Vacationing Nutrition 101
As I sit here on the plane, reflecting on my recent weekend trip, I can’t help but notice the progress I have made in the past 5 years. I ate out 2 times a day, drank alcohol, ordered the damn dessert. What I also did? Worked out 2 times, took a rest day, and ate my vegetables. I am leaving the weekend feeling recharged and healthy.
I used to leave trips feeling like I needed to start all over from ground zero with my nutrition and fitness. I would spend the plane ride stressing over when my next workout would be, how I would fit in an extra cardio session for the next couple weeks, and what foods I was going to limit myself to over this next week. Many times, I hear people discuss their plans for “cleansing” their body post vacation to return to normal.
The thing is, you don’ t have to be “all in” or “all out” with your health 24/7. If we did, we wouldn’t be successful. It is not possible, nor sustainable to be “on” with our nutrition 100% of the time. Life is not meant to be so serious. Some of us more than others, get a handful of trips in our life time with the ones we love. Do you want to spend those moments stressing about your next workout or meal?
If you are ready to ditch the “all in” mentality, then welcome. I am here to provide you with a couple tips I like to give myself and my clients for vacationing with gentle nutrition and movement habits.
1) Pack your workout shoes. Whether you have 30 minutes in the morning to go for a beach walk or run, try to aim to get 30 minutes of movement in a day. Maybe you choose to walk the beach to your lunch spot instead of driving. Again, it doesn’t have to be vigorous movement. Wake up, judge your energy, and choose your movement for the day. Maybe you invite your parents to go walk with you to catch up, or ask your significant other to go on a 20 minute beach run with you.
2) Aim for 3 servings of fruits and/or vegetables a day. Whether you order a side of fruit with your breakfast, side salad with lunch, and a steamed vegetable for dinner, aim to have some nutrient dense items in your daily intake.
3) With every alcoholic beverage, aim to have 1 glass of water. Aka, the 1:1 rule. Always make sure to hydrate when consuming alcohol.
4) Protein with each meal. Whether that is eggs with breakfast, grilled chicken in your wrap at lunch, or shrimp for dinner, aim to have some source of protein with your meal. Protein is essential for giving us not only satiety, but balancing our meals with carbohydrates.
5) Order the dessert. Yes, I said that. Order a dessert of your choice to split with your party or partner. It can be a lot of fun to choose a dessert or two and share with your family or friends!
Vacations are not meant to be stressful. If anything, they are meant to refill your cup. Give you a boost of energy and leave you feeling refreshed when you come home. Vacations are not meant to give you anxiety about your food choices, alcohol intake, movement goals, and weight. Instead, carry the tips provided into your next trip. You don’t have to be all in or all out, you can have both. You can still move your body, have vegetables, stay up too late, and eat the dessert. Life is about creating a balance that is sustainable to you and only you. Remember, comparison is the thief of joy. I challenge you to remove rigidity around your body and the food you eat on your next vacation.
Focus on being in the moment, not in the future or your past. Focus on the sand between your toes, the laughs you shared with your friends, and the memories you are making in the moment. At the end of the day, that should be your measure of success, not the number on the scale, the amount of workouts you snuck in, or the food you ate.
