Through my health coaching, the number one push back I hear is "I don't know how to cook veggies so they taste good".  
So let me keep this really simple.
1.  Make a salad and eat your veggies raw.   
or
2.  Roast them.  Pretty much any veggie can be laid on a baking sheet, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and roasted.  I usually roast for 15 minutes on 450.  

There you go.  Now you have no excuses.  It's time to a grown up and eat your veggies.  It will take 15 minutes.  
Eat them every day.  Eat a variety.  Keep trying new veggies and ones you haven't had in a while until you like them.  

I'm not gifted with great genetics.  I'm not naturally athletic.  

I was extremely pigeon toed as a child to the point where I was picked on for it.  I was a slow runner.  My triples in softball should have been home runs because of my slow running.  I "fixed" my pigeon toes on my own and then my hips started to pop and hurt after I ran.
I kept going.

I climbed trees as a child and had constantly bruised shins and sap in my hair to show for it.  I rode my bike everywhere.  I played Wiffle Ball and Cops-n-Robbers until dark.  In the winter I LIVED for sledding!  I ran straight into a tree once and it rung my bell.
 I kept going.

My ankles were weak.  I had them taped before every soccer game so I could run without pain and swelling.  Often the girls teams were last in the training room, because boys were more important.  So I learned how to tape my own ankles.  
I kept going.

I played sports all through high school.  Soccer, swimming and softball.  I was a decent softball pitcher but was scared of the role.  I had a great arm, thanks to my brother who wouldn't let me "throw like a girl".  In soccer, I was known for my powerful throw ins and could put the ball wherever I wanted to.  Swimming I just did to stay busy and I wasn't great at it, but it led to a job lifeguarding and teaching swim lessons in college.
I kept going.  Actually, that's a lie.  
I stopped.

I had my first child at 21, got married before I should have, divorced 5 years later.  During that time, I never lost the "baby weight".  I was instantly an adult who had to survive and raise a human.  I dabbled in "working out" but mostly just survived.  I dealt with anxiety during this time, but I didn't know what it was.  I kept it to myself because I thought I was crazy.
I survived.

I got remarried and had my second child at 36.  Before I got pregnant, my workouts consisted of a 1 mile run, 25 crunches and 25 push ups.  (I know, I know, CRUNCHES?).
FACE PALM.
I didn't know what to do, I just knew I needed to MOVE.
I kept going.

I started p90x after I had my daughter.  It was ok.  Mostly annoying.  I eventually started reworking that format to fit my needs.  
I kept going.

I decided I wanted to be a "personal trainer".  I had no idea what that meant but seemed like a fun job.  Got certified and a few clients right away.  I had no gym, just my own basement or clients homes.  I winged it, but...
I kept going.

Nutrition was a major roadblock for me personally.  I was eating very low calorie and dealing with significant digestive issues and in pain all the time.  I saw several Dr's who had no answers.
I kept going.

With help of a Nutritionist, I got the digestive issues under control and then a problem with my right knee popped up.  A cyst nestled between my ACL and Meniscus according to the $1600 MRI.  I saw the best orthopedic Dr. in the area.  I was prepared to schedule surgery to have it removed.  Instead, he said I was too old and that I needed to "leave the training to the young guys".  I was 40.
I kept going..... ish.

For over a year I did little to no lower body weighted exercise.  I stopped running completely to keep the cyst from filling with fluid.  I became lower body weak and was not happy.  But I kept working and training.
I kept going.

Eventually, I found ways to train around the cyst.  Studied the knee extensively and eventually found that my hips were not mobile and my knees were taking on a lot of what the hips were supposed to do.  A lightbulb went off.
I kept going.

I found Corrective Exercise and the FMS (Functional Movement Systems) areas of study as a result of my own issues and have used that education to become an expert in reducing injury risk and healing injury.
Because I kept going, I have taken my road blocks, and turned them into opportunity.
I keep going.

Opportunity has never ONCE knocked on my door.  I've had to hunt it down, grab it by the neck and struggle to make it mine.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  TIME. The cards have always been stacked against me.  Listen carefully to me when I say
I DO NOT CARE.
I WILL ALWAYS KEEP GOING.
​

If you made a New Years resolution to lose weight, get fit, build strength or become a healthier person, chances are that resolution is starting to crumble.  But I'm here to tell you, it's probably not your fault and you can turn that bus around today.

