Getting Back on Track After Vacation - Part 1

I went away, ate, drank, relaxed, and then ate some more. I enjoyed a couple of big breakfasts, a few Starbucks indulgences, authentic Italian and even some fried onion rings (love those!) but it wasn’t without a price.  When I woke up on Monday morning after several days of not-so-healthy eating, I felt puffy and bloated and my pants were a little tight. Not to mention I felt like crap!
 
Still, I heeded the principles in my “Help, I’ve Fallen off the Bandwagon and I Can’t Get Up!” blog: I forgave myself, learned from my mistakes, and will plan to do it differently next time. But now, it’s time to pay the piper.
 
Recovering from a setback isn’t easy. It’s going to require some sacrifices, but it can be done.
 
Here is my 5 step “Get Back on Track Plan:”

Step #1: Renew

I’ve come to grips with what my overindulgence cost me. I know the depth of the hole that I now have to dig myself out of. I’m not beating myself up about it, but I am being real with myself about the work that lies ahead.  I can’t afford to less this continue. The bad eating stops now.

Even when you are serious about your fitness goals, you slip up here and there. You’re not perfect, but in the grand scheme of things, what happened on your vacation is the exception, and not the rule. Remember that you’ve been able to whip yourself back into shape before. You can do it again. You just have to renew your commitment to your goals.

Step #2: Restore
 
I did drink water while on vacation but not nearly as much as normally do. I enjoyed orange juice, a soda, tea, a couple of lattes and then there were those “other” drinks. It all amounted to a lot of empty calories and dehydration and water retention.
 
I know it probably sounds crazy that you could be dehydrated and retain water at the same time but trust me, it happens more often than you may think. Coffee, tea, etc. dehydrates the body which in turn triggers water retention. The only way to restore your balance is to get hydrated.

My first priority in getting back on track is to drink plenty of water. I’ll drink a minimum of 16 oz. before I leave the house in the morning and carry a water bottle with me to ensure I get in a total of 8-10 glasses by the end of the day.
 
In concert with that, everything else – soda, tea, fruit juices, even those cool little flavor packets that I sometimes add to my water are out for the next couple of days. Why? Because artificial sweeteners and stimulants can and most likely would sabotage my hydration efforts. Instead, I’ll add the juice of a fresh lemon or lime, but any fruit will do.