Live Healthy on Purpose on VACATION!

I just returned from vacation and since this is summer vacation season I thought I would share some tips for vacationing and still staying focused on your goals and healthy lifestyle.

For years, okay maybe decades, I would plan a vacation, count the weeks or months I had to “get in shape” before going on vacation. Then I would workout more and try to eat better. Vacation would come and I would eat crap, be lazy, drink too much, sleep less, because “it’s vacation!” I would get back from vacation and it was so hard to get back into a routine and I felt bloated, exhausted, and usually gained at least 5lbs. Sometimes it would take days, weeks, or months to get back into my workout routine and back to eating healthy. It was a vicious cycle that took a long time to break. If you are in this cycle hopefully these tips will help.

First and foremost, remember what your life goals are and keep them front in center, it’s truly a mindset shift. Vacation doesn’t mean you have to over indulge on food every meal, drink more than any human should drink, stop working out, and sleep 4 hours a night. In my oppinion, vacation should be a time for you to relax and rejuvenate.  You should come home feeling more energized then when you left.

1. Before traveling:
   1. I always check out the hotel room or condo that I am staying at to see if they have a refrigerator, workout area, place to walk etc.
   2. I will also google to find where closest grocery store is.
   3. I also start looking up restaurants that we may want to go to and look up the menus to make sure there is an option that fits my nutritional needs. (I hate the word diet.) If I find places I want to go I will make reservations.
   4. Plan out my workouts for the trip, I personally workout every day so I write out what time I will get up and what I will do on each day.
2. Packing:
   1. When I pack, I always take into consideration how many days I will be there and bring that many workout outfits.
   2. I also always pack my resistance bands so that I know I can always get a workout in. Other things you may need, headphones, hat, running belt if you are running.
   3. Bring a book or two to read while you relax on vacation or to read while traveling or before bed.
3. While traveling:
   1. If you are driving or flying to your destination, ALWAYS pack things to eat. Even when I have a direct flight, I pack snacks because as we all know delays happen frequently and there is not a lot of healthy options in airports (or gas stations if you are driving). I always empty out my refrigerator before I go on trips, so I pack all the fruit that is left and veggies like carrots and tomatoes. Nuts are a great snack for traveling. Also just an FYI you can bring an ice pack on the plane as long as it is frozen so deli meat and cheese are always a good thing to bring, hard boiled eggs travel well. I also travel with Stevia for my coffee, most places I go do not have Stevia as a sweetener options.
4. When you get to your destination:
   1. I try to find a local grocery store if I am staying at hotel or AirBB because for one it’s cheaper to buy food at a grocery store than it is to go out every meal but also having fruit and veggies on hand to snack on is always good idea. I always get nuts, beef or turkey jerky.
   2. Check out the area to see where you can do your workouts, what the “gym” looks like, what the area around you looks like.
5. While on vacation:
   1. I follow my normal morning routine but usually sleep an extra hour or so, I still get up early, meditate and workout before my day starts.
   2. Most people are going to eat some “special” meals because they are on vacation, and that is perfectly fine but eating “special meals” all day every day is going to make you sluggish, bloated, and make you feel yucky, that isn’t worth it to me. I would suggest picking a few special meals and all the rest you eat healthy, you will have more energy, feel lighter, and truly just feel better.
   3. If possible, try to stick to your normal sleeping routine as much as you can, that will help you not only feel rested during your vacation but also when you return.
   4. This is a hard one for a lot of people, you don’t have to eat junk and drink just because other people are, you can have just as much fun just being around your friends and family and not having to sabotage your own goals.

I know a lot of these tips won’t be easy for everyone to try but they are worth giving it a shot and see how much better you feel returning from vacation. If your goals include living healthy on purpose that includes your vacations!