Look.  Here's the truth.  Very few people on earth actually want to work out.  Very few people eat foods they know are not good for them "for no reason". (There's always an underlying reason).  Very few people take ownership of the fact that their lifestyle choices are the reason for their poor health.  Very few motivated people know what to do when they get to the gym.  Very few people set realistic goals.  Those are the reasons people give up their resolutions mid-february.  It has less to do with your will power and more to do with the fact that the odds are stacked against you.

STEP 1: ACCEPT THE SUCK
First, accept the fact that you are going to have to get uncomfortable.  Physically, mentally, and maybe even emotionally.  Accept the fact that this is going to be hard and may take a long time.  Accept the fact that you'd rather be eating pizza than salads.  Be willing to get to the bottom of why you eat how you do and be ready to find a professional who can help you address emotional eating if that's a problem for you.  All of that is going to suck at first, but accepting the suck has to be the first step.

Go head... take a deep breath right now, and accept the suck..  I will wait.....

Congratulations!  Step 1 is done.  You will repeat step 1 every day, sometimes several times a day until it becomes second nature.  This is the only way to embrace the grind of daily workouts and eating daily nutritious foods.  

STEP 2: OWN YOUR CHOICES
This is crucial so read carefully.  You can not change what you don't take responsibility for.  You have to own it and be honest with yourself.  Now read even more carefully.. DO NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP OVER YOUR CHOICES.  This is counterproductive and does't create an environment of learning and change.  You've got to be honest with yourself from a place of love.  

STEP 3: GET HELP
Even the most self-motivated people don't actually know how to workout for specific goals or eat for weightless in a way that's sustainable.  Every advertised workout plan is "THE BEST PLAN EVER" and every diet is "LIFE CHANGING".  That's a bunch of crap.  The messages you're getting from Planet fitness to Crossfit and from the Keto followers to Paleo lovers are that their way is the only way.  Complete lies based on selling memberships and products.  Case in point.  If you've heard of the Ketogenic diet, you've probably heard you can eat as much bacon, butter and cheese as you want.  LIES!  You can't eat large amounts of those foods in the name of a "Low Carb High Fat (LCHF) diet and lose weight or maintain.  You will likely hit a wall at some point and shove as many carbs as you can in your mouth (this is called a binge and can bring serious physical and emotional consequences).  Does this mean Keto isn't good for you?  Maybe, maybe not.  It does mean that you should find what works for you under the help of a professional who can guide you and tell you the truth whether it's Keto, Paleo, Whole 30 or whatever.

From Beachbody, to crossfit to Planet Fitness.. there are so many confusing messages about working out.  If you've tried more than 1 program and didn't get results, then it's time to get expert programming designed specifically for YOU.  If that person isn't me, find someone who's qualified to assess you personally, help you address any movement dysfunction and who can build you a plan that helps you reach your specific goals.  I have nothing against any of the mentioned programs, however those are not for everyone.  I know people who do crossfit with great success.  I know more people who've gotten injured doing crossfit and who've been emotionally damaged from the program than those who've had great success.  That raises an eyebrow for me.  If that's the route you go, proceed with caution.  Globally advertised programs that come with expensive shakes also raise eye brows as those programs are missing crucial pieces of the exercise science puzzle and chances are selling those expensive shakes are probably not going to bring you "financial freedom".  
When it comes to the opposite end of the spectrum, Planet Fitness... you should know  they intend to collect your $10 a month and hope you don't actually come.  They do, however have very nice equipment...just don't fall for the pizza Fridays.  They're purposefully sabotaging you to get you frustrated so you stop going...but they know you will never cancel that $10 monthly membership.  Brilliant business model.  Horrible for the consumer who get's caught in the trap, but great for the consumer who realized the trap and uses Planet Fitness' low cost fee to get access to great equipment.  I have many clients who have memberships there who access their MRPT workouts in the app while at Planet Fitness.  But I always warn people and make sure we are setting the expectations appropriately.

If you do one of the above mentioned programs and have had success, I congratulate you.  I'm not criticizing those programs, but I am giving people who haven't found what works for them perspective.  If you need that perspective take it from someone who's been in the business for 7 1/2 years, who walks the walk, who is highly educated in weight loss, functional movement, corrective exercise and strength & conditioning and works in the field all day every day.  People like me...we know a few things and we will help you set realistic goals that set you up for success, not failure.  We will assess body type, genetics and other factors to help you navigate roadblocks.  We have a profound understanding of the SCIENCE of exercise and ART of coaching.  

