Post-Vacation Spiral: How to Get Out of That Slump!
Feeling “fat,” low-energy or just plain blue that it’s over?
It’s very easy and super common for us to have trouble with “re-entry” after a vacation or holiday.
Overindulgence may have caused a few pounds to creep on, less than optimal sleep has us cranky an tired making it that much harder to get back into our healthy habits around eating, exercising and self-care. This in turn can put our mood in dumps as well.
A perfect storm for spiraling mentally, physically and nutritionally!
Do not fear! I’ve listed several things for you to do right now to get you back on track today. The sooner you get back on track the sooner you’re back on your game, rocking life the way you’re meant to!
Get out of the dumps mentally…
1. Unpack! Half-ass unpacking will lead to a feeling of clutter in your physical and mental space, and this will weigh you down whether you’re conscious of it or not! Take the time you need to put all your stuff, and suitcase away. Physically putting your vacation behind you closes that door and allows you to metaphorically and literally move on.
2. Clean up! Shower, blow dry your hair, put on makeup & get dressed in something nice or something that makes you feel good about yourself. When we feel lousy, lethargic or blue it’s easy to want to stay in our yoga pants for days yet this will only perpetuate those feelings. Force yourself to clean up and I guarantee you’ll feel lighter, prettier and happier!
3. Connect! We often come out of our connection-filled busy vacations into the silence of our day to day life, whether that be in our homes or work. After extended time with family an friends it’s not surprising to feel a little lonely when you get back to real life! Reach out and connect with someone that fills you up. And connect in a real way, not just over text or email. CALL the person or better yet set up a coffee or lunch. If you’ve been gone you’re likely overdue for a coffee with your bestie anyway! Call your mom/cousin/college roommate. Even just hearing her voice in a catch up phone call can turn your frown upside down.
4. Plan! There’s often a big letdown when a vacation or holiday that we’ve looked so forward to is over. A great way to get past that is to plan something else! It doesn’t have to be something epic, it doesn’t even have to be another vacation, Plan a get together, a night on the town, a dinner party, or go ahead and plan that next vacation! But actually do it, don’t just day dream about it!
5. Get moving! Hit the gym, take a class, go for a run. Exercise is nature’s anti-depressant and can pop you right out of a slump. If you’re struggling with motivation, start slow but do SOMETHING. Ask your body what actually sounds good to? Ask yourself, really listen, and then do it! Even if it’s just a walk outside or 5 sun salutations in your family room… the benefits of physical exercise on our mental state are huge! More on exercise up next
Bottom line:
Find something that you know perks YOU up and just do it, and do it today!
Get out of the dumps physically...
We’re often tired after a trip, needing a “vacation from our vacation” We’ve often overindulged, not gotten enough sleep or quality sleep, etc. We tend to feel low energy, heavy, or my favorite, “puffy.” We’ve been out of our routine so the most important thing to do is to get back into our routine, even when, especially when that i the last thing we feel like doing.
1. Sleep! Get your sleep back on track ASAP. Get back to your normal night time routine and bedtime and aim for 7-9 hours. Sleep is when our body repairs and our mind rejuvenates. It’s absolutely crucial to weight loss/weight management as well as mood and cravings so this has to be a priority.
2. Get moving! Again! Whether that’s getting back to your regular exercise regimen or just getting outside and walking, the benefits of exercise as mentioned above are many. Getting right back into your exercise regimen will prevent you from losing ground or, god forbid, not getting back into it at all, which actually happens a lot! Go with a friend, hold yourself accountable. Getting started is the hardest but it gets easier every time. So go get your blood pumping today… just do it!
Bottom line:
Give your body the rest it needs and deserves. Prioritize sleep and get moving!
Get out of the dumps nutritionally…
We crave what we eat.
If we’ve been eating crap over the holidays or on vacation we’ll continue to crave it plain and simple. Cleaning up the diet will help you, mind and body. Some people go for a true Reset or Detox post-holiday (I’ve linked two possibilities there) but that’s not always necessary! Here are a few things you can do, even for a day or two to help you get back in the clean-eating swing of things:
1. Natural Detox: Drink lemon water first thing in the morning and throughout the day and eat tons of greens! Both of these have detoxifying and alkalizing properties for the body as well as fiber from the greens to help get you regular again.
2. Cut out: processed foods and empty carbs focusing on veggies, fruits and lean proteins like chicken, seafood, and healthy fats such as avocado and olive oil. These are “lighter” foods that will be easier on your digestion than heavier, rich foods and help YOU feel lighter overall. By feeding our body nutrient dense foods and omitting the processed foods, sugar and other carbs we can start to tame those cravings, lose the puffy and feel better fast.
3. Bone Broth: Sip bone broth or make soup from bone broth. Bone broth is easy on the digestion has immune boosting properties as well as gut healing properties! Have a bone broth based meal once a day in place of a normal meal for a few days or do a mini-fast; sipping only bone broth for 24 hours to jump-start a little weight loss, boost your GI and overall health! Read more about the benefits of bone broth, including an easy recipe HERE. Order delicious ready-to-eat organic bone broth HERE (use code GPKate5 for a discount!)
4. Probiotics: Consider a probiotic to help balance the gut flora, even if it’s not something you take regularly. Even a week or two can help balance things out and get your gut health back on track which will help with weight loss and even your mood. UltraFlora Control is from a trusted line of probitoics and has been proven to help control body fat and body weight. Probiotics can also help with digestion and poop problems (too much, too little!)
5. Structure: If you’re someone who does better with structure or a plan, then put some around your meals! For example, commit to eating 3 solid, well-balanced meals a day for 3 days. Actually schedule this like an appointment and check them off as you go. This will get you out of grazing throughout the day and help get you back on track.
6. Track your food: either in an app like My Fitness Pal or just your own food journal. While I don’t recommend tracking food as an ongoing thing, in the short term this brings huge awareness as well as mindfulness to what, why, and how we’re eating, and can get things under “control” quickly!
Bottom line:
Be especially purposeful, structured and mindful of your food choices for a few days to get you back on track quickly!
So what do you think?
Can you implement one or more of these things to get you feeling better mentally and physically today? Any tips that work for you that I’ve missed?
Please let me know in the comments below!
And if you feel like you need help beyond this, support or accountability? Shoot me a message and we’ll come up with an individualized plan for you to start asap!
PS I did a Facebook live video on this too! You can watch it here:
