Recently I was able to enjoy some much needed travel therapy! It has been over 2 years since my travels were longer than 3 days, so I was due! This trip was significant in a couple ways, one which I wanted to talk about here. My health journey. This was the first long trip that took place during my health journey…Ok, that is a little deceiving because I have been working on my health for quite a few years now! So, let me explain.
A big difference this time around is knowledge. Simply put, I have had more training and education since my last trip! I continue my education, research, read, etc. not only to help my clients, but I also get some value! This has allowed me to put some new protocols in practice. Also, and I am almost embarrassed to admit this…my focus on me is more important these days. To put this bluntly…I was half-assing the work I was putting into my health before…just getting by. Now, I am practicing what I preach and truly taking care of myself. So, this is a new travel experience for me and I want to share it with you!
Travel comes up a lot when I work with clients. There is this anxiety that comes up…big time! Some almost don’t want to go. They want to wait until they are “healed” or “healthier” to go. Or, the complete opposite…”I’m gonna go all out and do whatever I want and work on my health goals when I get back!” Really there is no right or wrong answer. It’s all in what works for you, in the season of life you are in, but I will say…DON’T STOP LIFE TO HEAL! LIVE YOUR LIFE!
Preparation
The prep for this trip was definitely different from other trips, mostly due to the fact that we would be away from home for an extended period of time, and my favorite organic grocery stores! That’s a hint that food was the biggest factor here! (Food is foundational my friends!) We road tripped it, so I was able to pack coolers and bags of food. This may not sound appealing to you, and honestly, it wasn’t to me at first, but it really did pay off.
We stayed at a chain hotel, and one we had stayed at in the past, so I knew what to expect for room layout, amenities, etc. They offer a “free” breakfast, but I still packed my own. It’s important for me to start my day out with healthy fats and protein…clean fats and protein! This way I will not end up feeling hangry or craving sweets later in the day. (Super important when there are so many sweet shops around….hello fudge!) What did I pack for breakfast you ask?
Here is what I packed:
- Hard boiled eggs
- Carrot sticks
- Avocados
- Chia seeds
- Coconut milk
- Cinnamon (Ceylon)
- Honey
- Protein powder
Did I eat it all at once is a better question! No. No I did not! I wanted options, and options that were versatile for me if I needed them for another meal or snack (sometimes I would supplement a restaurant meal with some additional protein). I would choose a combination that gave me enough of the protein and fat I needed…and rolled with it!
I should probably back up just a bit. Before I eat my breakfast, I start my typical day with warm lemon water. Oddly enough, this gal who had a food bag that held more than my clothing bag, didn’t want to pack all her lemon water supplies! Instead, I opted to start my mornings with my adrenal cocktail from Jigsaw in warm water. It was much easier to pack!
Dining Out
Dining out when you are on a health journey is tough…especially if you are also gluten free…and out in the sticks! Fortunately, there were some really great restaurants that had some pretty decent gluten free options. A concern that comes to play for me is usually the quality of food and then the oils that the food is cooked in. Some people will ask the server if the food can be cooked without oil or in butter instead, I am still working on getting past my “Minnesota Nice” to do that! Even though I chose “healthy” options, like sautéed veggies and chicken, I knew that it may be sautéed in a seed oil…not a fan of those seed oils or canola. Gross. To counteract this as best I could, I made sure I was prepared to boost my anti-inflammatory foods and supplements. (Hello breakfast with some good Omega’s!)
Sleep
Sleep is one of those foundations to a health journey that you just can’t skimp on…even on vacation. ESPECIALLY ON VACATION! To help get the best sleep I could, in a hotel, I brought along these:
- Essential oil diffuser
- All the “relaxing” oils I could find in my stash!
- Eye mask – to block out light
- Ear plugs – to block out the guest above you doing burpees at 1:30 in the morning
- My favorite quilt – call me Linus if you will, but that quilt goes on all my travels!
I did try something a little different the first couple nights, I listened to sleep music on my favorite meditation app, Insight Timer. Normally, I will shut off all devices and/or put on airplane mode, including my phone. I was desperate for some good sleep those first few nights and I wanted to test it. The first night, I fell asleep right away. It was lovely! The second night…I listened to the whole 90 minute track and was still not asleep! After that, I opted for the earplugs and it worked well. (As an FYI, when I am home, I will typically play this track while I am getting ready for bed to help calm my system for sleep. It works well!)
I must admit, my sleep was better on this trip than it ever has been. Still not quite as great as when I am home, but that is to be expected. I will share some thoughts on how I could improve this more in the future later in this post.
