Travel and Intermittent Fasting

Carly here again...and it's definitely a Monday.

Over the weekend, the boyfriend and I made a 13 hour drive down to South Central Texas for a family wedding.

Side note: So glad I thought to bring my Deep Relief Essential Oil with me for the haul. It helped soothe my shoulders and back while sitting in the car for so long and destressed me while dealing with Fort Worth rush hour traffic! It also came in handy when I left the boyfriend's dress clothes at our friend's house an hour south of where the wedding was. Having to go back for them wasn't ideal, but it had to be done and I'm thankful I had a little help to get through it. Also, that's my puppy, Mina, in the background!

My extended family is super big and super close, so I always look forward to getting to spend time making new memories with them.

One of the biggest things I've learned since I started Intermittent Fasting is that I cannot fast as normal during family get togethers. The reason? So much delicious food and, of course, alcohol...

See, my family likes to get together and visit with plenty of adult beverages on-hand, and I learned quickly that breaking my fast with drinks instead of food can spell disaster pretty quickly.

Typically, when I have these family functions a couple times a year, I employ a couple protocols for being able to enjoy time with my family, but also keep my progress somewhat on track.

1. I switch to a smaller fasting window and a bigger eating window.

I usually do a 19/5 fast (19 hour fast with a 5 hour eating window). Expanding to a 16/8 fast can usually keep me covered, but sometimes I even need to expand on that. If I can skip breakfast and hold my fast until lunch, I usually consider it a win.

Many times, I'll do an extra long fast (24 hours plus) leading up to the festivities, however, this isn't always possible, either. I'm always prepared for the possibility that I just may have to give in for a day or two, which brings us to:

2. Breaking my fast for the entirety of the trip.

Every so often, this is just a necessity, especially while traveling.

You're not always out of your routine, but you don't always know when you'll be eating. I've found that it can just be easier and less stressful to just not fast if this is the case.

Life is about experiences, and what I love about IF is that it's made for humans to be able to have theirs. I can break my fast and experience yummy foods and have beverages with my loved ones and I don't feel like a failure.

It's not quitting, it's just take a break.

I will, however, have to deal with bloat and other things that I'm typically free from while fasting, but it's a price I'm willing to pay for these moments.

When the fun is over, I just get back to my routine as quickly as possible and thankfully, my body follows suit pretty quickly. I do, however, get stricter with my diet after these break periods.

I don't drink alcohol for a few days or a week, and I really stick to whole foods while forgoing carbs and sugar when possible. This gives me that extra oomph to get everythingn back on track.

Day one of regaining my routine and I'm already feeling like myself again!

Do you have any tips or tricks to maintaining a routine while on the road? Let us know in the comments and check out the Resources page for great material on how Intermittent Fasting and Essential Oils can help you in your every day life!

Until next time!

Carly