Struggling through your post holiday blues? Looking for tips on how to get back on track post holiday? Aren't we all.
It’s easy to let healthy eating and workouts slip down your list of priorities when you're on holiday. Let's be honest, that's what holidays are all about, right? Treating yourself. All in the name of self care.
This tends to happen because the triggers for healthy habits (like your favourite 6am gym alarm) can go missing from your routine. Getting back to a healthy way of life post holiday can be tough - but the sooner you do it, the easier it will be.
Despite those post holiday blues, don't procrastinate. These five simple tips will help.
Schedule your workouts
Habit psychology tells us you’re more likely to carry out a healthy behaviour if you’ve planned it. In other words, if it isn’t scheduled, it won’t happen. Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.
Grab your diary and schedule your workouts for the week, then set an action plan to make sure it happens. Pack your trainers the night before or make plans to meet a friend for a run. You could also use the power of consequences to motivate yourself.
You're much less likely to bail if you have to pay for a skipped class. Sounds like tough love, but it works. And it's one of the best ways to beat the effects of holiday indulgence.
Start off slow
You've had some time off, so don't go all-guns-blazing when you get back to the gym.
Remember to warm up (and down), properly prepare yourself, get your well-fitted workout gear on and take it easy.
Get back and track
The easiest and most powerful thing you can do to get your eating back on track is to keep a food diary. Studies show that dieters who track their food can lose twice as much weight as those who don't. Fact. It cuts eating amnesia, helps you refocus and gets you back on track. Fast.
Start your day with a high protein breakfast
If you’re struggling with cravings after a holiday, a high protein breakfast can help. Protein switches on satiety and puts the brakes on hunger hormones, meaning the mid-morning munchies are a thing of the past.
Around 30g of protein is ideal - a single serving of any of our superfood protein blends will tick this box - simply mix with water or almond milk, and even a handful of frozen fruits, for a speedy on-the-go breakfast.
Some of our favourite breakfasts to get back on track after a bit of good old fashioned holiday indulgence is a classic Pancakes, Blueberries and Manuka Honey recipe. If those aren't your thing, though, here are some quick and easy breakfast ideas that we're sure you'll enjoy.
Bin the booze
You may want to have a little drink or two to wind down and take the edge off of those post holiday blues, but let's face it, we all know alcohol is high in calories. However, that’s not the only way it can sabotage good intentions.
Alcohol triggers hunger, slaps down sleep quality and increases production of galanin, a brain chemical which increases cravings for fatty foods. Give yourself a two-week booze ban and see your good intentions snap back into place. Trust us on this one.
It's time to snooze (yes, really)
Balmy holiday evenings are blissful, but nipping late nights in the bud will benefit your body. Tiredness increases hunger hormones and studies show sleepy brains are more drawn to junk food.
Work out how many hours rest you need (for most of us, seven to eight is ideal) then work backwards, and make sure you’re in bed half an hour before this time - for extra points turn your electronic devices off, as the light from them interferes with the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. If you need some extra energy, try The Energy Booster – a pre or intra-workout supplement that’s developed to help you get the most out of your workouts and snap you out of that post-holiday slumber.
Getting back into the work routine
An absolute life hack (if you can) is to book off the day after you get back from holiday as annual leave to give yourself that extra little bit of leeway. There's nothing worse than rushing back from the airport after the holiday of a lifetime to have to scramble a work outfit together and get out the door and on your commute the next morning. Especially after a late night flight.
We've been there, and never again.
The night before
Pack your lunch, lay out your outfit and have a clear game plan in place. Taking the bus? Check those times. Got a train to catch? Make sure you're tracking it's arrival. As we've already said, failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Get yourself sorted ASAP.
On the day
Get yourself up nice and early and give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Remember to eat a nutritious breakfast, hydrate and shower to really set yourself in good stead.
Maybe even head to the gym beforehand to really wake yourself up and get yourself reeling the benefits of the exercise-induced serotonin for the day?
