Have you recently been away on a holiday and had a wonderful time? Are you feeling refreshed, or flat-as-a-tack after you return? You may have been at a relaxing holiday resort or on an adventure based holiday of non-stop activities.

Getting back to a post-holiday routine

No matter what type of holiday you have had, there is no denying that getting back into life after a holiday can be exhausting. Often we try to go straight to work the next day with no thought of adjusting back to day-to-day life and any change in time zones. It’s wise to give yourself a day or two to recover before going back to life at full speed.

Do you need to take time to get your health back on track after your holiday?

Here are 7 simple questions to find out if you need to take some preventative steps to ease back into your normal routine:

1. Did you feel nauseous or get diarrhoea while you were away?
2. Did you sustain any injury?
3. Did you accidentally swallow any water local to the area where you were travelling?
4. Were you bitten by a mosquito, tick or any other insect?
5. Have your digestion habits changed since you went away?
6. Do you have less energy?
7. Did you throw yourself straight back into work without allowing time to recover from jet lag?

Did you answer yes to any of these questions? If so, it’s important to take the time to make some simple recovery steps:

• If you caught a tummy bug, had nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, constipation or bloating, then you may need a simple digestive repair protocol. A course of probiotics can help get your digestive health and gut microbiome back on track. Making healthy dietary choices can help to boost your immune system
• A bite from an insect can lead to some nasty diseases such as malaria, Dengue fever, Zika virus or Lyme disease. The earlier these are identified and treated, the faster the recovery time
• A microscopic organism from a foreign water supply or food can thrive in your gut for years, slowly disrupting your gut microbiome until you eventually develop problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Gastric Oesophageal Reflux Disease. Other organisms include Giardia, Helicobacter Pylori, Blastocystis or Dientamoeba. These are hard to eradicate. Targeted help is usually required
• To avoid being exhausted after travelling across numerous time zones on your way home, you need to ensure you are well hydrated and take steps to adjust to your present time zone. Going to bed at night in the new time zone and ensuring bright light in daytime hours will help.

Did you prepare for your travels before you went?

In the article 'Travel Well and Stay Healthy'  recommendations are given to prepare for your holiday and advice on what to include in a simple travel first aid kit. Taking precautions to stay well can help to ensure that you have a great holiday and hopefully avoid the consequences of travel related illness.

Janne Ramsay Naturopath

Janne Ramsay is a Naturopath and Nutritionist. As a dedicated mum and frequent traveller, her knowledge and experience will make sure that you stay well and travel well too! Learn more about Janne here… Naturopaths have long believed that good health starts with a healthy digestive tract and illness begins in the gut. That’s why Naturopath Janne Ramsay is presenting an important (and fun!) workshop on Good Digestion = Great Health. Come and join us and find out the inside scoop on how to have greater vitality and health with better digestion.

Find out how your digestion impacts your health… every day!

Join Mr Vitamins’ Naturopath Janne Ramsay as she takes you through an informative and fun presentation on the basics of healthy digestion. Discover how your digestive system directly impacts your health.