#happyplace

Thanks to the #marlatyler duo, my family and I spent 7 amazing days in Mexico before Thanksgiving – 5 at Excellence Playa Mujeres, and 2 at Mayaland. Family vaca in Mexico was great, but looking back on it, it was definitely not what I had expected.

Leading up to the vacation, I was beyond ready to have a well-deserved chance to relax and be totally zen in Mexico. I know that is so California of me, but bear with me. Life has been stressful, and I was looking forward to spending some time winding down and getting back into my healthy zone. I was ready to sleep early, wake up early, yoga every morning to my heart’s content, run around the jungle, head to the beach for some sun, and round out each day with fun activities like kayaking and paddleboarding. Not to mention, I had hoped to eat well at fancy resort restaurants to kickstart being healthy again.

Little did I know, Mexico would soon convince me to let go of my inhibitions, be completely lazy, and eat like a pig. Over the course of the week, I barely worked out (stretching “yoga” didn’t count), and I consumed more food than I have in any other week of my life. I am now familiar with the true meaning of “food baby”.

But the point is not that #runmexico turned into #lazyasfuck. So what if I had high hopes and slept through SoulCycle (for lack of a better analogy). The point is that I was inspired. And even though I didn’t do many things that could be considered healthy during my time in Mexico, my mental prep put me in the zone to embrace the vacation experience, and that’s invaluable.

Giving your mind and body a chance to relax and recharge every so often is truly important. What some people don’t realize though, is that everyone recharges differently at points in their lives. Apparently, sometimes I recharge by running 20 miles, and other times eating lots of nachos on the beach is what does it for me.

So my Mexico post in my blog about running was kind of a bust. The key is that I spent time experiencing, learning about myself, and treating myself to what I need and enjoy.

Because when all else fails, escape to your happy place.