I'm sure that title threw you off - who would not enjoy 9 days in France - what is there to "survive"? Well, let me tell you! When you are a woman who is slightly uptight about her routines, self-care, sleep, and supplements, 9 days in a foreign country is going to amp up your anxiety! Whenever I travel, even just for a weekend, I get irregular (yes, TMI, but you should expect that from me!), immediately uncomfortable (and agitated), and I get disrupted sleep which of course makes it hard to enjoy the activities of each day. I also often gain weight. Not that this is the worst thing in the world, but considering I spent the last year of my life trying to balance my hormones so that I would lose unwanted belly fat, this trip was freaking me out a little.
So... as with everything I do, I developed a plan of attack. Here's what worked and didn't work.
To maintain regularity and digestive CALM, I brought with me my probiotic/prebiotic and digestive enzymes. Doterra PB Assist is the very best probiotic I've ever taken so I was CERTAIN I would be able to stay on track. Digestive enzymes were to be used to break up the fatty and heavy meals I knew I would be eating in France. You see, we were on a group tour, and the breakfast and dinner meals were already selected for us. I had the menu ahead of time... beef bourguignon, duck, pate (my laptop doesn't have the accent egue, just imagine it's there, please), so I knew these meals were a little out of the norm for my digestive system. Well, on the very first day I was already experiencing irregularity, despite using my usual supplements. One of the problems was my routine with coffee. I am used to waking up 2 hours before I need to leave the house, and drinking my coffee first thing. If I am not able to do that, things just slow down and I get backed up. I need that extra relax time to unwind myself (literally and figuratively). Well... on this trip, there was no coffee/tea caddy in the hotel room! And at one of the hotels I had to wait to drink my coffee at a planned time!! What the what? And that time was about 30 minutes before we were scheduled to leave the hotel. Lord! So I improvised and got really serious - I increased my water intake. 1) 16 oz of water immediately upon waking, 3 tall glasses of water at each meal, 16 oz water before sleep and tons throughout the day; WATER tip: glass water bottles are HEAVY to carry when full of water - I opted to purchase and use plastic water bottles (yes a concession on my part) for convenience. 2) Salad greens for lunch and a TON of them (increased fiber); 3) ate fruit for dessert - ok this may not seem out of the norm, but it is for me. I don't eat a lot of sugar and fruit is not really part of my usual menu, but I knew that fruit was fiber, and they were offering me fruit to replace the gluten-ridden dessert. The very next morning, my regularity was back. One more thing - I do intermittent fasting and I chose to keep doing this on this trip - remember I told you breakfast was pre-selected? Well, I chose to skip the croissants and cheese and eat my first meal at lunch (and just double-up the food at lunch and dinner). Intermittent fasting was easy to continue on this trip.
To make sure I got good sleep, I brought my diffuser and Serenity (sleeping blend) essential oil. However, again this wasn't enough. You see, in France, our hotels were not air conditioned, so we had to keep windows open. And of course, there was construction, arguments on the street, laughing ladies, and traffic noise. I had brought my Serenity capsules (lavender EO, lemon balm, passionflower, german chamomile extracts and L-theanine) just in case, and the very first night I used them, all was good...
Drinking wine is a favorite thing of mine to do, so I knew I needed to bring something along that would help me clear toxins (alcohol is a toxin) out of my body so my liver wouldn't get overloaded and then screw with my hormones. Because wine was DEFINITELY on the menu! So I brought two super helpful toxin clearing tools - 1) Zendocrine capsules (Doterra) and 2) Chlorella Algae (Energy Bits brand). Zendocrine combines rosemary essential oil, cilantro, tangerine, and a few others that help the liver function optimally. Chlorella is an algae that is binder - it binds to the toxins and pulls them out of your during bowel movements. These 2 things worked wonders for the extra alcohol I was drinking - I did not feel the usual groggy, foggy, and sluggish sensations I normally feel after too many glasses of wine. Since I could not use my usual lemon and other citrus oils in my water to help with toxin clearing (can't use essential oils in plastic), this was a great save!
