Vacation survival tips!

I've been in countdown mode for over a week. We're leaving tomorrow for a weeklong vacation with my parents and brother's family and I can't wait! Bring on the beach!!! 

While I'm looking forward to getting away for a few days and putting my feet up, it definitely takes some planning to make sure it's both relaxing and fun while I'm there and not a total smorgasbord for the week. It's the worst when you come back from vacation, return home bloated and feeling gross and then step on the scale to find yourself up 5+ lbs. How can you have fun on vacation without having to completely deprive yourself?

The key is in the planning!



What that means for me is:

Bring healthy snacks. We fortunately have a kitchen where we're staying so I'm picking up fresh fruit & veggies, natural peanut butter, and some apple sauce. Beyond that I'm bringing my Shakeology, nuts and Quest bars as well. I'm going simple for the week and morning snack will be an apple or banana with some peanut butter and my afternoon snack will be either veggies & hummus or a Quest bar. Sometimes it's easiest just to repeat meals where you need to for convenience.




Make the best choices you can. You can't always plan for every meal and when you're first starting out, sometimes eating out can be the hardest thing. I know when I was trying to lose weight, it was 10x easier to eat at home, where I could control my options and not face temptations. That's unfortunately not real life though so at some point we need to learn how to eat out while not totally sacrificing our goals. My plan is to scope out the menu ahead of time when I can so I have some time to game plan. I find eating simple is best. Salad with dressing on the side, grilled chicken or fish, steamed or baked veggies, and fresh fruit are all great options. Where you can, avoid the fried stuff unless it's a planned cheat. Appealing as frosty cocktails can be, realize they come with HUGE calories - they are a dessert so treat them that way. If a beach vacation without a pina colada seems wrong to you, plan for the pina colada and make sure you eat healthy the rest of the day. As a general rule too I suggest a glass of water before AND after any alcoholic drink. It'll help you pace yourself and counteract some of the dehydrating effects of the alcohol.

Workout. Even if there's no gym in sight, walk, run, bike, or if you have it, bring workout videos & if you're lifting, bring a band instead of those clunky weights. I'm psyched about Beachbody On Demand. $2.99/week and I've got access to a full series of workout videos on my phone. The place we're staying has an amazing gym so I'm bringing my phone and streaming my Body Beast right there. If I'm feeling gutsy I may just ask some of my fellow gym-goers to join me in Cizing it up! 

Hydrate! Seems simple but it's one thing most people quickly forget. Just because you're traveling doesn't mean you don't need water. I notice a HUGE difference in my energy and mental clarity when I stay on top of my water. So drink up and pack an empty water bottle in your suitcase to remind yourself and give you no excuse to forget.

Be forgiving of yourself. We control what we can control. Yes, you're probably going to face more challenges and temptations when traveling and it is ok to let yourself give into them here and there. I'm a big fan of the 80/20 rule so enjoy that 20% and do your best to make sure it's not a 50/50 split. Try to have fun while also doing so with one eye on your goals. 

Whatever happens, you can pick up where you left off when you get home. It's always your choice but know that it is possible to vacation AND also stay on track with your health. 

Happy travels!!!