Getting My Marvelous Priorities Straight
I am blogging today from Mexico and seriously planned for the last week to title this post “Marvelous Mexico”. But I have other stuff on my mind today because I woke up the morning of my departure with yet another illness. Seriously, I never used to get sick and this is the second time in two weeks. Has anyone else ever moved from the suburbs to the city and suddenly found themselves getting sick more often? Let’s hope this isn’t a continuing trend.
Whenever I go on vacation, I like to work out first thing in the morning so I can feel less guilty about the rest of the day just laying out in the sun, going outside my food/drink box a bit more, and being fairly inactive in general. Some people like to spend their vacations exploring their surroundings and doing outdoor activities. That’s fine, but to be honest I like to sit on my butt in the sun and go out to eat.
i just couldn’t not have a drink with the rest of my family to celebrate our arrival at the hotel, but it definitely knocked me out.
And that’s what my family (AKA travel companions) pretty much likes to do too, so it hasn’t been very fun the last couple of days watching them lounge at the swim-up bar, go out to eat, get to do their workouts, and stay out after dinner to explore the Cancun bars. Meanwhile I spent the first night here curled up in a bed alternating between shivering and sweating, lights out by 8PM. I had planned for my travel day to be a rest day and wasn’t so bothered by the fact that it of course ended up being just that, but yesterday was supposed to be a day when I hit the gym first thing in the morning, ready to kill it with cardio/arms/abs. Instead I woke up feeling better but certainly not up for the gym, so I enjoyed breakfast on our deck after taking a quick walk to grab iced coffee.
My mom went to the grocery store our first day here, so I thankfully had a “routine” breakfast available to me.
I really was starting to feel better yesterday until I had lunch (and a drink) mid-day. Suddenly my fever came back and I was shivering out by the pool. But I couldn’t bear the thought of not moving, not working out, so I forced myself to go on a beach walk. And I couldn’t make it very far, walking back as quickly as I could and feeling close to tears as I made it to the bar and ordered a ton of water, stat. All I wanted to do was have a refreshing drink at lunch and hang out by the pool with my family. I couldn’t even do that, I couldn’t get in my activity, and it absolutely resulted in a crying session.
Yesterday’s lunch – salmon, arugula salad with pecans & strawberries, hearts of palm, raspberry vinaigrette on the side.
No one could say my lunches haven’t been very healthy – day one lunch of salad with figs, blueberries, raspberries, and baked pears.
I decided at that point that I needed to get my priorities straight. My priority should not be doing all I can on this trip to be as skinny and toned as I wish to be. I’m not going to change how my body looks this week, be it for the better or worse. In all likelihood I will be going back to the US in the same size pants, with them fitting the same way, as I wore when I came here. What should be my priority is getting better as soon as possible so that I can enjoy my time in Mexico. My priority should be feeling grateful that I’m even here, and not down in the dumps because I can’t work out.
If I’m going to be sick, it may as well be while waking up to this view.
And like it or not, what made me feel a little better yesterday was not my attempt at a beach walk. It was taking a hot bath, watching The Holiday, and eating half a sleeve of crackers. It doesn’t matter if that’s not my preferred way of feeling better. Yes it may make me feel mental discomfort, but what will make me MORE upset in the long run will be looking back on this trip and knowing I self-sabotaged my healing time and could’ve been better earlier in the trip if I had just taken it easy. So no more. I’m going to get better. I’m not going to ask myself before I make decisions not whether my actions will make me skinnier, or keep me from gaining weight. I’m going to ask myself if they will help me FEEL better. Because I deserve to feel better and enjoy marvelous Mexico.
Have you ever had the back luck of getting sick on vacation?
Do you try to stick to a healthy eating and workout routine while on vacation?
Do you have trouble putting your well being before your body image battles?