Do not listen to the advice of friends who aren't experts and watch out for people pretending to be experts.  If a friend can't seem to get their health, weight and fitness under control, then they won't be able to help you to make lasting change.  This is the unfortunate truth.  

Do you have questions on where to start?  Do you have roadblocks you'd like to discuss?  Hit me up.  If I don't have the expertise to help you, I will find someone who does.  

SUPER EASY THAI TACO RECIPE:

Add the following to a crock pot set to low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours:
Organic Pork loin or chicken breast (1-2 lbs)
1-2 TBSP Coconut oil
Sea salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric, garlic powder, onion powder, ginger, and any asian spices you like (don't overthink how much, just dump that stuff in there)
Siracha (don't worry how much, just sprinkle that stuff on there)
Sesame Seed Oil (just a little)
Fish Sauce (Just a little)
Let it cook and shred with 2 forks when it's finished.

Serve in Cabbage cups and eat like tacos with the following optional chopped fresh toppings:
cilantro, fresh lime, radish, carrot, cucumber and green onion.

The garnishes really make this!  

Make enough for left overs.  Add more of any seasoning to taste and enjoy!
                                           

Are you a breakfast eater who's short on time, and loves cereal?  This recipe is for you!
I know what you're thinking.  "CEREAL?  There's no way she eats cereal!"

Well, you're right.  I don't eat cereal as you know it.  I don't even eat breakfast for that matter, but I often have this for lunch.  
Here's how I do cereal.

Dump it in a bowl and mix it up!  
Takes 1 minute or less to make!
It's healthy, filling and tastes great.
​
Feel free to omit or swap out any ingredients.

To order Vital Proteins Collagen Protein Powder, click here
http://tracking.vitalproteins.com/SH1YZ

Note:  Vital Proteins Collagen Protein Powders are not sweetened.  If you prefer a sweeter flavor, you may want to add some pure stevia, monk fruit extract or honey.  I am a Vital Proteins Affiliate and I do get paid if you order from that link.  

Pain is so much a part of the human experience that we often either ignore it completely or obsess about it. 
Pain can be a problem when it comes to your movement experience. Sometimes it’s a sign that something is wrong and needs to be addressed. Sometimes, it’s merely soreness from a workout and can be alleviated with stretching, icing and rest. 



​ Pain Pitfalls
1. Not knowing the difference between muscle soreness and injury pain. 
2. Stopping all movement as soon as pain occurs.
3. Focusing on where the pain currently is, with no understanding of where the source of the issue is.

Avoiding Pain Pitfalls
1. Knowing the difference between soreness and injury can be confusing. Here’s what to look for: 
If the pain is generalized to muscles and occurs after a workout, that's probably Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). While it can be very uncomfortable, it’s not an injury. Stretch, foam roll/massage, proper nutrition/hydration and sleep will take care of DOMS. But, if while squatting, for instance, you feel a pop/rip/tear in the knee and that’s followed by radiating/burning/piercing pain and an inability to walk properly, that would be a reason to stop and assess.  Sometimes it’s just a little tweak. If that’s the case it will feel fine later on or the next day. If the pain worsens or doesn’t get better, being seen by an orthopedic dr. may be warranted. Icing is always a good idea when in doubt. 

2. Injuries range from mild to severe. Unless you’ve broken a bone or torn a ligament/tendon, ceasing all movement after an injury is not a good idea. I’ve seen many people use injuries as a reason to not workout at all. I have also seen Dr.'s tell their patients to cease all movement after an injury.  If your Dr. tells you to stop all activity after spraining an ankle, you need to find a new Dr.  Stopping all exercise can do more damage than good both physically and mentally.
If your ankle or knee is injured, there’s still 100 upper body movements you can do. If your shoulder's injured, there’s 100 lower body movements you can do.
In the case of a muscle strain,  if it’s mild you don’t need to stop using that muscle completely. Be smart and lower weights and be sure to take care of that area with the above mentioned DOMS strategy.  
If significant injury is present, the protocol can range from surgery and complete immobilization of that body part to light physical therapy/corrective exercise work.  This is where you will need to work with a professional to understand the right protocol. If you have had surgery on that part, you should follow your Dr's orders to the T for both pre and post-op.   

