This past weekend, I attended my cousin’s wedding out of town. If you have ever been to an Indian wedding, you know that this can be a 2-3 day affair with events starting early in the morning and lasting late into the night. In the past, after the pre-wedding events, I would always develop severe migraine headaches (with nausea if it was really bad). By the time the actual wedding started, I was usually popping pain pills every 6 hours and I was not able to be fully present or enjoy myself.
Before I started my wellness journey, I was not eating enough nutritious foods or getting enough sleep. I was also easily overwhelmed and stressed out by everything. The combination of these habits resulted in my poor health. Any time I didn’t get enough sleep, I would get migraines. Whether it was because of special events, or extra stress on a regular day, the lack of sleep was guaranteed to ruin the next day. This happened so frequently that I always carried pain medicine in my purse.
Throughout my wellness journey, I learned how to take care of myself. Today’s topic will be on how I learned to maintain my healthy habits while at a wedding and on vacation. We stayed in a hotel for my cousin’s wedding. We also took a vacation after the wedding was over to visit Niagara Falls. I am happy to report that because of the changes I have made during my wellness journey, I did not suffer a single migraine during the wedding events. I did, however, have one during our vacation on the day we skipped lunch (just to remind me how important it is for me to take care of myself every day).
Here are the things I did to keep my body healthy while away from home:
- Make sure to eat nutritious foods and get enough rest on a daily basis. These healthy habits allowed my body to compensate for a few days of early mornings, late nights, and suboptimal food choices without debilitating headaches.
- Eat a healthy breakfast. Fill up on protein and healthy fats in the morning to help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the day.
- Stay hydrated. Maybe you are like me, starting the day dancing in the sun during the groom’s procession. Or perhaps, the wedding was outside in the summer months. It’s easy to get dehydrated if you don’t take care of yourself. Make sure to drink plenty of water, especially if you are drinking alcohol, and dancing at the reception. The same is true when you are on vacation and walking extra steps during the day.
- Get your electrolytes. Dehydration from dancing, drinking, or sitting in the sun can deplete your body of vitamins and minerals too (think B vitamins, vitamin C, and magnesium just to name a few). Take a supplement, drink an electrolyte drink or mix a powder packet of electrolytes into your water (be cautious about the sugar contents in the products you use and make sure to read the labels).
- Bring healthy snacks. I always pack fresh fruits, granola, trail mix (with nuts and dark chocolate), and my non-caffeinated herbal teas when traveling. I was able to snack on healthy foods in between the wedding events. If you have a refrigerator in your hotel room, pack a cooler with hummus and veggies to dip, or yogurt.
- Scan the buffet. If you are at an event with a buffet meal, take a moment to look at the options before getting a plate. Checking out the food choices will ensure you leave room in your plate for your favorite dish that is at the end of the line. Before getting seconds, ask yourself if you are still hungry or if you are eating just to eat.
- Indulge to taste the foods, but do not overeat. It’s ok to taste all the amazing foods at a wedding or while on vacation. The trick is to keep your portions small. Eat slowly and savor every bite.
- Eat your fiber. Make sure you are eating plenty of fiber (along with plenty of water) before, during, and after your vacation to help the body get rid of byproducts from eating unhealthy foods while traveling.
- Get movement throughout the day. If you are on vacation, chances are you will be walking more than usual. If not, hit the exercise room or pool at your hotel. If you are like me, you will dance off some of the extra calories at the wedding reception.
- Don’t let the small things stress you out. I know this has happened to me several times. Learn to enjoy the moment. Try not to get upset about the things you cannot change. Weddings and vacations do not come along every day so make sure you are making happy memories.
I hope you found these tips helpful for the next time you attend a wedding or while you are traveling. If you need help to set a plan for an upcoming trip, email me to book a free 20-minute coaching call. Of course, the full wellness journey is covered in my signature 12-week coaching programs. Email me for more information.