5 Health-focused Ways to Spend your Next Vacation
It is finally Fall and summer has come to an end. The crisp air fills my nostrils with that amazing freshness we are so lucky to experience here in Vancouver, BC. I dig out my cozy blanket from storage to keep warm while sitting outside in the evenings. I am gazing at our beautiful mountains, taking in those deep breaths, reflecting on how my year has gone so far.
As October comes around and the days start to get a little shorter… and a little crisper, it is natural for me to start to think about my next holiday. In fact, taking health-focused holidays was one of my goals this year as I learned to create more balance in my life.
Before this past year, I would be lucky if I got a couple real weeks off over the course of a year. Truthfully, I could never really detach myself even when I finally had a week off. I would spend my week fretting about my clients that I have convinced myself I have ‘abandoned’, or I would spend the time telling people what I do and doing pro bono treatments for my friends and family – reading anatomy textbooks in my ‘free-time’. I would drink too much wine to drown my stress, feeling worse about myself in the morning, and always spend the last day of my vacation telling my husband that I am not ready to go back to the grind. He would always say the same thing, “Britte, you need to take more time off!”
This changed during my honeymoon. At the end of February when COVID travel restrictions finally started to ease up, I took a week off and spent the time sleeping, sunbathing, and enjoying delicious food with my husband. It was a dream! The crazy thing is that I came back to work all inspired, my clients had better results, and my team could feel the spark that I had been missing for so long.
We took another vacation in the middle of April. Since my last vacation was so successful in decreasing my stress levels, I tried the same tactic. This time, the food was even more nutritious, the sleeping was more restful, and the people I was surrounded with were all very health-conscious. Swimming, hiking, going for jogs, and eating healthy food were my daily tasks. Once again, I came back inspired and ready to work, even more in fact! I had tons of energy, even with a small baby growing inside me.
What I realized from this experience is that not only do I need to take more time off to recharge, but that these problems of burn out, fatigue, and stress would resolve themselves if I focus my holiday time in a more health-focused way. I want to spend more of my time recharging and nourishing myself and my body. With that said, here are 5 Health-focused vacations that I thought might be fun to try for my next adventure.
Nature Walks
There is nothing like walking through nature to recharge those batteries. I have seen many cozy cabins on my Instagram feed, but I have never taken the leap into one of these myself. I would love to cozy up with my hubby, baby, and puppy next to a crackling fire in the middle of nowhere. Going on walks through nature is so grounding. It is also a nice way to get away without spending the big bucks!
Health Spa
Spending a week at a spa, or even just a long weekend, would be a dream! I have wanted to go to Scandinave Spa, a health-focused spa in Whistler that is supposed to be quite an experience. Although I may not be able to get away just yet due to my new baby constraints, spending a ‘mommy day’ at one of our luxury spas downtown like Willow Stream or Spa Utopia would be amazing.
Yoga/Meditation Course
Why not spend my next vacation stimulating my mind and body? A few years back, Becca and I almost went to Greece and did our yoga certification. The timing fell through for that trip but I still have this trip in the back of my mind. Going on vacation somewhere exotic to learn something is a great way to get inspired.
Health and Wellness Conference
Speaking of learning something, I could travel to a health and wellness conference. Becca and I have gone to Mindvalley Reunion in Los Angeles, and both the talks and the people were so intriguing and fun to listen to. Even if you are not in the wellness industry, being surrounded by health-conscious people for a week is a great way to fuel yourself and your mind. Some conferences all you to bring your children so they can learn about health and wellness too.
Luxury Wellness Retreat
This might be out of the cards for me right now, but if you are in that part of your life where splurging on yourself is your motive then a luxury wellness resort might be a great option for you. There are many places dedicated to giving you the experiences of amazing food, culture, exercise, and nature. After a quick googling session, I got especially pulled by Amanda’s article in Compare Retreats Magazine called 8 Luxury Nutritional Wellness Retreats for Food Fanatics.
Remember to take care of yourself. If I have learned anything over this last year, balance is key to a healthy lifestyle.
With love,
Britte
