7 Steps to Road Trip Recovery
I can’t even pretend to tell you all that my vacation was filled with fat loss friendly eats. I would be lying if I did.
My vacation was filled with laughter, movies, memories, tears of family love, opening presents, and feasts of my father’s AMAZINGLY delicious/not-fat-loss-friendly cooking accompanied by our favorite alcoholic (we are all of age) beverages. My vacation also consisted of a 6 hour road trip x2 whose meals were from the fast food menus of Southern America.
The post-vacation reflection can often lead to some conflicting emotions.You were so glad to have had the vacation, but you are probably feeling guilty about just how much you indulged.
However, I don’t feel guilty one bit about my days of indulgence.
And here’s why…
This is life. Life is meant to be enjoyed. And when I don’t get to see my family but every four or five months, I am not going to worry about whether or not I should enjoy it. It’s like Coach Kate says — there’s a 90% rule. And that 10%? That’s for having fun and not worrying.
However, even though I don’t feel terribly guilty, my body is certainly feeling the effects of what I ate. For lack of a better term…My body is “hungover” from all the carbs, grease, beer, cheese, and sweets I ate- even though I kept my portions in check.
So how do you handle all of this?
The realization that you weren’t “good” on your vacation? Your body’s physiological response to all those foods you haven’t eaten in forever?
7 Steps to Road Trip Recovery
Step 1. Take a long hot shower once you’ve gotten home and unloaded the car. Don’t worry about unpacking yet. Don’t worry about anything. Just get yourself in that shower and take a long one. Use up all the hot water if you want to! (I can neither confirm nor deny if I may have used up all the hot water) Pamper yourself while you’re in there. Exfoliate. Use that “special” shower gel or bath fizzies that you’ve been saving for a “special” occasion. Just take your time and let the hot water and suds wash away the smell and “icky” feeling left from the road. Shower off all the stress that built up from your vacation so that you can begin your life back at home on a positive, calm, and happy note.
Step 2. Prepare a mega mug of craving killer hot cocoa and enjoy in your favorite spot in the house. Heck, stay in your bathrobe/towel from the shower! Curl up with your mug of cocoa and reflect on how awesome that trip was! All the memories, all the laughs, all the silly things.
Step 3. Let it go. Let go of any guilt, frustration, or depression that you have regarding your eating/exercising choices while you were on vacation. Let. It. Go! It was vacation. Those few days may set you back a bit on the scale/tape measure temporarily, but they do not kill your goals! They do not kill your drive! They do not start you all the way back at square one. You enjoyed yourself and your vacation. So let it go. It’s not the end of the world.
Step 4. Recognize that the way you feel right now is a good sign! It shows that you have been making some serious progress in your lifestyle, in making better choices to fill your body with fuel and not junk. Sometimes a little of the “carb/grease/sweets hangover” helps remind you that you don’t want to go back down that road.
Step 5. Refocus. So what if you gained a couple pounds or are bloated from all the carbs? That’s something you can easily change – that’s something you know how to change. So get refocused. Work on your inspiration board. Review or redefine your goals. Shift your mindset from “vacation mode” to “normal life mode” that’s full of good choices.
Step 6. Go to bed. Put your favorite set of sheets on that bed and go to bed early — we’re often ‘drained’ from vacation — and get in some extra sleep. Remember, sleep deprivation gets in the way of being in fat loss mode.
Step 7. Tomorrow is a new day. Just remember — LET IT GO! Get back to your normal ways of living, with the fat loss mode on, and you’re back on track.
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