3. In injury, whether mild or severe, the location of the pain is often not the source of the injury. This is important to understand for prevention of further injury.
The body is a chain. Each part is a link in the chain and has a specific job/jobs to do.  When a part is unable to do its job whether it be from a lack of mobility, stability or strength, then another link in the chain has to pick up the slack from the part not doing it's job in order for movement to happen.  This is where the recipe for pain or injury occurs.  
Using the hips as an example. The hips are responsible for specific movements:

1. Abduction—lifting of the leg away from the midline of the body
2. Adduction—lifting of the leg in toward the midline of the body
3. Flexion—bending forward or lifting of the leg up toward the body
4. Extension—extending the leg back and away from the body
5. Circumduction: moving leg in a circular motion
6. Rotational: rotating the leg/foot in toward midline or away from midline

If any of these movements is inhibited due to immobility, inflexibility, weakness or instability, another body part will have to take over.  For instance, when the hips aren't doing their job the knees usually pick up the slack which often leads to knee pain and sometimes a knee injury.  
This is why when clients and athletes complain of knee pain, I assess the hips first as hip dysfunction is usually the culprit of knee pain.  I also assess glute strength (weak glute medius is a common culprit that leads to knee pain).  After assessing the hips and glutes, I check for hamstring/quad/calf weakness or tightness.  Tight hamstrings usually mean weak glutes.  After everything in the chain above the knee have been assessed, I move below the knee to assess ankle mobility and stability.  Even if I find an issue with the hips, glutes or hamstrings I can't assume there is not ankle issue.

Once we determine where the dysfunction originated, whether its a weakness, immobility, instability issue or all of the above, a corrective exercise protocol is put in place to address it.  Unless the injury is serious, not moving at all is not going to be a part of that corrective protocol.  

Mindset's Role in Injury
When it comes your movement experience, mindset plays a huge roll in how you deal with being hurt or injured.  If a rolled ankle or slight knee pain causes you to not workout at all for a week or two, you have a motivation issue.  If you completely ignore pain without being assessed, you risk serious or further injury.  Neither of those are a great strategy.

 The person who finds middle ground and realizes they can still focus on upper body and core strength while properly addressing  a lower body injury, is someone who's committed to their overall movement experience and understands the long term danger in ceasing all movement but is smart about their movement experience.  Longevity is their priority.  

The Takeaway
The longer you stay inactive after an injury, the more likely you are to never get back to training again.  Be smart. Get assessed and get a plan to correct.  There are plenty of us out there who can help you implement the best course of action.  You should not ignore aches and pains, but they're usually not a reason to stop moving.  Ceasing all movement while hurt or injured, in most cases will do more harm than good.

Can we talk about pain and discomfort?
So often I hear people say they have pain or discomfort and they chalk it up to “this is just how I am” as if there’s nothing they or anyone can do about it.
Have we as humans been programmed to believe pain/discomfort is our destiny and we must just ignore or work around it? I fear so. Often this message comes from Dr.’s. I have experienced this myself as I dealt with painful knee cysts. An orthopedic Dr. advised me to just stop moving since I was so “old” there was nothing they could do. (I was only 42!). I followed that advice for a while, eliminated weighted low body exercises and running and lost a great deal of lower body strength that I am still working to regain after a year of fixing the real issue on my own. (I discovered a hip immobility and a weak Glute medius in my quest to fix my knees. Improving both has allowed me to keep cysts under control and I’m now back to heavy lifting and jogging).

When we stop moving altogether, the breakdown of body and health is expedited. Ceasing Movement is not the answer in most cases and we must challenge this notion.
I’d like to change this narrative.

Some things you need to know regarding your pain/discomfort:

1. “Genetics” and “bad knees” may or may not be a thing. In most cases there is still a fix for your problem. Don’t assume this is the hand you’ve been dealt.
2. Regardless of whether your pain/discomfort is truly genetic or a result of lifestyle/habits/age, pain can be alleviated with the correct protocol in most cases. Sometimes you can self correct with the proper plan and sometimes you need to seek medical care.
3. Wherever your pain is, it’s most likely not where the dysfunction originated. Got bad knees? Could be an ankle or hip immobility/instability dysfunction.

Things that can help alleviate pain/discomfort:

healthy diet, proper strength training, anti-inflammatory holistic supplementation, Corrective exercise, physical therapy, and chiropractic/massage techniques.

While this may be a generalization of pain/discomfort, my point is to urge you to seek out answers and work toward alleviating or at least lessening your pain/discomfort. In most cases, relief is within your control and is worth exploring.
Your quality of life just may depend on it.

