Fighting Post-Vacation Malaise

Posted May 9, 2008 at 02:00 PM by Alexandra M. Haller

Section: Her Fitness, Her Health, Her Motivation, Her Nutrition

According to Dictionary.com, the 2nd meaning of the word malaise is a vague or unfocused feeling of mental uneasiness, lethargy or discomfort. I was well acquainted with this word after returning from a recent trip to Florida. Near the Gulf, I lounged on a pontoon boat while sipping on Corona (lots of Coronas). While eating lunch on the boardwalk, I handily gulped down messy, gooey burritos, exploding with sour cream and guacamole.  Every day included a new Mexican beer and another seafood appetizer, swimming in butter. And, lest there be any confusion, I’ll tell you that I wasn’t running on these mornings or engaging in abdominal work at night. 

That’s okay! I am not beating myself up for enjoying full-bodied wines, slurping up shrimp gumbo and saying “screw it” to my usual demanding workout calendar. I refuse to be strict with myself 365 days of the year. We all need our breaks.

That being said, when you pour the sunshine back in the bottle and empty the sand out of your purse, how do you muster the energy to bounce back into your normal routine? Right away, I accept that I won’t be rushing to the gym the minute my plane lands in the real world. I need to give myself some time to readjust. A slow transition seems to be the key.

Start small. Head to the grocery store and stock up on fresh fruits, nutritious sandwich items and a healthy cereal that’s also a treat.  For me, this is Nature’s Path Hemp Plus granola. It leans toward the healthy side of breakfast cereals, but it’s not so bland that I want to chuck it and grab a drive-thru bagel with 28g cream cheese. The other bonus of hitting the grocery store: it’s a valid excuse for skipping the gym. After all, we need our fuel and we don’t have time to do it all some days.

Find fitness information to read. Relevant material can be anything from your old blog posts to the new Runner’s World magazine. It’s important to reacquaint yourself with the hobbies you love and remember why you love them. I believe the mental aspect of psyching yourself up is a crucial step. Once the gears in your mind start churning, your legs will follow.

Another great way to simply force yourself back in the saddle is to sign up for a race. Once you commit with the money and the registration, there’s usually no turning back. My sister cajoled me into running in the Fleet Feet Sports Women’s 5K, 10K & Festival in Chicago in July. That cemented it for me. The malaise was finally working its way out.

It’s officially been a week since I returned from Florida. I made my way into the gym at 6:30 this morning for a solid 3 miles. Yesterday, I completed my usual vigorous round of weights. I’m thinking of signing up for yet another race. While I can positively say that I’m proud to be back in action, I still miss the dickens out of being on vacation. That’s life, isn’t it?

The first picture is the author kayaking on the Estero River. The second picture is courtesy of Nature’s Path.