What Your Body Needs After a Long Treat-Yourself-Weekend

I love treat-yourself-weekends! They’re the best. And one of my favorite parts? No. Shame.

Everyone has had a few (or if you’re like me, many!) weekends where we go a bit off the rails and treat ourselves. These weekends are some of my favorites. I love getting to make memories, have a ton of laughs, and eat a whole pizza (for real though).

Whatever these types of weekends look like for you, the most important thing is to not shame yourself. Don’t punish your body or mind with negativity and poor self-talk. Just because you indulged, doesn’t mean you need to kill hours in the gym the whole next week. Nor does it mean you need to eat only cabbage and drink water. For many of us, this is such a struggle. It’s incredibly hard not to beat yourself up and instead to - yes - give yourself a little breathing room. It’s also super easy to just keep the party going - and not realize that your body is craving rest, nourishment and movement.

I have a few favorite remedies for days after a treat-yourself-weekend that help me both mentally and physically regain a sense of balance. But first, let me paint a little example scenario for you. A few weekends ago, friends from out of town came to visit us for a weekend in wine country. We spent all day on Friday and Saturday in wine country, both wine tasting and eating lusciously rich foods. By mid-day on Saturday my body started feel it and I could tell I was beginning to develop symptoms of dehydration, moodiness and overall dragging. However of course that evening we all went out for late-night drinks, dancing, and 2AM pizza (duh). It was literally so much fun, we danced our tails off and drank more than need I write down. However waking up the next day was a real struggle, especially when the alarm buzzes for 7AM on a workday (yikes).

hydrate

The first thing we need to realize in moments like these is that our body is incredibly dehydrated. The first thing I do when I wake up (before temporarily swearing off alcohol for a while…jk it’s all about balance) is to drink at least 30oz of alkaline water over the course of the morning. I choose alkaline water because it has properties that naturally restore balance our bodies PH system (this is the amount of acidity your body holds on to, and after a night of drinking its bound to be higher than normal). Aloe is nature’s pedialyte, so I love drinking aloe water or even coconut water as well. Milk thistle also does wonders for your liver, by offering properties to help balance out your bodies ability to metabolize alcohol and get it moving through your system faster. Earlier this year I shared my Ginger Detox Cocktail, it’s perfect for this scenario!

It’s also time to take care of your skin. I try to take a little extra time on these mornings to make sure my skin is cleansed, moisturized and can breathe for the rest of the day. I love this mask for deep cleansing and hydration at the same time -it’s amazing! I also use an ice roller to reduce any puffiness or swelling from the night before.

defend your gut

Next it’s all about recharging your gut. It may not feel like your stomach needs repairing, but alcohol in high quantities has been proven to decrease the amount of good bacteria in the gut. Good bacteria is vital for a healthy digestive system and overall immunity. I take a daily probiotic, however on mornings that are a bit tougher than others I like to bring out the big guns. I love these for daily, and these for when I’m really feeling down.

nourish

Now it’s time to fuel up your body with immune boosting vitamins and proteins to help rebuild and regain energy to conquer the day. Some say you need grease, carbs and sugar to kick a hangover but it’s actually quite the opposite. Your body is craving healthy proteins, fats and fiber to help break down and process some of the tougher foods and alcohols that are swirling around your tummy. Here are a few of my go-to recipes:

Multigrain toast with a fried egg in ghee, spinach and avocado, here is a great recipe!
Whole fat greek yogurt with berries, natural granola, and a drizzle of honey
Simple egg scramble with goat milk cheddar cheese and roasted sweet potato
Oats with almond milk, chia seeds and flax with a touch of honey
Almond butter, strawberry, and banana smoothie topped with natural granola and chia seeds
Smoothie bowl (I like berries, banana, and spinach mixed together with almond milk and ice) topped with coconut shreds, granola, and hemp.
Good old avocado toast with a squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper

move

Although it might be tempting to crawl back into bed, it’s really time to get out there and move…even a little! Going for a light walk around your neighborhood will do the trick, even doing just a little stretching or yoga at home will get your blood and muscles moving. The idea here is that your body needs a bit of physical help to get things flowing - the more you sit and don’t exercise your muscles the tighter they will be and the more they will hold on to toxins. This doesn’t mean you need to go crush it in an intense workout class (if you’re up to it, bravo). It just means getting out there, moving your bod just a bit and then allowing it to rest and repair. I love doing these easy routines to help get my body feeling balanced again:

Restorative yoga flow
Light pilates
Easy walk around our neighborhood
Rolling out on a foam roller
Getting on a stationary bike and just going at a super low speed and incline
Light incline treadmill walk

Rest

Take it slow. Keep hydrating, and fueling your body with natural, whole foods throughout the day and try to take a beat. A 30 minute nap will help your body recover after it’s done a bit of light exercise. If it’s time to run out the door to work, make sure you take screen breaks every hour and get out in the sunshine. If your morning is so rushed you don’t have time to do any of the above, make sure that your workday allows for small bits of time for you to hydrate, move around, and eat a nourishing meal. Call it quits a tad early, and try to get into bed a couple hours earlier than you normally would.

If you fancy

There are a ton of trendy new things to do these days to help kick the post-weekend blues. Go and grab a reparative massage, squeeze in an acupuncture appointment, or head to get a vitamin injection. Whatever your cup of tea is, now is the time give yourself the time and space to recover so you can feel your best again asap!