Give It Up

If you're concerned about your health, you probably have numerous daily rituals that pertain to your desire to live a long, vibrant life. I know I do. Mine include: a bowl full of supplements which I swallow throughout the day; home-cooked meals that balance protein, fats, and carbs; aerobic exercise and strength training; foam rolling and stretching; yoga classes. But what would happen if I gave all of this up?



This summer, I'm going to vacation in Europe for 3 weeks. During this time, I will neglect to take my vitamins and other supplements. I will forego fit jam and yoga classes. I will eat anything and everything, including scones, croissants, cakes and pastries. I'm sure I'll do some walking, but my traveling companions are mostly over 80, so I doubt my daily exercise will be too vigorous.

How much weight will I gain? Will I return home flabby and unfit? How will my perimenopause be affected by the change in diet? And the lack of supplements? Will my mood be better or worse than usual? These are some of the questions I will only be able to answer after my vacation experiment ends.

Here are some reasons to do your own vacation (or staycation!) experiment:

1) Changing up your diet could give your metabolism a kick in the pants. If you normally eat a calorie-restricted diet, boosting your calories (on a TEMPORARY basis!) could up your metabolism and might eventually lead to increased weight loss. You might try it for just one single meal once per week to see if this works for you.

2) Switching up your exercise routine is highly recommended. Your body is very good at saving energy. We were built for this. So any activity that you do in the same exact way, day after day, is going to quickly become too easy. Throw your body for a loop by doing something complete different!

3) Repeating the same set of movements over and over (like swinging a tennis racket or a golf club) often leads to overuse injuries. The same can happen in ballet class, yoga class, or when running. Taking a break from your normal exercise regime can give your body a chance to heal. All those little aches and pains might evaporate on your vacation.

4) We all need rest! And relaxation! And there is nothing wrong with honoring your body's need to rest. In fact, it is very likely you will return to your job, your spouse, your family, your commitments, your life, with a renewed sense of purpose and passion.

I forgot to mention that I will also be taking a break from blogging while I'm on vacation! So you won't hear from me for a while. I hope you will enjoy the warm weather and spend some time relaxing while we're apart!

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