Body Image and Vacation

Trigger warning. This post talks about dieting, weight and body image.

You may have noticed that your wardrobe changes from season to season. Warm weather often means less or lighter clothing compared to the layers that keep you warm in the winter. Although we are still a few months away from summer, it's worth the discussion of how your body image impacts a warm weather getaway.

If you struggle with body image issues, you may find yourself hyper aware of your body in anticipation for your upcoming vacation. You may fear wearing a swimsuit or having your photo taken. You may worry about systemic fatphobia issues during travel and begin to internalize messages that your body isn't good enough. You may begin to "body check" things like your weight, size or shape. You may suddenly begin to compare yourself to other people, likely making you feel inadequate. Anytime you feel heightened awareness of your body, you may feel the urge to diet or overexercise in order to change the way that you look.

The truth is that many people deal with body image issues before and during a vacation. If you can identify, you are not alone. However, while you may not be able to fully change your relationship with your body before your next vacation, you can prepare in a way that fosters a better relationship with your body.

• Packing - You deserve to wear clothes that you feel most comfortable in and work for the climate of your vacation and the types of activities that you will be partaking in during your trip. It's best to pack a few different options - some with a looser fit and some that fit you just right - so you can decide the best option for your "today" body. Dress in a way that makes you feel good, not how you think those clothing items make your body look.
  
  
• Prepare for triggers - Recognize the possible triggers that may cause you to experience body image issues. For example, when trying on clothing, shop for your today body. The body you have right now deserves to be properly dressed in clothes that make you feel good. Don't focus on the size but instead, what feels best on your body. Don't assign meaning to any numbers. It doesn't tell you anything about who you are as a person. You may want to avoid social media for a few weeks if you find that comparing yourself to others triggers negative body image issues.
  
  
• Nobody cares - That bully in your head may never go away so you need to actively fight those negative body thoughts. The truth is that the important people in your life support you and care about you. They want you to be happy. As for everyone else, they don't care and they don't matter. Let go of what you think other people think about your body.
  
  
• Be in the moment - Don't miss out on the fun events with friends and family because you hate the way that you look. Hating the way you look takes away the energy you have to make memories. Be proud of your body and what it allows you to do. A vacation is a special time, not a time to fuel your insecurities. Don't regret the moments and memories that you can experience now.
  
  
• Boost your self-esteem - Society has taught us to hold onto an (unrealistic) idea of what we should look like and when our self-image doesn't match the standard, we feel the need to fix the parts that don't measure up. Having a body that you are proud of is an ongoing process but you shouldn't let your now body hold you back from enjoying a vacation and the people around you.

Smoky Mountain vacation - recap

This was the week when we were planning to board a plane to kick off our 5-week trip to Europe. One week of participating in the Haute Route Alps (7-day cycling tour), followed by one week of sightseeing off the beaten path and finishing our trip with a few weeks in and around Karel's hometown of Znojmo, Czech Republic to celebrate his dad's 80th birthday. This trip was over a year in the planning and we were really looking forward to our time in Europe. Although our trip was cancelled, we still felt like a vacation was in order. This vacation served a few different purposes but most of all, it was an opportunity to check out of our normal routine of swimbikerun and enjoy different sights and a lot of nature. We choose the Smoky Mountains because it was logistically close for driving but far enough away to feel like we were taking a "trip." It was also a location that neither of us have been to together (funny enough - Karel and I both discovered that we were both in Gatlinburg in the winter of 2003 and we didn't even know each other then!)

Karel and I  rarely take vacations that don't involve swimming, biking and running. Our last vacation (that didn't involve a race) was five years ago. We tried our best to embrace this change in our normal routine and slow down a bit. 

Removing our daily lifestyle of swimming, biking and running meant an opportunity to do a different activity that we both enjoy - hiking! For Karel, hiking is not a slow and leisure activity. He stops to enjoy the views but he hikes on a mission - much like how he runs ;) I am usually following behind as I can never keep up with his pace. But we both enjoy stopping at the sights that we see along the way. 

