We just returned from a fun-filled weekend of visiting friends in San Diego. I know when we go on these fast trips it seems to be a blur and staying on track with our diets, or our workout routines does not seem to happen and goes completely out the window. We tend to indulge in too many cocktails, we eat irregularly and with no concept of healthy eating, and we pack our workout clothes and have the intention, but it never seems to happen. The whole trip ends up being a picture of what not to do!
I am here to help you prepare and recover from these types of trips. I want you to be able to fully enjoy and live in the moment! Taking that weekend getaway of three days off is not as big of a deal as taking a week off, but that is a conversation for a different day!
To prepare for these quick blurs of a weekend, first, you need to make sure everything at work is caught up and maybe get a little ahead. Maybe that means you are spending more time at work or on your computer the week or two leading up to your trip, so getting in an extra workout is probably not in the cards. Having a clean house right before departing for my trips is always a priority so that upon my return I can unpack, start laundry, and just relax for a bit. Plus having a clean house helps in the packing process because if you are anything like me you don’t want to be searching for items, and chances are you must run to the store for that new dress, outfit, or toiletries. With all the extra things that go into getting ready for the trip itself, staying on track is one of the extra important things because you do not want to go into a 3-day binge-fest after not taking care of yourself leading up to it. If you are wanting to give your best self and go hard for a few days’ getaways I would suggest you get all your workouts in. If you are working out 5 days per week, make sure you are getting all 5 workouts in, and you are giving the workouts your all and getting everything you can out of them in your limited time. I also suggest getting at least your minimum vegetable servings in before your trip. If your diet is a mess because you just did not have the time to get to the store or did not want to buy a full week’s work of groceries be sure to at least get 5 cups of vegetables leading up to your trip, and fried vegetables do not count. Be sure to drink your water, not only will hydration help with any sort of jetlag you may experience, but it will also help prepare and detox your body for the trip and of course prepare for any dehydration you may indulge in. Another preparation tip is to get a grocery list/meal plan together for when you get back so that you do not have to think about it, you can just do it!
Ok, so coming back from a trip that was too fast and too fast-paced to even try to comprehend what is next, how do you recover? First thing’s first once you get back, catch up on work, which hopefully everything was cleaned up before you left, and nothing went too crazy while you were gone. I have experienced too many times even being gone for one day where everything seems to go haywire and that turns out to be the worst day to miss, so you have some things to catch up on and clean up, lets’s take care of that first!! Next, be sure to grocery shop, and hopefully, you got that list done before you left so you can just run into the store and get what you need to get back to eating better and healthier. Also, start re-hydrating! Living in Colorado where the climate is much drier than other states, I find myself coming back from a vacation where hydration was not a focus as it should have been, so back in the dry climate it is imperative to hydrate. The next day back now that you have all your groceries, start eating better! Get your 5 cups of vegetables, and two cups of fruit, and try to get your protein intake back up. Focusing on your diet and hydration on day two will help your body recover from lack of sleep, lack of nutrition, and the bombardment of all the foreign germs that you just encountered while on airplanes, in hotels, and restaurants. On the third day back hopefully your body is becoming more restored, you are feeling like you are starting to get enough sleep and energy back, and your diet is back so you feel more capable to take on the day. On the third day back, you also want to make sure that you are getting back into your workout routine if you haven’t already. Get back to the gym and help your body bounce completely back! I know for me going on and returning from vacation is a good time for me to start a new workout program and a good time for me to fully recover. Enjoy the first day back in the gym, and hopefully, you are feeling stronger and more capable to lift heavier. I start to get the itch to get inter the gym after a trip because traveling reinvigorates me on my healthy journeys and helps get me excited again about my routines!
Hopefully, you have some amazing trips planned now that life is getting back to “normal” after the pandemic, be sure to enjoy yourself, and live in the moment!