Melanie Redd is a Corrective Exercise and Functional Movement Specialist, experienced in the Functional Movement Screen which detects dysfunctions within the kinetic chain and works toward fixing those dysfunctions.

For 9 days we were on our annual snowboarding/skiing vacation in Whitefish Montana visiting my brother and his family.  If you follow my social media pages, you were getting play by plays of our days on the mountain learning a sport that's new to us and enjoying our progressions while commiserating about the falls.  But that part of the vacation is not what I'm going to discuss here.  Let's talk about all the other things that a vacation tends to bring, and how my husband Ronnie and I indulge while traveling, how it effects us and what it all can mean to you.

To understand what indulgence is and how we can be mindful of it, let's dive a little deeper into our world.  We eat a diet that is high in healthy fat, moderate in protein and relatively low in carbs.  We do not consume processed foods.  We eat very little grains (the occasional rice and corn tortilla chip).  We don't drink alcohol daily or even every week.  We eat meat, veggies, fruits, nuts, eggs and some cheese...  Oh, and coffee of course.  Sounds limiting to most, but to us it's our way of life, it's what makes us feel our best in both body and brain, and I have become a whiz at coming up with creative dishes using these ingredients, so it doesn't feel like we are eating the same foods each week.  On top of eating super healthy, we train/workout 6 days a week.  We play tennis, golf, skateboarding etc that we do for fun.  We get adequate sleep and with a little help from natural supplements, we recover from our workouts adequately.

Needless to say,  our bodies run pretty well.  We like the way we feel and we are happy people.  Travel is one of the things that keeps us happy as it allows us to step away from our work and enjoy other cities, cultures and experiences.  And with travel comes indulgences.  And yes, we indulge...

Upon returning from our trip, I was not myself for a few days.  My focus was off and my body didn't seem to want to work right until today (Thursday) in the gym.  But it's ok.  I'm not freaking out.  I know exactly why I have been off and I know exactly how to fix it.  You see, our diet is geared mainly toward maintaining optimal health of both body including brain health (focus, anti-anxiety etc).  I am at risk of Parkinson's Disease as it runs in my family and learning how to eat for optimal brain health and to reduce systemic inflammation is something I've been studying and practicing for some time now.  Even more so over the last 6-12 months.  

On this trip, I consumed alcohol.  More in a week than what I normally would have in 3 months time.  I enjoyed it.  It tasted good.  I don't like to be drunk, but.. a buzz is nice..  My husband enjoyed his whiskey and having beers with my brother is a way of bonding and enjoying each others company.  (No one in this scenario is drunk so if you're picturing some big party, that's not the scene lol).  
Anyway, snowboarding is scary, and exhausting and a little cocktail at the end of the day or a glass of wine does help one wind down.  On top of alcohol, I ate rice and chips that I normally would not and gluten free pasta.  These are foods my body doesn't really like.  They make me bit puffy (inflammation), make my brain foggy and tend to make me feel generally blah .  Snowboarding most of the day, though, was a nice way to offset those indulgences.  So other than some pretty gnarly bruises, and some days of iffy digestion, and a little water retention, my body feels generally fine post vacation.  Nothing that getting right back on my regular routine won't fix on it's own.  During this whole time, as we were indulging, we were completely aware of the indulgence and were able to partake without feelings of anxiety or guilt and we balanced the indulgences with healthy meals.  We had a great time with our amazing family, ate yummy food and laughed a lot.  It doesn't get better than that! 
My brain, on the other hand is taking a little longer to recover.  I have experienced some pretty noticeable brain fog this week.  I will explore that topic in another blog post.  

Mindful Indulgence, Defined
So WHAT is Mindful Indulgence, what does it mean to you and how can you put Mindful Indulgence into practice on your next trip.

 Mindfulness is defined as "a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique."

Indulgence is defined as "the attitude of allowing yourself or someone else to have something enjoyable, or the act of having something enjoyable."

In a typical vacation scenario, indulgences are always present but mindfulness tends to go out the window, even with people who live relatively healthy lives.  When there is no mindfulness present, one tends to go off the rails, consuming sugary, salty, chemical laden foods in excess, consuming alcohol in excess, and restricting water.  This causes a sort of downward spiral in ones overall wellness that continues for sometime after returning to regular life.  Add to that excess, a time zone change, causing sleep patterns to be disrupted, and what you have is a perfect recipe for an EPIC vacation that leaves you feeling sick, inflamed and does a number on the psyche, leaving one feeling down, guilty, sluggish and/or sick upon returning.  
Before you read on, think for a minute what your regular life health practices are and compare that to what your typical vacation is like.  Is there a HUGE difference?  Probably.  I'd like to offer you an alternative to the excess.  A vacation that includes indulgences AND wellness practice.  Achieving the the balance between the two so that you can have as much fun as you want, not feel deprived or like you're missing out AND stay on track with wellness practices so that getting back to your regular routine upon coming back home is relatively seemless.  