If you are considering a trip to the Smoky Mountains, here are some tips from our recent trip:

Where to stay

I was not familiar with the area so I booked a place on Airbnb in Seviervielle, TN (blue circle). Prior to booking, I chose this place because it was pet friendly (for Campy), had a beautiful view, was reasonably priced for peak season and was located between Townsend and the Smoky Mountain National park - which were two areas that we wanted to visit. However, if I had to book again, I would have booked a place in Gatlinburg (red circle) closer to US-441 S. We had a ~50-75 min drive to most of our hikes so staying a little closer would have knocked off some driving time. 

Cost
Aside from lodging, groceries and gas (~2.5 hour drive), this was a fairly inexpensive trip for us. We spent around $50 during our week stay. This included a tour to the Tuckaleechee Caverns in Townsend and an overly priced parking spot in downtown Gatlinburg. We brought a cooler of groceries with us (and a few prepared meals) and made two small shops at Kroger during our vacation. We didn't eat out but did purchase a few small grocery items at a local mass general store. 

Hiking
There are so many hikes in and around the Gatlinburg area. It was difficult to decide which ones to select during our short Sun-Sun, 7-day stay (well - more like 6 days as we came home a day early as it poured all day on Saturday). I used Alltrails.com, Hiking in the Smokys website and the National Park Service website (along with a few recommendations from friends) to plan our hikes. Here are the hikes that we went on:
Monday: Gatlinburg trail at the Sugarland Vistor Center (the only dog friendly trail in the area)
Tuesday: Ramsey Cascades Trail 
Wednesday: Spruce Flats Falls
Thursday: Tuckaleechee Caverns (not a true hike)
Friday: Alum Cave trail to Mt Leconte

The Gatlinburg trail was a nice hike with Campy. It had beautiful views of the Little Pigeon river. We arrived late morning and the parking lot was busy. However, the trail itself was very quiet as most of the tourists were on the hiking trails (which were not pet friendly) to the waterfalls. We made it about 1/2 mile before the sky opened up and it poured on us. Being the amateur hiker that I am, I didn't even think about bringing rain jackets for us (travel fail!). Karel ran back to the car to get an umbrella and we ventured on another 1/2 mile until we decided to turn around. Campy was not impressed with his only hike and the first day of our vacation was a wet one. 

I'll recap the other hikes in future blogs - stay tuned.

There were plenty more hiking trails for us to visit but we wanted to avoid large crowds and pace ourselves with the hiking terrain and distances. 

Lessons learned 

• We wanted to check out downtown Gatlinburg as we both visited the area (not together) in the past but had vague memories of the area. This was a bit of a letdown as it was very touristy and commercialized, a bit overwhelming. We wore our masks, checked out a few stores (which were more or less all the same) and walked up and down the street. It was a very hot day and we probably could have done without this adventure to downtown. 
• As I mentioned above, I should have booked a place closer to the hiking trails. 
• Bring a rain jacket! 
• I made the mistake of assuming that the trails were pet friendly. This is why we brought Campy (so he could enjoy the vacation with us). Although he had no trouble sleeping throughout the morning while we were out and about, it would have been fun to make more memories with Campy. 
• I am glad we didn't bring our bikes as I would have been a bit stressed trying to find safe and quiet biking routes. I found one pool but didn't want to mess with the hassle of reserving a lane while on vacation. Running the trails would have been a lot of fun but we wanted to give our bodies a break from the pounding. 

Final thoughts
We finished the vacation rejuvinated and exhausted. Our work never takes a vacation so we dedicated the morning hours to hiking and then worked throughout the afternoon. We only set an alarm on Friday (to get to the trailhead before it got busy) so it was nice to reset the body without an alarm clock (or a hungry kitten and senior cat demanding breakfast at 5:46am every morning). I'm sure this place is stunning in the fall with all the colors of the leaves on the trees. It was rather hot and humid at times but we also had a few rain showers which cooled things off. 

Here are some pictures from the start of our trip: 

A quick self-care trip to Lexington, KY

I took Campy on a weekend road trip to my old Kentucky home. If you are new to my blog (thank you for finding me), I was born May 31st, 1982 and I spent the first 22 years of my life in Lexington, KY before moving down south for graduate school.

I get awfully sentimental over people and places. No matter if the experience was positive or negative, if it shared some meaningful time in my life, I have trouble letting go.