Inflammation is a big concern of mine - I started this hormone and weigh loss journey with daily swelling in my ankles and joint pain. I had gotten rid of all that by sticking to avoiding gluten, eggs, and too much sugar. I didn't want a resurgence of this on the trip and knew that I could not control what was in the dressing, the sauces for many meals and I would be at risk. So I brought my big bottles of oils that I use to help with inflammation and cellular health - turmeric, copaiba, frankincense, and yarrow pom. I used them morning and night under my tongue as usual, and it worked! No swelling in my ankles until the very last day.
You need a TON of energy on a trip like this! We walked 9 miles a day on average and did countless stairs. As a result, I skipped doing piYo or any strength training, and just focused on taking my awesome vitamins. I used the lifelong vitality from Doterra because I immediately feel sharper after a dose, and because I get sustained energy from them. I was able to keep up with the teenagers on this trip as a result. I used the ones that have the daily dosage broken down into plastic packs - very convenient, and highly recommend doing this (organizing supplements into daily packs). You can find small plastic bags on Amazon for a great price to avoid bringing all your bottles.
Pleasurable but relaxing activities - We got so much out of the historical sites and museums because we had tour guides who shared the history of the town, site, artists, etc... It really made things come to life. Some sites are so busy and packed that it's hard to enjoy without a focused tour guide. The other thing that both Liam (my son) and I felt made our trip was our 2 hour long lunches (and some afternoon breaks) watching people, drinking wine (not Liam), or a local beverage.
Other considerations and potential pitfalls for an overseas trip (that will indirectly affect your wellness goals):
Packing - I took a medium size rolling suitcase with one outfit for each of the 8 days and 3 pairs of shoes, but that suitcase was still INCREDIBLY heavy when I had to carry it up 5 flights up stairs at the hotel. If I was doing this over again, I would still take the same size suitcase, but bring fewer clothes and shoes (bring outfits for only 1/2 of the days of the trip for example and just mix/max). Shoes... oh shoes... I had specifically ordered special sandals with low heels from Dr. Scholl's. Well, the support of the shoe was not the problem - it was the STRAPS! don't bring strappy heels to walk around in! Every strap rubs if you are walking for 15 hours in a day. I ended up having to buy a pair of flats with 1 strap so the back wouldn't rub, and those shoes were AMAZING! www.bessec.com brand Hirica. Anyway, do yourself a favor and ignore the need for fashion on your feet. You will thank me later!
Layering - I planned for weather changes (brought a sunhat, zipper sweatshirt, and umbrella). The umbrella and sun hat were needed. The sweatshirt was just not enough. The wind in certain areas of France (we were on the coast) was too much, so I had to buy this amazing jacket from a cute little store in a seaside village (poor me!) It's neutral color, but has cool buttons (fulfills my need for a little bling), covers my body to mid-thigh AND is lightweight.
Now that I have reflected on what worked and didn't work for me, I have some key takeaways for you to use on your next long trip.
How to FLOURISH on an overseas Trip:
1) Create a digestive support plan! Bring probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and keep doing your usual eating windows if you are into intermittent fasting. Remember that greens and fruit can keep you regular if you are struggling. Drink TONS of water! Consider the weight of your water bottle and make sure you have a light one if you are bringing your own.
2) Bring liver support and toxin clearing aids - essential oils and algae are great places to start, but some people use charcoal which is also a toxin clearer.
3) Eat at least one meal that is full of fiber and greens.
4) Pick one meal to enjoy as a local and relax about your food rules! Try new things and just use your digestive supplements if the food is a little difficult for your digestion.
5) Pack Light - 1 outfit for 1/2 the time you will be there, mix and max. I promise, you won't use everything you wanted to bring anyway. Jeans are too heavy, by the way for walking around in Europe all day in the heat. Bring light, one piece clothing too - sundresses and jumpers were smart choices for me. Bring at least 1 nice outfit in case you go to a nice restaurant. Bring 1 pair of good walking shoes without a lot of straps and with low heels. Don't forget your light weight jacket, sunhat and umbrella!
6) Bring essential oils designed to reduce and prevent inflammation (i.e. swelling and joint pain and puffiness)
7) Bring EXTRA sleep aids (diffuser, sleeping oils, and maybe something extra like melatonin if you use that, or Serenity capsules.
8) Bring and use vitamins (organize into daily doses in plastic bags).
9) Get a TOUR GUIDE for all the historical sites like museums! Extra cost, but WORTH IT!
10) Schedule relaxing activities to enjoy the people and scenes DAILY.
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