The past few weeks were full of great things – knowledge, travel, friends, family, fun…and food. Oh, the food. There were drinks, appetizers, entrees, desserts – the whole enchilada! To say that I ate a lot would be an understatement. While everything was delicious, the food was super rich and decadent. As someone who usually eats out once a week, it was a lot to take and the aftereffect was not pretty. Some words that come to mind are tired and sluggish.

But I don’t believe in regrets, especially when it comes to good food.

Instead, as of this past Sunday, I am on a “get back on track” plan. This is not a diet or a short-term fix, and in all honesty, food is only ¼ of the puzzle. A few critical elements were missing over the past few weeks, and I want need to incorporate them back into my routine.

#1 on my list is SLEEP! I am definitely one of those people that needs her 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I have no idea how I managed with an average of 5 hours of sleep a night (if that) while traveling. And even when I was back in Miami last week, I didn’t sleep all that well because I was sick.

The game plan is to be in bed by 10 pm and wake up at 5:30 am. It’s doable and more than necessary! Personally, when I don’t get enough sleep, my body lets me know in a big way. Namely, I’m cranky and no fun to be around. Ask Vishnu!

#2 on my list is to go back to the basics in terms of my meals. I still plan to eat out once a week (because who wants to be in the kitchen every single day), but as far as our home cooked meals are concerned, there will be lots of veggies and veggie proteins involved.

I also want to cut out unnecessary sugar where possible (dark chocolate not included). This is a must because as you guys know, I have a little tiny sweet tooth (ha!), and while I could say no to a glass of wine or a cheesy appetizer, I could not say no to dessert. There were chocolate cakes, donuts, cookies, shakes, hot chocolates, crumbles, and the list goes on. I am in dire need of a sugar detox. And just to reiterate, I am not going on a diet or cutting out sugar entirely. I just want to be more mindful of how much of it I consume.

#3 on my list is exercise. So, I did manage to fit in 3-4 structured workouts/week over the past two weeks. And we did dance quite a lot in Vegas. Therefore, I am not giving myself a big fat F in this category. However, in order to feel ready for the Tough Mudder (ahhh!!!), I have to be more intentional with my workouts – lots of running and lots of strength training.

And finally, #4 is reading before bed. I find that reading before bedtime is one of the few things that enables a good night’s rest for me. And reading is my ultimate “me time” activity. You should see me when I’m engrossed in a good book! It literally pains me to put it down. Since this is one of those things that’s good for my mind, body, and soul, I plan to do more of it!

So, yeah. This is how I plan to get back on track. I also have some thoughts for how to stay on track while travelling, but I’ll save that post for another time. I should probably get back on track before I talk about how to stay on track.  Ha!

What are some things that would definitely be on your “get back on track” plan?