Like many of you, I'm still on a rollercoaster of emotions. I've been on the same ride since around mid March. I recogniz that I have a lot to be thankful for during these times and I realize it's a privilege to feel grateful for so much - health, career, home, family, love. But sometimes I can't get out of my own head and this leaves me stressed, overwhelmed, anxious and confused. Let's just say that unless I have a lot on my daily plate to keep me insanely busy, my mental gymnastics will spiral into overdrive.

Another fun fact about myself - I am stimulus hungry. My brain needs a lot of stimulation. They say opposites attract and this couldn't be more true for me and Karel. Karel gets his energy from being alone. He tolerates people in small groups and in small doses. Thankfully, he also tolerates me ;)

As for myself, I get my energy from being with and around people. Being alone or alone with my own thoughts is incredibly difficult and brings me great stress and anxiety.  I receive a lot of happiness from the outside world and I am constantly trying to cultivate interesting activities and seeking out companionship to give my brain the stimulation that it needs.

Our current global health situation has been incredibly hard for us all. You are not immune to the stress and distress that is affecting your community, nation or the world in which you live. The things that brought us joy and freedom have been temporarily removed and we are learning to embrace a new normal as we welcome certain people and things back into our life.

Feeling so overwhelmed with my thoughts and emotions, I needed to gift myself some me time. Even tough my extrovert personality loves being with and around others (something that I miss dearly, especially with the cancellation of all of my races this summer), I seek opportunities that allow me to collect my thoughts.

Travel is my way of "me time." Since most of my travel is for personal reasons (racing), it's something that I greatly look forward to as it makes me feel happy and alive. Travel serves as a recharge to my brain and I always feel more energized (not drained) than when I left.

Earlier last week, I decided to book a quick trip to Lexington, KY. A short weekend away, just me and Campy. Oddly enough, Campy is a great travel partner as he never makes me feel alone. Plus, I love making memories with my 12.5 year old furry BFF. I safely reconnected with people, places and things that I hadn't experienced in a long time. With such a positive, nostalgic view of my past, I tried to keep myself busy as I ran, walked and drove myself around my old Kentucky home. When I found myself bored and tired of my own company, I knew it was time to head back to Greenville, SC.

Here are a few pics from my trip:

On Friday morning, I did an hour workout in my makeshift pool and hit the road around 10:30am for my 5 hour drive up north to Lexington, KY.

While I listened to podcasts, my co-pilot was great company. 

We didn't stop throughout the drive so Campy slept the entire trip. So much cuteness. 

Exploring an unusually quiet downtown Lexington, KY.

Saturday morning long run (10.3 miles/1:22) on the Legacy Trailhead. 

I started my run from my Airbnb in downtown Lex (on E. Maxwell street) and made my way through downtown side streets to the trail. 

I ran a similar route on Sunday (8.6 miles/1:11). 

Both runs included sight-seeing and picture taking. And a lot of humidity!

It was fun to run around downtown. 

And see new and familiar sights. 

And so fun to run on flat pavement and not hills! 

Transy! Where I went to undergrad and earned a bachelor degree in Exercise Physiology and minor in Psychology. 

Triangle Park in downtown. 

Visiting my high school friend Shannon (who's a nurse) and her horses on her farm. 

Campy was on his best behavior. Just a few tough barks to the horses in the barn. 

What a peaceful backyard!

During my last trip to Lex, I visited my old house where I spent all of my teenage life. For this trip, I wanted to visit the house where I was born at in 1982. My parents were the original owners of the house and it was the first house they purchased. I drove past the house and with the owners in the front yard, I asked if I could take a picture of the house. After talking to the owners (who were incredibly nice and have lived in the house for 30 years - the 3rd owners of the house), they kindly invited me inside for a socially distant tour. Because I couldn't remember a lot about the house, I decided to Facetime my mom who gave me a memory-filled tour inside the house.

My mom loved sharing stories to the owners about the house. There were so many original things in the house - like the toilets and cabinents! And they even had a piano in the same place where I learned to play piano. 

I had so many memories in this backyard! 

 Funny thing - the house felt SO much bigger when I was little! This was the basement (with the original wall finishings) where I played a lot with my dad. I remembered it to be SO big but in reality, it was just a small finished basement room.

Finishing our morning walk outside my Airbnb. I learned this is a Poplar tree - which has very distinctive leaves. As it name suggests, it's a popular utility wood.

One last long walk around downtown Lexington. 

Someone is SO tired from the trip and all of his memory-filled adventures.