I’m posting from the beach in Mexico this morning. Honestly, I thought I would have posted a few times from here now, but the days have escaped me. As I packed for this vacay, I created a lengthy To Do list: blog posts I would write, workouts I would program, professional development books I would read….. And I was really excited about each of these things. But we got on the plane and exhaustion overtook me. I grabbed my husband’s fiction reading and I haven’t looked back in a few days.

Vacation is just what the doctor ordered. Having worked pretty much 7 days a week since October, I didn’t even notice I needed a vacay until I was on the plane. My mind has not shut off at all, but I have made my body rest and relax and it’s been fabulous. It has also been a wonderful reminder of how necessary escape is. It doesn’t have to take the form of planes and beaches. Escape can happen in many ways and many places.

You should escape and refresh often.

Here are some ways I have escaped in the last few days (note: many of these do not involve travel, although the beach is a great place to escape!)

1. Escape your workout routine:
I have been doing a yoga class on the beach here in the morning. Yoga is not my traditional form of working out. While I love it and spent years doing hot yoga, it is not part of my current routine and it has been incredibly refreshing to do this here. I brought my jumprope with me and had big intentions of doing interval workouts in my room. But, as it turns out, yoga on the beach is just what the doctor ordered. My intervals will be waiting for me when I return. Do you ever step out of your traditional workout routine?

2. Eat what’s fresh:
I get in such a food rut. The same meals and snack – sticking to easy routines that take little to no time, I have to force myself to try new foods/recipes. While away I’ve been eating what’s fresh everyday: fruits, veggies, and fish. It has been so, so yummy. Yes, there has been a little ice cream, too. But, really, I haven’t made many “bad” food decisions, because what’s fresh is so dang good, I haven’t wanted any junk. I must do this more at home – eat more seasonal fruits and veggies and take advantage of them while they’re good! How do you eat fresh?

3. Nap:
I used to take naps everyday after my morning clients. For the last couple years, I have been too busy to do this. However, on vacay, I have been napping everyday, book in hand, and it has been lovely. I need to do this more at home, even if it’s just 10 minutes to refresh/recharge in the middle of my 16 hour day. How do you relax/refresh/recharge in the middle of the day?

4. Stop, Look, Listen:
Because everything here is beautiful it’s easy to sit and look around and really absorb the amazing environment. Why don’t I do this at home? Too many distractions, not enough time, always multi-tasking. How ofter do you take in the sights and sounds around you – the kids laughing, the city buzzing, the view outside your kitchen window? Do you stop to count these blessings?

5. Indulge:
Do you set times to treat yourself? It’s easy to forget. But, it’s so important to have something to look forward to: date night, girls night, an ice cream sundae, a pedicure, a run without the baby jogger. My big indulgence on vacation has been ice cream. Two little sundaes to be exact. They were worth every bite. Oh, and tonight I’m having a Snickers Martini (I’ve been planning this drink for 5 days now…) One must have something to live for 🙂 .

6. Give yourself a break:
Like I said, I set out on vacation with a lengthy list of things to do. And I tore up that list before I got off the plane in Mexico. I realized mid flight how much I needed to relax and let go a bit. Do you ever tear up your To Do List (or at least hide it for a day?) I know I will get everything on that list done when I get home and I will do it better, faster and more efficiently because I took this time to relax and recharge.

7. New challenges:
Even though much of my time away has consisted of being a lazy bum, I have made an effort to challenge myself once a day (yoga on the beach, a long walk in blazing heat across a mountainous/rocky bluff, snorkeling/swimming in a wavy bay). It felt fun and exciting to do something new and different. It also allowed me to lay guilt free for hours on end with my book, knowing that I had been active, seen something new, experienced a new challenge.

8. Get dirty:
I cut my foot a few days ago. A wave took me out and I scratched the top of my foot on a bunch of rocks. I had a moment of panic – it hurt and I instantly knew I wouldn’t be able to wear shoes for a few days. So I resigned myself to a barefoot lifestyle. I have walked around our little resort with sandy, dirty, grimy feet for 3 days now and I’ve kinda gotten used to it. Sometimes it’s okay to get dirty. Actually, it’s a relief. I’m not incessantly trying to wash the sand off my feet in order to put on flip flops. When’s the last time you got dirty and were okay with it?

I’m off to find my book (Bethenny Frankel’s “A Place of Yes”) and a good beach chair.

Leave a comment below and share how you relax and recharge at home or away! I’d love to hear (and use your list to inspire me to do the same when I return home!)

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