I want to share with you guys a little bit about this “double life” I’m living right now.
I know that sounds weird and a little sketchy, but let me explain.
I’ve been living in Portland for almost two years now. Shortly after I had moved out here, I started dating a guy that was from my home town in Connecticut… where I just left. Funny how that works huh?
So, I live in Portland, where I’ve become comfortable in my “adult” skin, have developed my sense of style, built new meaningful relationships with people, set new goals for myself, and obtained a loose grasp on what adulthood should look like. But then I have Connecticut, where I grew up, where my family is from, where my parents and younger brother live, where my boyfriend is, and all my old friendships which I continue working to stay connected with. Connecticut is where all the weddings of friends happen, where family parties are, where graduations of old friends take place, and other events that I used to attend every year, but since moving, have been forced to pass on.
To make an event, or party, or just a hangout back home, it’s not a matter of finding a day when I’m free or taking a day off. I would be required to take 2 or 3 days off of work to make these engagements. Of course I want to be there, so I find a way to get the time off.
Between engagements and wanting to see my boyfriend, I end up taking the 3 hour drive back home every other month. Maybe even two times in a month, depending on what special occasions may be happening. Luckily, it’s not a very long drive, but it is an extra 6 hours, every trip, that could be used towards something more productive like working on my blog or hitting the gym, or working to make money to pay for my bills and numerous upcoming trips.
The thing that seems to hit me the worst when I travel, is the fact that my body seems to think we’re in vacation mode, just because I’m not in my Portland home. A 3-day visit back home does not qualify as vacation, but for some reason, every time I’m there, I’m going out to eat more often or nibbling on things I don’t usually let myself eat or letting myself get lazy when it comes to the gym. I do make sure I make it to the gym at least once per visit, but I usually have to drag myself. Then I get back to my Portland home and feel out of sync. I feel sluggish. Eating a salad is the last thing I want to do. All I want is to take a 5 hour nap.
These trips aren’t usually very long, but they always set me back a few steps. It frustrating and I can’t keep living like this!
This requires a plan of action!
When it comes to situations like this, I find myself presented with one of two options as my solution
1. I could try to be smarter when I go on such trips, like having more self-control and not going out to eat as much. Or at least order healthier options and skip the booze.
OR
2. Be prepared for the consequences and have a plan for when I get back!
I’m not gonna lie guys, I usually end up going with solution #2.
If you’re a solution #2 kind of person as well, let me share with you how I get myself back on track.
My two focuses when I get back home are 1) fitness and 2) food.
I need to reset my eating when I get back from a trip. So, the next morning, after getting back, I make sure I start my day right with a solid breakfast. No muffins or donuts. I go for Raisin Bran cereal or eggs with avocado on toast, setting the bar for the rest of the day, avoiding sweets and nutritionless snacks.
I also have a go-to exercise that helps me to get started back on a regular workout routine.
So, my favorite type of workout, whether I’m feeling particularly lazy, sluggish, or just need something to get my blood flowing and wake up the body, is yoga!
There are different flows and instructors out there that bring extra fire to a yoga routine, but for days when I need the gentle redirection that can still give my body what it needs, I go to YouTube and look for Yoga With Adriene. If you follow Our Chaotic Mess blog, you’ll see that I’ve shared a yoga piece on there that talks a little bit about this channel (and a few other instructors that I love) and why I love it.
This girl has got some fantastic yoga routines, even a playlist of routines for people that do a lot of traveling, like myself. One of my favorite ones, though it’s not specifically for travel, is a video she put out during the holidays several years back and it focuses on digestive flow, which is what I need help with the most after my trips. I’m also a sucker for any yoga routine that has to do with digestion and detox.
But I do love this flow because it’s not high intensity, but it gets your body warmed up. It’s enough of a workout to actually make you sweat, and makes you feel great and ready to get back on your fitness routine by the end of it. It’s just an all around great kickstarter when you need to get back on track.
So next time you’re feeling blah after a trip, consider resetting your diet, then pull this channel up on YouTube and see how much better you feel afterwards. If you’re crunched for time, most of her videos are shorter. You can find a huge variety of her videos that are only 15-30 minutes. Totally doable!
If you already have your own solution to get back on track or overcome a spout of laziness, leave it in the comments. I’d love to hear about it!
Thanks for reading!
I do the same thing when we go visit family back home. We only go once a year so it’s not as hard getting back into routine but it still makes me sluggish and blah when I get back. So, I totally get where you’re coming from.
Very good read. Thanks for sharing!
I spent my first 18 years in one country which I used to call home, now for 5 years, I call yet another country home. The memories and the feeling of the place you grew up will not be replaced ever, so I can understand the sentiment.