So HOW does one practice Mindful Indulgence?
How do we "fix" any damage done to the body, brain and psyche caused by going off plan while on vacation?

Steps to Mindful Indulgence

1. Vacation starts before you leave.  This can be a good thing and a negative thing.  In the weeks or even months before our vacations, we feel excited as we have something to look forward to.  We daydream about the sand between our toes, or mountain views.  We long for the time to relax and unwind.  These feelings are so good and can work for us in many ways.  However, people tend to also stress before we leave for vacation over the many things that need to happen in our work and households before we leave.  Who's taking care of things while we are gone?  What sort of workload will we come back to?  Many Americans tend to work more hours leading up to vacation and put in over time upon returning.  This is counter-productive when it comes to stress-management and work-life balance, and I urge you to change your mind-set when it comes to this sort of stress.  The work will get done.  Everything will be fine.  
Many people also tend to restrict food before a vacation.  This is ok if you are restricting TYPES of foods, such as unhealthy processed foods.  Eliminating these foods ongoing would be better than just doing so before a vacation as a means to dropping a couple pounds pre-vacation.  Restricting calories below a certain level, however, is not something I recommend pre-trip.  This restricting before hand can lead to even more excessive eating/drinking, and creates a negative cycle for months on end post vacation.  Restricting calories below a certain point will be pointless in the long haul.  

In the weeks before your vacation, keep it simple.  Whole healthy foods in reasonable portions and staying hydrated will help you be more mindful of your vacation indulgences.

2. While you're on vacation, be mindful or aware of what your day of indulgences looks like.  What foods and drinks will be on the menu that day?  Have you decided sushi for dinner and the local ice creamery for dessert?  Go for it!  But have a breakfast of eggs and fruit and a salad with lots of greens, varied veggies and some protein with an olive oil/vinegar based salad dressing for lunch.  Keep the other meals of the day simple and healthy.  Stay hydrated!  Is your evening going to end at the local beach bar?  How fun!  Enjoy! But, to prepare for your evening of alcohol, be sure to drink copious amounts of water during the day.  If the day includes alcohols, I would urge you to skip the sugary desserts if you're consuming alcohol, as thats a double sugar whammy and double the inflammation.  I'm an advocate for drinking in moderation and would urge you to avoid drinking to the point of drunkenness.

When it comes to exercise, this is a personal choice.  If you train hard in regular life and just want a break for your body, a vacation is the perfect time to take that physical break.  I personally prefer vacations where I'm moving working on the sports that I love.  Beach walks are a great way to stay active without "working out".  The beach is also a great place for a workout if you'd like to get a good sweat in each day.  I've planned many beach workouts for both myself and clients over the years.  Or maybe you're on a vacation in the mountains.  Hiking, walking, and different active tours are a great way to get some movement in.  Heading to the city for your trip?  Tour the city on foot as much as possible!  And for those who want to stay completely on their workout plan, you can research gyms and training/yoga studios in the area ahead of time.  Most of these places allow temporary passes or drop in rates for classes.  It could be a great way to meet a local who has the inside scoop on the best places to eat, drink and be merry!

The goal of mindfulness during your vacation is to check in with yourself throughout the day and ask yourself how your body/brain is feeling.  When you wake up, is your mouth dry and do you have a headache from the night before?  Hangovers are no fun, so pay attention to how you respond to alcohol consumption and make adjustments on amounts of alcohol daily, or take a day or two off from alcohol consumption.  Are you bloated?  Could be from food and alcohol from the day before.  Make it a point to drink more water that day and get moving on a brisk walk to offset that bloat.  Make the adjustments, scale back the excess for a day to offset the indulgences with healthy practices  to balance it out.  

