When The Party’s Over

It’s been a great vacation so far: saw some friends, laid by the pool, and spent time with family. The weekend was definitely not out of control by any means, but there was quite a bit of indulgence, food and drink wise. As far as I’m concerned, this is fine, but at some point my body gets really angry at me and craves the healthier lifestyle I usually try to live by. Since today’s basically the start of the week (although I’m still out of town), it will also be the start of my “indulgence” detox. By detox, I just mean eliminating a few items from my diet. The chances of me ever attempting a real detox. i.e. liquid detoxes, etc. is slim. Here’s my plan to get back on the healthy train:

• Eliminate Sugar– Sugar’s just so good isn’t it? I wish I could eat cookies and candy all day long and feel amazing at the same time but it never seems to work that way does it? I’ve had quite a bit of sugar this weekend from all sorts of treats and usually feel the effects shortly after. By “effects” I mean mostly huge amounts of guilt but also just heavy and tired. Eliminating sugar means much more than not eating desserts. Sugar hides in a number of products ranging from cereals and yogurts to peanut butter and snack bars. So, I’ll be checking labels quite a bit this week trying to eat as little sugar as possible. Fruit is still, and always will be on the table (I’m not that extreme!).

• Eliminate Alcohol– When I’m at home in Cleveland this isn’t really a problem. I don’t drink very much so it’s no big deal. But when I’m on vacation or visiting family, I definitely seem to drink more than usual. It’s always in social situations like going out with friends or even just going to dinner with my family. I enjoy having a drink or two, it’s fun! But since I don’t drink very much, I feel the effects of alcohol quite a bit the next day (see Hangover). I hate feeling sluggish and foggy the next day. It really does shoot your whole day. Eliminating alcohol allows you to get up in the morning and have a productive day. My chances of going to the gym after a night of drinking are slim, which usually makes me feel even worse. So, alcohol, as much fun as it is, is out!

• Add Water- I’m usually pretty good about drinking enough water when I’m at home, but when I’m on vacation I definitely don’t drink as much (probably because I replaced it with wine). So, since I’m still out of town, I’ll try to remind myself to keep drinking water throughout the day. Especially since I’m in such a hot climate it’s very easy to get dehydrated (oh, and the drinking doesn’t help with that either :).

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• Add More Veggies– I’m not sure I’ve had one veggie since I’ve been here. Oh, that’s not true, I had a salad on Thursday so hopefully that’s held me over for the past three days. Veggies are another thing that’s easily forgotten when I’m on vacation. This is probably because I don’t do my own grocery shopping here so I just eat what’s around. Also, I’d rather eat ice cream and bread so I tend to choose those items instead of broccoli. Oops. Not today my friends! Today I’m changing my attitude I swear! I will now welcome my little broccoli friends onto my plate.

• Add Exercise– Okay, so I’ve been pretty bad about this so far. But I’ve just been so busy, I’ve had a lot of laying out to do. What can I say, life is hard. I actually managed to get my buns out of the pool yesterday and went to the gym with my mom. Since I wasn’t feeling 100% I just did what I could. I managed to run for 30 minutes which was great and very necessary. I lifted some weights too so today I’m pretty sore. I’m planning on heading back to the gym today with my mom (she managed to score guest passes, so no $25 dollar fee!). Like they say, no one ever regrets working out!

That’s my plan to bring my body back to its’ normal, healthy self. I think eliminating anything cold turkey from your diet is pretty tough to do so I’ll do the best I can. Alcohol shouldn’t be a problem, but I know it will be since I’m here for a couple more days. Especially when I’m out with my friends. Ordering a drink will definitely be tempting.

Have you ever done a detox? How did  you feel during and after?