Feeling tired and bloated after overindulging during the holidays? Well, cheer up, you're not alone. Normally, feasts and holidays are meant for relaxing and, for many, relaxing a diet can mean that even the healthiest eater finds it hard to stay on track. Unfortunately, all that excess in the form of carbohydrates, fat, salt and sugar can leave you feeling bloated, tired, hungry and guilty. Here are three steps you can take to detox your body and get back on track after an awesome if indulgent vacation.
Drink a lot of water. Proper hydration is one of the fastest and easiest ways to help your body flush out all the “gunk” and excess bloat. There are many different opinions on the appropriate amount of water to drink, the most common being some 2.2 litres a day if you are a woman and three litres if you are a man. However, if you don't typically drink that much water, this may be too much for you. Think about your water drinking habits and come up with an amount that seems more like what you typically drink in a day, then set a goal to drink that much every day for the next week. To help you reach your goal, you can add a freshly squeezed lemon and mint, cucumbers, or strawberries to a big pitcher of water with ice and keep it in the refrigerator. Refill often with fresh water. This will help you to keep on coming back for more.
Move, stretch, breathe and get your sweat on. A great workout is one of the best ways to get yourself back on track with your normal healthy lifestyle after a blowout. So create a plan that feels exciting, healthy and detoxing, and get moving after your indulgent vacation. Highlight your workouts for the coming week on your calendar, like you would any appointment. Commit to getting in a good sweat session a minimum of three to four times a week, and with a mindset of self-care rather than punishment. Finally, it's important to know that you're not doing these workouts to punish yourself for your bad behaviour. What's done is done: you had a great vacation, so now perform your workouts with the mindset of wanting to feel your best. You'll be back to your normal, lean, unbloated self in no time.
Hit the grocery stores and stock up on veggies, berries and lean protein. Spend a few hours washing, chopping, batch cooking and putting everything in safe food storage containers so that you have all of your meals for the week ready to grab and go. Commit to eating your own home-prepared meals for the next week. Not only will your body benefit from getting all kinds of detoxifying nutrients, but you will also benefit mentally too. Feeling like you are doing good things for your body goes a long way in the game of weight loss and goal setting. In fact, many dietitians think it's more than half the battle.