3.  Practice gratitude.  Travel is a privilege.  Breathe in those moments that make you laugh louder, love more and appreciate the different scenery and cultures.  Stop for a moment and acknowledge how lucky you are to be there, with people you love and allow yourself the space to believe that you deserve the break from regular life.  BREATHE THAT IN.  Hold it in your chest.  Love those moments.  Do not allow yourself to feel guilty about taking time off of work.  Work guilt can be a huge vacation ruiner.  You deserve it.  You work hard.  Enjoy every moment.  Take tons of pictures.  Post them on social media.  Breathe it all in and be in those moments where you know memories are being made that will last a lifetime.  
Snowboarding in Whitefish had moments of frustration.  Falling hurts.  But, when  laying there assessing a potential injury from a hard fall and opening my eyes to see the Great Northern Mountains and Glacier National Park and all it's beauty, how can I not feel a deep sense of gratitude?  Gratitude goes a long way during travel and makes it so much more rich of an experience.  

4.  So, your vacation is over and now you're back to your regular life.  Your mindfulness should still continue.  How do you feel?  Are you tired and jet lagged?  Digestion off?  Dealing with water retention?  Having trouble focusing?  Feeling sad that it's over and stressed over the work that piled up?  These are all normal post-vacation symptoms.  Ask yourself  these questions.  Take a deep breath and assess your post vacation state of body and mind.  But be careful!  This is not a time for judgement.  It's merely a time to assess and use the feedback as data that can be applied to the coming weeks and even the next vacation.  
Crossing time zones can do a number on your sleep cycle.  The best way to over come jet-lag is to stay hydrated before during and after vacation and to get right back to your healthy eating plan upon return.  Drink your water and eat your veggies!  You may feel stressed over your body still being on another time zone when you have to get up early for work tomorrow.  Accept that your sleep will be off for a few days, but don't stress over it.  You will get back on your normal sleep schedule.  You can speed up that process by getting right back on your wellness plan.

Additional Considerations and Strategy

Disrupted Digestion and water retention is common while on vacation and after.  Some people have trouble "going" and some people find they are going to the bathroom too much.  Again, water, water, water!  And healthy whole foods as well as a quality pro-biotic that you should be taking daily anyway.  Hopefully you took your healthy supplements with you on vacation, but chances are you didn't.  Get back on that regimen and don't try to compensate by taking more than usual.  Just go back to the regular plan and allow your body the time it takes to regulate again.  Stressing over this will make everything worse and will drag out the process.  Trust me!

Water retention during and post travel is quite common.  You can avoid water retention by not restricting water.  Maybe you don't like airplane bathrooms?  So you don't drink water while on a plane.  Stop that.  Drink your water.  Drink a lot of it and use the airplane bathroom like a big boy/girl.

Trouble with focus and feelings of sadness and guilt are common post vacation.  This is where working on your mindset in addition to your health and wellness practices come in to play.  These practices are all inter-connected.  Feeling guilty is a choice.  Reframe how you think about yourself and what you deserve.  Chip away at those feelings of guilt for being away or guilt over indulging.  Guilt is counter-productive and unnecessary.  Whatever you indulged in is done.  Forget it and move on with healthy patterns.  Focus on all the fun you had.  

You may find that focus and general "monkey brain" happens to post vacation.  This is likely directly related to systemic inflammation induced by your diet, water restriction and alcohol consumption during vacation and stress.  Don't fear.  Getting right back to your healthy whole foods diet, drinking lots of water and cutting alcohol post trip will go a long way to getting your focus back, but it could take a few days to a couple weeks.  Do not panic and don't try to over-compensate with calorie restriction and over exercising.  Get right back on the normal plan and allow your body and your brain the time it needs to recover.  Stressing over this will lead to extended inflammation.  Go back to gratitude.  Focus on the fun you had.  Look at your pictures.  Tell your friends/family about your adventures and stop beating yourself up! 

I used to go off the rails on vacation and freak out over it afterward.  Travel and wellness changed completely for me when I started practicing Mindful Indulgence.  I now gain less weight or none at all on vacation and I travel a lot more.  Instead of freaking out over post-vacation inflammation and brain fog, I am fascinated even more about how my environments effect my body and brain, and the incredible POWER I have to control my environment.  Controlling our environment, whether on vacation or not relies on our ability to be mindful and aware.  

Be mindful of your environment.  Be aware of how changes in your plan effect your body and brain/psyche, but do NOT beat yourself up.  Use it as data and apply that data to the days following and get right back on plan.  Practice gratitude.  Breathe in the moments of joy and hold on to them tightly.  You deserve these moments!  

Last but not least.... start planning your next vacation!  Take them as often as you can!  Go and live your life with as much fun and adventure as you possibly can!  After all, the endgame to the wellness concept ultimately comes down to happiness.  
And you deserve that.



