I can't believe the weekend has flown by. I feel like I have been playing catch-up all weekend and still have a lot of things still to do. This of course, because I was on-my-ass sick with the funk for two weeks. I think others can relate when I say I've been in this kind of situation before- you're working out, doing great, then BAM- you're sick, your routine and eating falls by the wayside and you don't bounce back into the same healthy lifestyle you were before. I will admit that when I was sick, I had 3 (yes, 3) run-ins with pizza, and 2 run-ins with Taco Bell. It was easy to say: “honey, go get me some food” and eat it mindlessly when I wasn't feeling good. Now that I'm feeling better (and way less wheezy), I'm really trying to set myself back up for success. Here are my tips for bouncing back:
- Drink Up: You know how doctors tell you to drink plenty of fluids when you're sick? Hard to do when you're in bed for hours on end sleeping. Once I started getting back into my work routine, I started guzzling my water again and it just made me feel less deflated, less tired, less achy. I couldn't believe how THIRSTY I was either!
- Woah Nelly: Don't leap back into your normal routine with your work and exercise and expect to be able to keep up. When I went back to the gym after having very little activity over two weeks, I wasn't able to go as fast on the treadmill or as hard on the arc trainer (and I avoided the stair master altogether). Take it slowly and don't get discouraged if you feel more slow than usual or can't go for as long.
- Clean Your Environment: I don't just mean wash your sheets (although probably a good idea), but clean your environment around you. I dumped everything I had that was holiday-related or leftover from my family's visit and went to 2 different grocery stores to re-stock my pantry and refrigerator with foods that are healthy and that I enjoy. There's no excuse to call for pizza when you've got 10 different healthy and easy options for dinner in your house.
- Be Thankful: Instead of moaning and groaning about it being harder to get back into a routine, to cook healthy, to push yourself at the gym- be thankful that you don't still feel like crud. It's amazing how motivating this can be!
