Home From Vacation

We returned home yesterday after spending five glorious days with my family in Buffalo, NY. We celebrated my Father's 75th birthday, attended my Grandniece's Baptism, we went to the beach, painted on a graffiti wall, drove a golf cart to Tim Hortons, visited with people that we love and ate a lot of delicious food. This is what vacation is about! I didn't exercise, except the occasional walk and holding my baby Grandnieces Marley and Piper and the food I ate, (for the most part) was not healthy. I enjoyed fried chicken, Beef on Weck, Sponge Candy, cake, Wine Sushies, just to name a few. So, now that I'm home, how do I go from this...

to this

When I feel like this!

Ugh!

I'm exhausted, I don't feel like working out or eating right and my brain wants caffeine and sugar. So what do I do to beat the slump after arriving home from vacation? The first thing I do is drink lots of water. ..

Did you know that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated?

Dehydration Causes Fatigue, a foggy head, irritability, and is linked to lack of concentration and short-term memory. A person may feel anxious as well.

Drinking water is a great way to boost your metabolism and help a person feel full.

The second thing I do is throw out the candy, (if there's none in the house I won't be tempted) and go shopping for lean proteins, fruits and vegetables.

Our brains love sugar and when we eat sweet foods the brain's reward system — called the mesolimbic dopamine system — gets activated. Dopamine is a brain chemical released by neurons and can signal that an event was positive. The dopamine system loves alcohol as well, so I cut that out for a time, too.

My journey back to Exercise will be gradual. I've taken almost a whole week off so I don't want to do anything too strenuous in the beginning. Walking, mindful movements, lifting a bit lighter then I might if I hadn't taken a vacation are always good options.

And Rest! Get lots of rejuvenating Rest!