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You are what you think about.  

What were your last 5 thoughts?  Were you thinking about how much you hate your job, how cold it is, how tired you are?  What does your social media page convey?  Are your posts mainly complaints about being sick, annoyed, or rants about things that bother you?  

I'm writing this from the point of view of someone who's a reformed "negative Nancy".  Believe me when I say that changing your thoughts will change your life.  I have lived both sides of this coin.  I still get irritated, annoyed, outraged and anxious.  Especially when things don't go my way.  But what I don't do anymore is publicly announce the things that give me negative thoughts.  I think it's ok to be in your feelings from time to time.  Sometimes things happen that are out of our control that make us sad, mad or annoyed.  And it's good to have trusted people to talk and vent to in order to get those thoughts out so we can move on.  Moving on is the difference between whether you're a negative person or a positive person.  The only way to move on is to intentionally replace positive thoughts with negative thoughts.

So, here's how it works.  It's simple: Choose your thoughts.  Simple, but not easy.  In fact, it's about as easy as starting a new exercise plan or changing your eating habits.  It requires you to re-wire your own brain for a new way of thinking and to do this, you're going to have to make a conscious effort to change your thoughts.  

Here's a scenario.  You get up in the morning and it's cold and you think to yourself "I hate the cold" ... your first thought is of something you hate.  You pour your coffee and lament about having to workout because deliberate movement is still uncomfortable to you.  You sip that coffee thinking of excuses to skip your workout.  You either do the workout anyway, hating every second of it, thinking of all the to-do items on your list that day and go through the motions of the workout without really dialing in, or you skip it completely and feel guilty.  You hop in the shower and stand there wishing you didn't have to go out in the cold to the job that you hate where you're underpaid and under-appreciated.  You then sit at your desk all day wanting to scream at the co-worker who talks about her kids non-stop or at the guy who chews too loud and cringe when your boss asks you for something.  You somehow make it through that day, and the whole way home, lament over having to deal with responsibilities like cooking and cleaning.  You go through those motions, slap some sort of dinner on the table, watch a little TV and then fall into bed annoyed that you have to do that all again tomorrow.  Sound familiar?  

Listen.  You have more control over your happiness than you give yourself credit for.  And your control starts with your thoughts.  It will feel inauthentic at first and everyone is different with different personalities so you may have to try a few different new thoughts before you find one that you can work with.  So, let's change that scenario around.  You wake up and it's cold.  Before deciding that you hate the cold, remind yourself you can't control the weather so there's no point in dwelling on how much you hate the cold.  Put on your favorite hoodie and slippers.  Pour your coffee and enjoy a new ritual of starting your day with positivity.  Look at photos that make you happy, read motivational articles or watch motivational videos (TED Talks is one of my favorite ways to get in a great mindset).  List a few things on paper or in your head that you are grateful for.  And if all of that fails, spend 5 minutes reading or watching something that will make you laugh.  Laughing is a great way to get in a better mindset.  During your workout, get dialed into your movements.  Focus on why you are doing those movements and what you will gain from regular exercise, not on how uncomfortable it is.
While you're in the shower, be grateful for hot running water.  While driving to work, instead of focusing on how under-appreciated you are, focus on your worth, your talents and brainstorm ideas for seeking out better opportunities.  Schedule lunch with someone you trust who can help you move forward in your career or out of your career into a new path.  On the way home, listen to your favorite music and sing out loud.  Prepare a healthy meal for your family and reflect on how preparing that healthy meal comes from a place of love and provides nourishment and better health.  Pat yourself on the back for providing healthy nourishment for your loved ones.  Catch up on your favorite show and when you turn the TV off, instead of lamenting over all the things that went wrong that day, as you lay in bed let your last thoughts be a focus on the good.  Then commit to repeating this again tomorrow, replacing negative thoughts and behaviors with new positive ones.  Decide this is how you are going to live your life.  Be in it for the long haul.  Over time, you will develop new coping mechanisms, a new outlook and a way of life that yields positive results.  Try this for one month.  At the end of the month, if you've been truly committed to this, things will start to change.  

Melanie Redd is owner of Power Glow Fitness and Personal Trainer who specializes in Building Strength of Body, Mindset Change and Weight loss.  Studying the art of movement and applying healing and performance enhancing movement experience to her practice.  

Melanie Redd is owner of Power Glow Fitness, Certified Personal Trainer with a focus on Functional Movement.