Let’s face it—we’ve all been there and probably will be there quite a few times during our lives.
You can call it a binge or a feast, a day out or a cheat day. However you call it, it happens to everyone.
Sometimes we feel down, sometimes it’s stress, sometimes we want to celebrate something, try new foods or something we loved as children, sometimes we want to share a meal with our friends and family without counting every piece we put in our mouths and worrying about ingredients.
Whatever it is, it doesn’t really matter. We are all humans and we indulge sometimes for one reason or another. We do it in ways that are more or less harmless but it still doesn’t feel good the next morning, does it?
It has happened to me too but each time, I got better and better at bouncing right back to feeling absolutely fabulous instead of feeling bloated, not comfortable in my body, not attractive and low on energy.
So here is my proven method for bouncing back. Try it next time you have your feast day and feel fabulous!
1. Start your day with a glass of lemon water and a smile on your face
After all, you had a good time yesterday, didn’t you? Positive attitude is the key here. It makes all the difference; it actually helps your body to bounce back faster by creating an alkaline environment instead of an acidic one that is created by stress.
Lemon water not only helps your stomach to digest all that feast food you ate the day before and prevents things like bloating, gas and heartburn but also assists the elimination process. All toxins will be flushed out of your system much faster.
I personally continue drinking lemon water all day long for a quick bounce back.
2. Continue with some movement
It can be anything: yoga, walking, hill walking, swimming—whatever you feel like.
Movement stimulates your digestive and lymphatic systems which helps your body to get rid of accumulated toxins and excess water.
Choose something you like and don’t try to do intense workouts. Chances are you still have undigested food in your stomach which, with intense workouts, will create discomfort or may even make you feel sick and nauseated.
3. Skip breakfast
Most probably, you still have undigested food in your stomach and more food is the last thing your stomach and body needs. If you put anything on top of what you still have in your tummy, you might experience further indigestion, bloating, gas and heartburn.
Instead, I would recommend continue sipping lemon water and add green tea.
4. Drink green tea during the day
Green tea increases your metabolism and has loads of anti-oxidants that helps your body to fight all the negative consequences of your feast the day before.
As a bonus, you also burn more fat and will feel much better during this hard first “day after”.
5. Eat your veggies
Last but not least, provide your body with essential nutrients that vegetables, especially green leafy ones, have.
The best vegetables to eat are:
Green leafy vegetables
kale, collards, turnip greens, Swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens, broccoli, romaine and iceberg lettuce, cabbage.
Non-starchy vegetables
Artichoke hearts, asparagus, baby corn, beans (green), bean sprouts, beets, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, mushrooms, okra, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, rutabaga, sprouts, squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, zucchini), sugar snap peas, tomato, turnips, water chestnuts.
On my “Bounce Back Days” I love making my favorite bean salad which keeps me satiated and supplies my body with many needed nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
“Bounce Back” Bean Salad
1 cup of dried beans (kidney beans, lima beans, chickpeas, black beans etc.)
Bunch of lettuce
Bunch of dill
Bunch of cilantro
Bunch of green onions
Dressing
2 cups of cherry tomatoes
3 celery sticks
2 tbsp of dried Italian herbs mixed with garlic (garlic, oregano, rosemary, basil)
Sea salt to taste
Preparation
1. Soak beans overnight or at least for 8 hours
2. Cover beans with water in a pot, bring water to boil and let them simmer for an hour
3. Rinse beans with cold water to cool them off
4. Cut your greens the way you like
5. Blend your tomatoes, celery and herbs in a blender
6. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl
7. Eat during the day in small portions
I also finish the day with some light exercise like walking, swimming etc. and the next day I feel as if nothing happened!
Try it out next time you allow yourself to have a feast and let me know how you feel.
Love elephant and want to go steady?
Sign up for our (curated) daily and weekly newsletters!
Editorial Apprentice: Jamie Khoo/Editor: Renée Picard
Photo: Author’s own
Leave a Thoughtful Comment
Read 0 comments and reply