Another late post, sorry everyone! There were 20-something Americans in town visiting for a Mt. Nemrut trip, and this week, I’ve been proctoring midterms. Needless to say, it’s been ridiculously busy!
Speaking of the weekend, I’ll jump right in to this week’s topic: off days (weeks...months?!)
Usually (for me anyway), traveling means all but throwing healthy eating and exercise out the window. Luckily, I’m usually out exploring a new city, so that means plenty of walking. In Turkey, it also means trying that region’s local delicacy. Mersin is known for tantuni, a sort of chicken wrap with tomatoes and spices. Adıyaman, the city we went to last weekend is know for çiğ köfte, a vegetarian meatball made from bulgur, tomato paste, garlic, and a special paprika paste. Bursa is known for Iskender kebap, meat and bread covered in tomato sauce, served with a side of yogurt, and DROWNED in butter. Gaziantep is known for, well, literally everything. Let's not even get into all the things I ate during winter break in Europe and Egypt (nah, see photos below). As you can imagine, it can be difficult to stick to your preferred eating habits when you're surrounded by delicious things to eat.
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| Pork, potato dumplings, smoked fish, and beer in Prague |
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| Koshari in Egypt |
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| Beer in Bratislava |
As I said, we had a large group of visitors this weekend. Hosting is a whole different animal. Having visitors means showing them around the city, taking them to the best restaurants, and, of course, having a few beers. We did a fair bit of walking, but I’m not entirely convinced it offset the two large breakfasts we had this weekend or the couple bottles of wine I helped my friends finish.
So, what do you do when you’ve had a bad day or two...or 5...or 30 (guilty)
1. Most importantly: DON’T beat yourself up.
Food is not the enemy, y’all. Take it from someone who struggled with an eating disorder for years and is still working on a healthy relationship with food. Your body needs calories, and a couple of days, even a month, of not eating the best food will not set you back considerably. Accept the fact that you didn’t eat how you wanted, and move on from it.
2. Try to remember what you were doing while eating that food.
Were you spending time with your family over the holidays eating cookies and talking? Were you out with your friends dancing the night away and sipping on a drink (or 2)? Were you exploring a new city with a special dish that you may never get to eat again? Again, food is NOT the enemy. It’s ok to indulge, even if it’s a little more than you wanted or planned. I ate and drank SO much more in Europe and Egypt than I do when I'm at home, and I regret none of it. Why? Well, when am I going to be able to eat fresh falafel in Luxor again? When am I going to be able drink cheap, amazing beer brewed by monks in Prague again? When am I going to be able to eat fancy desserts in Vienna again? Live it up, and remember, your vacation eating habits are not the norm!
3. DON’T go to extremes.
You get back home from your vacation. Your visitors have gone home. Now what? I know many people, including myself, have the tendency to want to starve ourselves or exercise ourselves into exhaustion. This is NOT healthy, and this will NOT do you any good. Starving yourself will only lead to overeating later, and overworking yourself could lead to injury, pushing you further off track.
4. Get back on track
Instead of restricting calories or running for 2 hours, get back into your normal eating and exercise habits. Fill that fridge up with protein and fiber, and drink plenty of water. When it comes to exercise, if it’s been more than a few weeks since you last did a work out, go easy on yourself. If you lift weights, drop your weights a couple of pounds. If you run, reduce your speed or distance the first time you get back on the road or the treadmill. If it’s only been a few days, you should have no problems jumping right back into your workout routine. Just be sure to notice if you are working too hard, and back off if you feel any considerable pain.
Swaying off your health and fitness path doesn’t have to be the end of the world. You can get back whenever you want, you just have to start! Call a friend, look online for support, reach out! There are plenty of people (including me) who would love to be there for you and give you encouragement :)
How do you get back to your healthy lifestyle after an off-period? Let us know in the comments.
Until next time,
Heather
xoxo
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