My Hangover Cure

Tweet this!

...the completely unofficial, and only once tested remedy.

Disclaimer: This is not a normal practice and I don't advocate being in the situation to even NEED a hangover remedy. But, we're all human, and sometimes we wake up with a banging headache that is screaming at us for having one too many drinks.

I woke on on Saturday morning feeling like I took a freight train to the face. Between drinking strong drinks, dancing at a concert, and eating octopus at midnight (why?!?!), my body was pretty angry.

Step One: Go to Brunch. 

If you can handle it, and it's relatively close, WALK THERE. As painful as it is, the fresh air and sunlight will help you a lot. When you're there, order something delicious and filling. I encourage eggs, meat, and bread. I ordered Naan with chicken chorizo and two sunny side up eggs. ALSO, DRINK WATER WHILE YOU'RE THERE!

Step Two: Add Nutrients. Another thing to do at brunch, if possible. We decided to hit up Meli Cafe, where they have freshly juiced beverages. I had a delicious beverage with a ton of freshly juiced ingredients, like oranges, carrots, apples, and beets. If you can't get it at brunch, at least add some fruit or take a multi vitamin. ALSO, WATER!

Step Three: Take A Nap

Now that you've stuffed your face, it's time to fall into a fitful coma for 3 hours. Or as long as you need to sleep. I napped while my fiance watched sports (what sport? no idea. didn't care). I am a strong advocate of napping to golf, because it is by far the most boring sport to me, and I can always nap. Other good options are: Friends Season DVDs, Avatar, any movies that are long.

Step Four: Sweat

This is the hardest one for me. Now that you've eaten and rested, you may feel just a little bit better. No, you're not ready to conquer the world. But, you are ready to sweat a little. Get the rest of that booze out of your system. You will probably want to sleep instead, but trust me, it's worth it. DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A WATER BOTTLE!

If you're worried about balance, stick with a bike or elliptical (don't want you hurting yourself!). I, for one, was brave and hit the treadmill. I ran 4 miles, but it took me a full hour. I alternated between walking (4mph), walking on an incline (3,8mph, 5-9 incline), and a light jog (6mph). 

I know what you're thinking... how on earth will I get myself to work out when I feel like death? Well, the answer, my friends, is water and entertainment. I brought my iPad and started catching up on Revenge (awful show, still have to watch it for some reason) and drank a LOT of water.

Step Five: Get Pretty

Now that you've eaten, napped, and sweated (and PLEASE tell me you've been drinking water), it's time to put yourself back together. I had plans for a friend's birthday party that night, and we were meeting at Blow by Blow to get our hair done, so I showered (had to) and did my makeup, then got dressed. I donned a good old arm party and headed over to Blow by Blow. Before and After pics below... it obviously helped.

Step Six: Have A Drink

Notice I did not say "Get drunk" or "Drink a bottle of wine." Having one drink is fine, but over-doing it will put you in the same predicament you are finally easing out of. So, chill out, have one glass of wine, and don't get too excited about the alcohol. I'm a big fan of red wine when I'm not feeling so hot, because it keeps me warm and feels somehow nourishing (again, this only counts if you're only drinking a little bit!).

Step Seven: Eat Again

Eat again, and eat a lot. You're finally in the clear, for the most part. I was at Pump Room and ordered a Kale Salad (read: nourishment, vitamins), a salmon over rice pseudo-sushi (read: healthy fats, light carbs), and some fried polenta (read: carbs and cheese in my belly). 

Step Eight: Learn From Your Mistakes and Just Go To Bed
Don't go out. Don't go drink more. Just go to bed. I cannot even describe how amazing it felt to crawl into a nicely made bed and curl up, knowing that I could drift off into sleep.

Question:

• What's your hangover cure?

Post-Holiday Comebacks

Tweet this!

Happy Monday! I'm having one of those post-weekend hangovers that has nothing to do with drinking and everything to do with a lack of sleep and overall candy consumption. Okay, maybe just a little bit of drinking. But... Ick.

We went to see Nero at the Congress Theater on Saturday night (fun fact: Justin's way of first telling me he "liked me" was by sending me a Nero song called "Me and You").

It was an interesting crowd (and light show!) to say the least... and the band didn't hit the stage until 12:15am. Meaning we weren't hitting the hay until 2 or 3. Meaning getting up at 8am to do a Body By Science workout was B-R-U-T-A-L.



Add to that the 24 mile interval bike ride we did and Easter candy consumption and you've got lack of sleep, killer weights workout, killer cardio workout, and candy overload. We were in need of what I like to call a comeback.

What's a comeback? It's when you need to recover from a weekend (or week or month or year) of bad decisions. You might need a comeback when you've coming down from a holiday weekend (or a weekend in Vegas?) or perhaps when you're returning from a week on the beach in Mexico. It means your body is pissed off and needs recovery assistance.

Anybody else making a comeback this week? Here are some guidelines:

BEVERAGES & HYDRATION:

• Drink lots of water! You need to flush your system, which can't happen without water.
• DO NOT drink soda (even diet coke)! This slams your liver with even more work to do (sugars, fake sugars, processed ingredients, lots of chemicals). 
• DRINK MORE WATER. Yes, it's worth mentioning twice.
• Trade coffee for tea. It sounds rough... but coffee can be rough on your system, whereas tea will give you the metabolism and energy boost without adding too many harsh or acidic elements to your body.

FOOD & ENERGY:

• Eat lots of vegetables and fruits (water and fiber-rich) Click here for recipe suggestions (but avoid the sweets!)!
• Watch the sugar. Seriously. Even sugar substitutes. In fact, it  might be best to avoid sweets as a whole (because you'll get enough natural sugar from fruit). Click here for recipe suggestions (but avoid the sweets!)!
• Get that fiber! Focus on salads and consider taking a fiber-rich supplement like Metamucil. Click here for recipe suggestions (but avoid the sweets!)!

EXERCISE & MOVEMENT:

• Within the next few days, plan a day of cardio... Cardio will get your metabolism going and help burn off the crap you consumed over the weekend. Best results would likely come from a full body cardio routine including HIIT or Tabata style intervals, which speed up your metabolism for 48 hours following the exercise. Click here for workout suggestions!
• a day of yoga... Yoga helps you detox by releasing toxins from your muscles via deep stretches. You're also likely to find a bit of peace of mind during Yoga practices, which is always a bonus, especially if you're the type that easily feels guilty for falling off the wagon! Click here for workout suggestions!
• and a day of weights... adding a day of weights is not essential --  but you'll definitely reap some benefits. A good weights workout will burn calories by stimulating muscle repair and will also help you feel more "solid" (which is a peace-of-mind boost for me - am I alone in that?!). Click here for workout suggestions!