Post Girl's Weekend Detox
Post Girl’s Weekend Detox
Picture this: Palm Springs, California in late March. 80 degree weather with a slight breeze. A house adorned in retro furniture and artwork with a picturesque pool. Nine girls coming together to celebrate a mutual friend’s 30th birthday. One a chef (by hobby) one a yoga instructor (that’s me), one an extravagant party planner eager to celebrate her day with friends, and a bunch of girls ready to let loose. As you can imagine, this long weekend was full of decadent meals, fresh margaritas, late night snacks, birthday cake and LOTS of rosé. None of these things should induce guilt, but they do have a tendency to cause a hangover and bloat. Especially when you’re coming off of Whole30. Yes, especially then.
Thankfully our friend who cooked all the delicious meals over the weekend created a menu full of fruits, veggies and lean protein, so for the most part we maintained a healthy diet. But after a few cocktails, late night snacks entered the scene. After that first golden Oreo I was hooked (holy shit they’re good). My body has been craving sugar ever since. I came home bloated, tired and foggy on Sunday night, but I’ve taken steps to bounce back and feel like myself again.
A little background: Why am I bloated, sluggish and feeling overall foggy? In this specific instance, it was a combination of a few things:
Overeating: We had breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared for us by one of our lovely friends and even though I wasn’t hungry for each meal, I couldn’t say no because she is such a great cook!
Alcohol: I was drinking champagne, rosé, margaritas and vodka throughout the weekend. That’s an intense combination for most people, but since I don’t drink much alcohol as it is, it was a complete overload for me.
Sugar: Like I said, we had lots of sweets in the house including birthday cake, Oreos, movie candy and some delicious Churro snack from Trader Joes. My body doesn’t respond well to sugar, and, depending on the quality and amount, I usually bloat right after I eat it, especially if its processed. Sugar is one of the main causes of inflammation, hence the bloat.
Here are a few steps you can take to rebound and feel like yourself again after a weekend of debauchery:
Hydrate: Drink TONS of water. I know you hear this all the time, but water is life. Literally. Drink when you’re thirsty, when you’re not thirsty and even when you feel like you have to run to the toilet to pee every 15 minutes. I promise it will do wonders for the state of your tummy and brain fog.
Fast: I find that intermittent fasting really helps when I go through a bloating phase. I returned from my girls weekend Sunday evening, we had dinner Sunday around 7pm, and then I didn’t eat again until 10am the next morning (15 hours of fasting). Tuesday I went even longer without eating, and I feel much better today. I returned to my normal eating patterns (3 regular sized meals and one snack) and I’m starting to feel back to normal.
Dandelion tea: The compounds in the dandelion root stimulate digestion and can sometimes act as a laxative. Bloat be gone.
Sleep: After a couple nights of partying and drinking alcohol, your body is exhausted and dehydrated. It needs rest. Give it what it wants.
Stretch: Stretching and light yoga can help to move things around in your digestive track and get the blood flowing.
Run: Although it might sound really difficult to work up a sweat when you’re feeling sluggish and bloated, it will help to eliminate bloat and move the toxins through your system.
Cut Sugar: Less sugar equals less inflammation. Try cutting out all added sugars for 5-7 days.
Eat Protein and Fiber: The protein will help you feel fuller longer and the fiber will level out any spike in blood sugar. Asparagus (also combats bloat since it’s a diuretic), broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas, split peas, lentils and brussels sprouts are all great options.
Digestive Enzymes: Take them with your food - they will help you digest your food better, especially when you aren’t feeling yourself.