Did you guys overdo it on the mashed potatoes and sauvignon blanc like I did this weekend? Jeeze Louise. Ya girl did not play around!
During the holidays we all have more reasons to get together, celebrate and essentially throw all of our healthy resolutions out the window. And why shouldn’t we? We’re indulging in great food, laughing over cocktails with our friends and living our damn lives. Everyone deserves to treat themselves more than usual this time of year!
Buuuut sometimes when the weekend is over and we are feeling hungover af and are in a crippling food coma we may be wishing we had done less indulging and a little more hydrating. It happens! And it’s totally okay. You just need a recovery game plan.
It’s all fun and games until it’s 9 am on Monday morning and you’re schlepping yourself into work with sunglasses haphazardly thrown over your bloodshot eyes while clutching a cup of coffee in your clammy, shaky hands. If this has been you more times than you can count, I think you’ll like this post.
Here are my top 8 tips for recovering from a wild weekend!
#1: Hydrate
This is probably an obvious one and if you’re anything like me you’re awake at 6 am the morning after you’ve kicked back one too many vodka sodas (who even likes those anyway??) with only one thing on your mind: H2o. And fast!
I have had my fair share of early mornings after late nights where I have peeled myself out of bed, stumbled into my kitchen and guzzled a glass of water like my life depended on it. And that’s great, but if that’s where your hydration ends, you’ve got a problem.
On days where you know you have put your body through it, you need to hydrate like it’s your full-time job. Try to aim to drink at least 8 glasses of water throughout the day. This should be your number one priority because it will have the biggest impact on how you’re feeling.
I keep a 32-ounce water bottle next to me on those days and I make myself finish four refills. That’s just under a gallon and will totally restore my body. You’ll visit the restroom more than usual but at least you’ll be feeling ten times better!
#2: Get your facial on
My skin is typically not happy with me after a crazy weekend. Especially if I committed the cardinal beauty sin: sleeping with my makeup on. I mean, I try my best to avoid this and have been known to drunkenly force myself to scrub my face but honestly it happens to the best of us.
This always means that as soon as the next morning rolls around I am digging through my skincare drawer for a face mask. I’ll start with something exfoliating and pore cleansing and follow that up with a hydrating and soothing option. This is not only super relaxing but gives me so much more confidence when Monday rolls around, knowing that I don’t have sandpaper for skin.
Scroll to the bottom of the post to shop my favorite face masks!
#3: Morning Recovery
A few weeks ago I was sent this dietary supplement drink called Morning Recovery that is meant to prevent hangovers. As someone who just turned 25 and now gets a wicked headache if I just look at alcohol, I was intrigued.
You’re supposed to take this little fruity tasting beverage while you’re drinking or right after your last drink. Then you pass out (not from Morning Recovering lol) and wake up fresh as a daisy. I gave this a try after I went out a couple weeks ago and it was a lifesaver! After several drinks and some late night mac and cheese, I was fully expecting to feel like complete trash the next day. To my surprise and delight, I woke up feeling FAB! Okay, maybe not fab but definitely hangover free which is ideal.
To check out Morning Recovery click here!
#4: Go for the healthy option
When I’m hungover or if I’ve had an eventful weekend a lot of times this means that 1. I feel like total garbage and 2. I haven’t had time to go grocery shopping due to feeling like total garbage. This always leaves me so tempted to stay in bed and order my favorite savory crepe with a side of fries and ranch, please. And while I don’t think there’s anything wrong with treating yourself, I do think that after a fun night out your body is in desperate need of some real food.
I love to get a smoothie the day after I’ve gone a little too hard and get as many veggies into my body as possible. I always feel waaaay better than when I opt for the greasy option. Getting those nutrients into my system can immediately alleviate a lot of the not so fun symptoms that accompany a hangover and get me back on track for the week.
#5: Take a probiotic
I take a probiotic daily to support my gut health and will take one first thing the morning after going out. They help ease the inevitable bloating (sexy) that can occur and also helps prevent inflammation. I personally love probiotics because I have arthritis in my foot and it can be triggered when I consume too much alcohol. I find that probiotics help me avoid flare-ups and tummy troubles.
#6: Take charcoal tablets
Charcoal is such a hot health trend right now but that’s probably because that shit works. Activated charcoal is highly absorbent and will soak up a lot of the nasty toxins in your gut and essentially just clear you out. You know what I mean girl.
Just like the Morning Recovery drink I mentioned above, the charcoal pills are effective as a preventional measure, not a cure so you need to take them before/while you’re drinking. Also ps I am not a doctor please make sure you do your due diligence and make sure you’re not allergic to anything I recommend okay thanks byeeee.
#7: Clean your apartment
Okay so maybe not while you’re still hungover but if you’ve taken my (unprofessional) advice and have successfully prevented a splitting headache and multiple trips to the bathroom by popping a couple charcoal pills and washing them down with some Morning Recovery (again I am not a doctor, I don’t know if you can do that, don’t sue me please) then this might make you feel a lot better.
Wow, that was the longest sentence I have ever written but it’s too late now I already did it, no going back.
Let’s move on. There is nothing I can’t stand more than a messy apartment, especially when I’m not feeling 100%. I hate feeling disorganized and being able to go into a new week with a clean apartment makes me feel much better about my life choices over the weekend.
When I stumble into my apartment after a night of cocktails I am not concerned about where my belongings go. My shoes are thrown in opposite directions, my purse is given a home on the floor and the late night chips and salsa I thought I needed are left on the counter to the delight of any nearby fruit flies. Not that I have fruit flies frequenting my apartment like it’s their neighborhood pub, but you get the point. I swear I am a clean person.
Even if it’s just a quick tidy up, you will feel so much better waking up Monday morning to clean surroundings and less like a sloppy frat boy who didn’t clean up after that weekend’s rager.
#8: Make a to-do list
If you’re like me you use your weekend to get a lot of stuff done as well as relax and have fun. I do my grocery shopping and my cleaning on the weekends so I don’t have to stress about it during the week.
But, of course, some weekends when I have a lot going on socially all of these things get thrown out the window and I am left with a dirty bathroom and no food in my fridge (the name of my future memoir). I also use Sundays to edit and schedule all of the blog’s upcoming content so if I don’t get to that I need a game plan for Monday because you know, this is my job.
If I’m feeling like I’m behind on a lot of work/life things I like to make a to-do list so I feel less overwhelmed and I can see what I need to get done. Then I figure out when I can do all of those things throughout the week. So, for example, if I haven’t scheduled that week’s blog posts or made my weekly trip to Trader Joe’s then I’ll probably skip the gym Monday morning so I can do both of those things.
Lists can help you feel more organized and in control of your life, which I am a big fan of.
I hope this helps you get through the holiday party season! How do you recover from a wild weekend? Tell me in the comments below!
Xo, She
