All good things must come to an end... So this is my last entry to my Vacation Diary series in Ecuador. (Read Part 1 and Part 2) I hope you have had fun reading the stories and perhaps picked up a few healthy tips along the way. Parting with your vacation habits and getting back to reality is the hardest part of coming home. Here are my tips:
Jennifer’s Vacation Diary - Part III Back to Reality
Jennifer McCamish
Ease yourself back into eating healthy and working out.
The first day back I took a Graceful class. I wasn’t too sore so I amped it up on day two with Circuit Burn and Emily M.’s advanced yoga class. I woke up the next morning and couldn’t sit on the toilet. OUCH! Did I mention pace yourself??? I opted for a walk on day three, I took Groove on day four, and then yoga on day five and finally felt like myself again. You actually feel better when you mix it up and use different muscle groups so try different classes and learn from me - avoid two classes on your second day back, even if you are experiencing vacation remorse.
Don't Go Cold Turkey
Don’t go cold turkey and slash calories to a quarter of what you need. I think this is actually the harder piece of the equation and when done incorrectly can set yourself up for failure, continuing vacation habits. I quickly got back on my morning smoothies and other healthy options but I did it over a few days for a gradual process so I didn’t experience cravings. I kept a dark chocolate bar in my pantry and had a few squares so I could slowly dissipate my sweet tooth. I didn’t want to find myself at Central Market circling the gelato section like the begging seals and pelicans we witnessed in the Galapagos Islands.
So to wrap up, this vacation was a blast and I know my kayaking and hiking, mixed with stretching and drinking a ton of water helped tremendously to take the “sting” out of jumping back into my healthy routine. Plus, I had another motivation - I missed my awesome DS clients and staff!
Read the first 2 parts of Jennifer's Vacation Dairy here:
About the Author
Jennifer McCamish is owner and Director of Programming and Training at Dancers Shape. Jennifer has over 30 years of dance experience with training from legendary institutes in New York City, London, Los Angeles and New Orleans. She received a B.A. in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin (Dean’s List) and was a professional dancer in New York City for thirteen years. She danced at Radio City Music Hall as a Radio City Rockette performing in numerous productions of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Fifi Awards and the NYC Christopher Columbus Day Parade. Read more about Jennifer.