I just got back from vacation, a glorious 6 days in South Carolina.  We stayed on Kiawah Island where we were surrounded by gorgeous nature and the ocean.  We spent time relaxing poolside and took walks on the beach, feeling the sand between our toes. In the late afternoons and early evenings we ventured into downtown Charleston. There were charming shops to explore and tons of restaurants. It was time to take a step back and let go of the constant pressures and deadlines I seemed to have been putting on myself, probably since about January of this year. In January I started having a problem with my neck (quite literally “a pain in the neck”). Anything that felt stressful got stored away there.  This is the spot that I naturally tend to stuff things, and my body tries to tell me to take a beat or a breath.  My low back is another good spot.  In February, my jaw started locking up. I visited my chiropractor and dentist to help ease the muscular tension there, but when I went to sleep at night it was difficult to unwind this area.  I would breathe relaxing breaths into this part of my face, but didn’t ease up on the constant deadlines I was making for myself.  I realized these deadlines were completely self-imposed and in fact non-existent, when I took a closer look.  In any event, vacation was a great time to reflect on the things that are really important and get grateful.  I allowed myself to remember to enjoy doing nothing, to spend time connecting with my husband and myself, to smell the roses as they say. I also ate really nourishing foods on vacation too.  Did you see those pictures above? Just looking at them again makes me feel happy.  You were expecting me to share photos of the ocean, alligators and charming streetscapes?  My husband decided to have his veggie burger on a whole wheat bun, but I had mine in a gluten free rice wrap and it was fantastic! I know that when we’re feeling stressed, it can be really easy to start cramming sugar filled and processed treats down our gullet. This is our mind’s way of signaling to us that we are disconnected from our body, and would quite frankly like to keep it that way.  That is your RED flag to connect with your mind at your heart.  This is one of those times when we need to take a step back and breathe the most. Vacation can also bring up a little anxiety about eating healthy, but it really is not as difficult as we make it.  This goes for eating out in a restaurant too, by the way.  Here are just a few of the tips that I’ve shared with my Spring and Summer detoxers:

Eating Out 101:

1. Ask for any combination of vegetables and protein (choose beans, salmon, chicken, fish, meat).

2. Ask for extra veggies instead of high glycemic carbs. Imagine your plate being 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 good carb (or more veggies and skip the carbs) with a healthy source of fat.

3. If you’re craving carbs, enjoy a sweet potato, brown rice or red potatoes and say goodbye to foods containing gluten (meaning bread and pasta). Side note: gluten is a gut irritant and makes tiny lacerations in the intestinal wall.  These partially undigested food particles (gluten) leak into the system and cause inflammation such as weight-gain, joint pain, acne, muscle aches, headaches and psoriasis.  Please note any pain in the body can be a sign of inflammation.

4. Ask for a dairy free soup and salad

5. Skip the extra sauces and keep your meals as simple and fresh and true to their nature as possible.  Sauces, though wonderful, I know, contain ingredients and extra sugars that our body does not need.

A few other tips when traveling in particular – my husband and I packed a jar of sugar/salt free, organic sunbutter in our suitcase, along with some roasted sunflower seeds, and delicious dried Turkish figs.  A spoonful of sunbutter on a piece of fruit like an apple or banana is a great post workout or afternoon snack.  A good probiotic will do a body good too on vacation or not.  It can help boost the good bacteria in our gut, ease digestion and boost immunity.  Did you know that 80% of our immune system is in our gut?  It makes sense that if we heal our gut we will start feeling better in so many ways.

When you’re staying away from processed foods and gluten you will notice a huge difference in the way you feel physically and mentally.  Are you unsure how you can accomplish this on your own?  You’ve got options!  My Fall Reboot is now available and you can join a group or do this on your own as a home study with my support of course.  Check out my new video and the details of the program.

You can check out the program here.  I’m also cooking up some new offerings for you guys like 52 weeks of gluten-free meal plans that will help you get organized in the kitchen and save money on your grocery bills, as well as a 28 day and a 60 day program. I’m doing this in a non-deadline-ish sort of way, and hoping to have some of them to you this Fall or even Winter.

As always, I’m here to answer your questions. Drop me a line at bewellbymichelle@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook.