Healthy Living: 5 Ways To Take a 5 Minute Stay-cation

I used to be horrible at taking breaks. Such a royal screw up that my 'personal growth' project during my post grad work as I became a dietitian was to 'turn something in late'. PS I basically cheated: the project was done, it just sat on my desktop for a day extra. The road to becoming a dietitian nutritionist was so freaking competitive (only 50% of students make the cut after their bachelor's degree) I HAD NO IDEA how to relax after freaking out for about five years straight. The only break I knew was the kind I had once a year where I burnt out so bad I was in bed for a day straight (and even then, trying to check my email). As I learned the value of slowing down, I got better at embracing slower times of the year and realized, in fact...I'm a whole lot more productive if I take advantage of working for myself and take a day off when I need to! Which is why I'm headed to catch a Nats game this week in the middle of the day. I will be eating a curly W pretzel and then eating at the best dining facility in the country. Take that former Carlene. 

 But when life is crazy busy, there are definitely ways to have a five minute mini vacation in the comfort of your own home...or if I have my choice, outside! Here are five things you can literally do tonight. Also, scroll to the bottom of the post for an event in DC!

5 minute vacations

1. Read: I read A LOT. But honestly, much of it is 'work' reading. I enjoy it, but it's books on business or nutrition. Want to know my guilty pleasure? Just binge reading magazines and new cookbooks. Go to the library or your Kindle and download some new reading material. If you're looking for a total fluffy read I just crushed The Royal We . 
2. Cocktail: Hello. Nothing says 'relax' like a delightful mixed beverage outside. If you aren't very good about keeping your bar stocked, look into pre-mixed beverages. Palm Breeze is a new flavored malt beverage (like a beer base) that comes in two flavors. I add rum soaked melon balls and fresh herbs to the ruby red citrus flavor. PS. soaking fruit in rum is the primary way my mother in law does fruit. And she lives in the Caribbean so I think we can all take a page from her book. 
3. Nail Polish: I'm typically really good about keeping my nails painted since for food photoshoots we usually need a hand in the shot. But lately...I've been shirking that responsibility since house of restoration, gardening and cooking typically tear up a good manicure. To me, having perfectly painted nails signals 'VACAY YO!". One of my favorite colors is Essie Adore-a-ball but to fun it up, I love to top it with gold glitter. Although I'm not adverse to a good bright lilac. 

4. Open Windows: Oh my gosh. If you want to crush my soul, keep me in a dark room with closed windows. Any chance I get I love the breeze running through the house or car. And I won't even lie: a sunroof sealed the deal on our Jeep purchase. Air our your home or your car and enjoy the weather. 

5. Music: Just turn on some music! It doesn't matter if you're cleaning or cooking or working or whatever. Good music makes all the difference. Old school Justin Timberlake makes me so ridiculously happy. Please go check out the 2000's pop station on Pandora. 

Want to win a REAL vacay? Enter to win a trip to Austin  or for my DC ladies: come hang out at this DC event with me at Blo Bar in Dupont with Palm Breeze! RSVP here. 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.