Post-Indulgent Vacation Tips

Ah, February: the month of Spring Break vacations, romantic Valentine's Day getaways, and snow birds flocking South. Needless to say, a lot of people travel this month. Whats-more is that February also features a lot of indulging (Super Bowl parties, V-Day chocolate galore, and of course all that gourmet food that you enjoyed while on vacay!).

Now, what to do when you finally return home?!

Welcome Home!
Picture taken by my classmate N. 

I was reading on several blogs recently that after a trip, some people like to start-up a cleanse. You know, a cleanse in which you only drink lemon water, cayenne pepper, and maple syrup (aka the "Master Cleanse"), one in which you give up sugar...or gluten...or dairy, one in which you only drink green juice for a couple of days ....the list of possible post-vacation cleanses goes on. 

I do not think it is healthy to end a vacation that is consists of overindulging (with either food, alcohol, and/or late-night adrenal-provoking activities) with any sort of restriction or cleanse. To me it almost like you are trying to undo the overindulging with a complete and utter lack of indulging. I don't think the body adapts well to this sort of "balance". I think the body is better equipped to get back to its regular scheduled programming than adjusting to another new form of extremes. The body was placed in extreme circumstances in one direction, so let's now tug the body into the other extreme direction! 

Although post-trip you may feel sluggish, bloated, and yucky, these feelings will soon pass! They are likely due to the traveling (crammed airplanes and long road trips stuck in a car call for a lack of movement), lack of sleep (weird waking hours), different-than-normal eating and drinking habits, and maybe some jet lag. 

So, whenever I get back from a trip (especially one full of activity, stimulus, and dietary indulgences), I simply get back to my basics: my regular eating routine, sleeping routine, and overall life routine. You may still feel crummy for a day or two (that's likely due to the detox of whatever accumulated in the body during the trip), but you should feel much, much better within a day or two.

Another possible hiccup experienced by people returning home from a trip, is letting the trip linger. This is the opposite of a cleanse, in which you are not ready to leave your trip ways behind, and you carry your bad habits home with you... also not healthy or good for the body! Maybe you went to bed at 2 AM every night of the trip, but don't keep that habit up once you return! It may be tempting, as these habits keep the trip "alive", but they are not what your body needs. Welcome your body home by instead nestling it back into its old routine; trust me, it'll thank you in the long run!