Not every summer vacation requires recovery, but — let’s be honest — some of the best do! Whether you wore yourself out with long flights to exotic locales, hit the heat (and that poolside bar) too hard, or exhausted yourself with family gatherings, how you care for yourself once you return home can make a big impact on your sense of well-being.
Let this deprivation-free one day plan ease you back into life at home. With recipes from holistic health coach, Cassandra Bodzak, you’ll feel more cleansed and nourished while you unpack.
Editor’s note: Does a full day of homemade meals, meditation and a bath feel unrealistic for you right now? We get it! Read through the story and takeaway what you can, whether it’s root veggies in your takeout or ordering a green juice delivery.
The Post-Vacation Detox:
A One Day Plan
01. Start Your Day With Lemon Water. Begin the day with a nice cup of warm water and up to one half of a freshly squeezed lemon. Warm lemon water helps to cleanse the system and kickstart your digestion for the day and it’s a great way to set the tone for a healthy, hydrated day.
If your vacation left you feeling sluggish, consider starting every day with lemon water for a week or more. Don’t worry, you can always drink plenty of coffee afterward!
02. Get grounded. If you can, step outside early in the day and get your bare feet on the ground. Whether that means a few deep breaths in the backyard or a quick stroll around the block, many health pros believe that direct sunlight early in the day can help you to overcome jet-lag and sleep better at night. To read about the practice of grounding and travel read the full story HERE.
If you really want to dive in here, try this grounding meditation…
Find a comfortable place to sit in easy pose, close your eyes and start focusing on your breath — in through your nose and out your mouth. Imagine a rope extending down through your being, down through the ground, and deep into the core of the earth. Feel anchored. Take a moment to embrace this feeling of grounded connection. Notice how different this feels then how you may have felt in a new place or while flying. Sit anywhere from 2-20 minutes. When you are ready to end the meditation, gently move your fingers and toes, rub your palms together and place them over your eyes as you slowly open your eyes and expose them to the light.
03. Set an intention Take this time to set an intention for the day and don’t be afraid to be practical. Most of us feel a bit of guilt if we’re tired after a vacation knowing that we have tasks to return to. Decide to let that go now.
Here are a few great intentions for your first few days home from travel:
– I’m going to allow myself to gently acclimate back to being home today.
– I’m going to give myself everything I need to nourish and recover this week.
– I’m going to approach today with a sense of humor and a lot of grace.
04. Mid-morning Juice You may be experiencing a lot of cravings right now simply because of the sugar or processed foods you may have had while traveling. Enjoy this simply, but delicious juice recipe from holistic health coach, Cassandra Bodzak mid-morning when you feel ready, after your water with lemon. Cassandra’s green juice recipe is packed with beauty-boosting ingredients and a ton of vitamin C. grab the recipe
05. Add a probiotic to your routine Travel can sometimes interrupt good digestion. Whether you ate lots of rich meals, tried new foods your gut isn’t used to, or simply feel the stress of time zone changes and long flights, a good probiotic may help. If your stomach still isn’t settled Flora’s Travel Care probiotic is the gold standard (pack it next time!). If you’re looking for something to make a part of your daily routine, go with Seed.
06. A Grounding Salad Recipe Root vegetables ground us and connect us back with the earth; they help us literally feel ‘rooted,’ which is the opposite of how we may feel after travel — anxious, stressed or flighty. Adding root veggies to a salad with tons of greens will help balance our energy while giving the body some delicious sustenance to replenish with…grab the recipe
07. eat light + eas In the evening, enjoy this cauliflower-apple soup, which is a hearty and crave-worthy classic. A soup is the perfect light dinner when it’s made with loads of veggies, because it’s easy for you to digest at the end of the night, but it’s heavy enough for you to feel grounded and satiated before you go to bed. The perfect bit of nourishment to help ease your stomach out of travel mode and into a good night’s sleep. grab the recipe
08. herbal Tea + An epsom salt Bath To cap off the night, brew an herbal tea that you love after dinner. Cassandra turned us on to this Tulsi Sweet Rose Tea, stress-relieving and so fragrant.
If you have time, take a moment to process some travel highlights or set new goals in your journal with your tea. Even better, and especially if you have trouble sleeping after travel, run yourself an epsom salt bath which is also incredibly grounding.
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