worrying where the next bathroom may be, my firm king-sized mattress, and having my own bathroom that I don't have to share with two teenaged girls!

It was nice to come home and really clean our faces, shave our legs, and reacquaint ourselves with the vegetable food group.

We walked an average of 20,000 steps a day, so I don't feel like we were lacking in exercise, but sitting on an airplane and sleeping on mushy mattresses makes my joints and muscles long for an hour of yoga and a good massage.

I know I just put out an article about eating on the road, but this one was tough.  Faced with the option of eating a $20 burger with no bun and no other sides, $15 wings (for the third time during the week), or a really good slice of pizza for dirt cheap, I have to say that I did not always take the low-carb, gluten-free route. And vegetables? Does the celery with wings count? 

New York does carbs really well.  Have you seen their cupcakes?  And don't get me started on the cheesecake (pumpkin cheesecake, even!)  I'm kind of a cheapskate, so there were times when we all shared a plate of nachos and called it dinner, a chocolate croissant I called lunch, and a couple of beers here and there (because vodka sodas were twice the price).

So here I am, post vacation, having put back on the 6 pounds I was so happy to have lost in the weeks before we left.  I'm puffy, achy, dehydrated, and my tummy's still not too happy with me.

Here's a rundown on my "recovery" plan.

1.  I'm drinking as much water as I can handle.  I'm weaning off the constant caffeine drip and returning to my customary two cups of French press each morning.

2.  I'm returning to my usual exercise routine with a morning run/walk, afternoon weight lifting, and stretching, stretching, stretching!

3.  I did my meal planning on the return flight, hit the grocery store right away, boiled some eggs, prepped some chia pudding (chocolate with pumpkin spice-yum!), and cut up the veggies for the week.  I have tuna, salmon, and avocados ready to go for quick and easy lunches.  I also made a pot of bone broth in the Instant Pot and have been sipping on that to soothe my grumbly gut. Making sure I have plenty of low-carb options has made the transition pretty easy.  My body seems to be relieved to get back to normal.

4.  I'm doing my best to get back on my regular sleep schedule as quickly as possible.  Luckily, our late nights and relatively later mornings in New York lined up quite nicely with the early Arizona hours we usually keep.

I've talked about the concept of a clean slate before.  This is the perfect time for a clean slate. Everyone goes back to school tomorrow.  Meals are planned, exercise time is blocked out on the calendar, laundry is washed and put away. Time to reestablish those good habits and step refreshed into the holiday season.

Happy fall, friends!

If you'd like to talk to me more about creating a wellness and nutrition plan that works for you, I've got you!  I'm a certified Nutrition Coach who will create a simple, customized meal plan for you and coach you through how to implement it into your busy life.  We also talk about all the pitfalls that make it hard, and help you make it the anchor that keeps you healthy, energized, and sane through the whirlwind of your everyday life.

I'd love to talk to you about the program, so please book a free consultation with me by clicking the Calendly button. I look forward to talking to you!



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