Movement
Movement is important to me. I knew on this trip I would be doing a lot of walking and hiking, so that was not an issue. I try to walk after my meals, or do some sort of movement to help with blood sugar regulation. (Super helpful when working on hormonal health!) Strength and stretching was a little lax. I did some stretching and yoga poses as I could, and as my body needed, but nothing structured. I guess it is vacation! However, I feel I did have some opportunities to spend a little more time on this…and it could have helped with some stiffness I had after hikes.
Sweet Treats
When we went into the little towns, there were sweet shops, fudge shops, bakeries, and homemade ice cream as far as the eye could see! As I mentioned earlier, when it comes to working on hormonal health, blood sugar regulation is key. Knowing my husband would get the world’s largest assortment of salt water taffy, and we would hit up every sweet shop we could, I brought along some of my own sweets. If I was tempted, I could turn to those….that was the plan anyway! Not gonna lie, the homemade fudge at this one shop called my name! Then again at an ice cream shop. You know what….no regrets! I didn’t beat myself up over this. The thoughts we tell ourselves can sometimes be worse than the actual food.
I will be honest though, eating all this sugar, when I haven’t in such a long time…it did a number on me. This is something I anticipated, but I forgot just how sugar messes with me! A good reminder for me to get back to how things were, and maybe think twice next time.
Hydration
I cannot stress this enough…being PROPERLY hydrated can do wonders for your health ! It shouldn’t stop on vacation. Sometimes you need to increase it a bit. In preparation for this trip, I made sure I had plenty of electrolytes, mineral drops, and spring water to take along. Now, the tricky part….finding a bathroom! When we properly hydrate, our body will use/absorb more of the water than when we are just throwing it a ton of plain old water…meaning, you pee less! BUUUT, even so, your body will eliminate the waste…and you need to find a spot to do that! Some of the towns we walked around were tricky when I had to go…there was one public restroom and it was usually on the far side!
For the most part, I stayed on track with my hydration. I carried a small stainless steel bottle in my bag at all times, so it was there to comfort me when I needed it! I also had a larger bottle filled in the car for refilling if we were going to be away from the hotel for a long period of time. A little tip, never leave plastic water bottles in hot vehicles. The nasty chemicals from the bottle will leach into your water…no good!
Snacks
I am not as much of a snacker as I used to be, however, we wanted snacks along just in case. These were really helpful, since they made up our lunch for a few days! Here is what I packed:
- Chomps, Epic, Paleo Valley meat sticks/bars
- Kale chips
- Carrots
- Nuts/Seeds
- Cheese
- Lesser Evil Popcorn
- Simple Mills Crackers
- Go Macro bars
- (I think that was all!)
As I mentioned above, there were some days that we knew finding a restaurant would be tough. Or, we just didn’t feel like eating the food that was available. So, we relied on our trusty cooler and food bags! Also, we found a little organic store in one of the towns and bought stuff to make sandwiches for lunch one of the days. It worked out great!
Next Time
Oh, there will definitely be a next time! Sooner than later I hope too! Here are a few things I will adjust for the next time and why:
- Stay at an AirBNB or cabin – this will allow us to cook more of our food if we choose to. It was tough finding open restaurants (many people, not a lot of options) and we often ate later than we would have liked for this reason. Also, food quality and cooking practices that can upset the gut. Another factor, sleep! Not having people above you moving around in the middle of the night is a blessing!
- Less sugar – I know I said no regrets, but I could have not gone so crazy and had as much of it as I did. Maybe going in with a better plan to have some things, than not have anything. (Funny…this is exactly what I tell my clients!)
- A new cooler – We do not have anything super fancy, but it might be nice to have something where the ice lasts longer than a day!
Ok, so I know that a lot of these…or even all of these….ideas are not new or revolutionary. However, it can be overwhelming to think about all this planning and packing. Believe me, I get it! I just wanted to put it out there that it can be done, and it can be super helpful if you are working on your health journey.
Overall, I feel this trip was a success in the health journey department! I am proud that I took the time to prep and plan, but most importantly…ENJOY MYSELF! I will follow this up with some things I noticed and did once I returned…so stay tuned!
Safe and happy travels to you! AND, as always…if you need a little help along the way…message away!
Stephanie
What are your thoughts?
I’m curious to hear your thoughts, or even some travel suggestions you might have tested out that really helped you. Share away! And, don’t stop living your life while you are healing…get out there!