5-Tips to Have a Guilt Free Vacation
Adam and I just got to spend a week in California visiting his wonderful extended family including his 94-year-old grandma--who is still sharp as a tack and walks 30 minutes a day (I want to be her when I grow up). The trip was an absolute blast! It stood out to me, however, that when traveling (especially when traveling with family) it can be incredibly difficult to have control over all the choices that I know make me feel my best.
When it comes to life, family and adventure, vacations are THE BEST! But when it comes to your “diet” and exercise routine, vacations can sometimes feel like a setback.
With a couple small adjustments (that will actually help make your vacation more fun) you can enjoy your vacation completely guilt free AND not lose reverse all the progress you’ve made towards your health and fitness goals.
Here are my top 5 tips to help you enjoy your vacation even more!
Me and Adam in Mexico celebrating our engagement anniversary by splitting one marg and some fish tacos.
Move every day, somehow!
Moving your body gives you energy, improves your mood and burns calories. Who doesn’t want to be happy and have energy on vacation?! Nobody! There are so many ways to move on vacation that actually make your vacation more memorable and enjoyable. My top favorites are:
Book your lodging in a location where you can walk to places easily. You see more of the place you’re staying, get a better feel for the local vibe, get some fresh air and burn some calories on your way to breakfast.
Play! Engage with your vacation! Go jump around in the ocean, take a hike, rent a bike and ride around town. You’ll make some fun memories and feel better at the end of the day.
Try the hotel gym. I personally think that hotel gyms are one of the best-kept secrets because NOBODY USES THEM!!! If you’re usually intimated by the gym, go try out a hotel gym. You can google exercises, try something new and make a total fool of yourself and NOBODY WILL EVER KNOW!
Take a class you’ve never tried before. Lots of fitness studios have a first class free deal or offer a discount. Find a studio close to where you are staying and try something you wouldn’t necessarily try at home or try another version of your favorite type of class. Leave the studio a nice review as a thank you.
Riding our hotel's bikes on the board walk in Santa Monica, CA.
Pack your own healthy snacks.
Snacks are such an easy way to either help yourself feel great or make yourself feel terrible during a vacation. Think ahead and pack some self-contained, delicious snacks like apples and almonds, RX Bars, meal replacement shakes (Juice Plus is my favorite). As long as it’s not a gel or liquid you can even fly with your snacks. Then when you’re hungry you’ve got a great option and don’t have to resort to the bag of gas station Doritos. You’ll feel better, have more energy and probably spend less money.
Enjoy every meal and make choices based on entirely on joy!
I’ve talked to women before who only order salads for every meal while they are traveling. They usually say that it was the healthiest thing on the menu and they did it so that they didn’t ruin their diet. This is where I differ pretty dramatically from other personal trainers, but research actually supports my thoughts-I’m going to go on a mini-rant here.
When you make a choice to order a meal based of what you’re supposed to do or because you are trying to avoid feeling ashamed for ordering the “unhealthy option”, you are actually giving your body a negative message which releases stress hormones and causes your body to HOLD ON TO MORE FAT!!!! When you order the meal you are excited about and delightedly enjoy every bite, it may have more calories but your body is releasing endorphins and happy hormones which boost your metabolism and help your body process fat! I am NOT saying to eat a burger and fries for every meal. What I am saying, is YOU’RE ON VACATION! So order the thing from the menu that makes your smile the biggest and then ENJOY EVERY BITE!!! Eat slowly, chew well and delight in eating something you love. If you get full, take some leftovers back to the hotel for lunch the next day.
You actually do more harm to your body by ordering things you won’t enjoy than ordering the less healthy option. So enjoy your vacation! If a salad is the most joyful choice because you know you’ll feel great after, by all means order a salad! If the salad makes you sad and lasagna is what you really want, order that! Whatever you order, enjoy it and don’t shame yourself for it! In Cali we eat at In-and-Out. At home we never eat fast food. But in Cali, we eat burgers and fries and shakes and celebrate the whole time! This is not the, “there are no rules on vacation” line of thinking. This is the, “you were made for joy, so find joy in every moment” game plan.
Pay attention to your body from a neutral mindset.
On this last trip to California, I definitely gained a couple pounds and I could tell. In the past, this observation would have triggered an immediate shame reaction in me and I would have spent the rest of the trip ordering vegetables and fretting. Instead, I took notice and said to myself, “Yep. I’ve gained a couple pounds.” Then I ask myself, “have I enjoyed my vacation so far?” The answer was a resounding yes so then I ask, “do I want to fret for the last couple days or enjoy my vacation?” Obviously, I want to enjoy! So I tuck my observation of my body in my back pocket as simply an observation (like, hey the sky is very blue today), I brush off any shame or fear that came with that observation and re-engage in enjoying every minute of the trip. Choosing to spend the rest of the trip fretting about a couple pounds wouldn’t make them go away. It would just put a damper on the rest of the trip. Choose joy, take a deep breath and we will figure out the rest later.
Have a routine you enjoy before your trip that you will be excited to return to.
I love vacation! Who doesn’t! And, there is something super refreshing about getting home as well. Take some time to create a routine for yourself that you love and enjoy. When you go on vacation, soak up the freedom of having no routine. I don’t recommend trying to keep your routine on vacation, that only causes stress when you can’t maintain it). Let it go. Then, when you get home you’ll feel refreshed and ready for some structure again after several days of nothing. To go back to tip #4, we got back Sunday night. It’s now Wednesday and I’m already feeling back to my normal self. It might take me a week or so to get back to my regular body weight but I feel great, I rejected the fear/shame offer on vacation and I’m enjoying my routine of moving and eating clean even more because I took a break!
People fail at diet and exercise plans because they are all or nothing.
If you ACTUALLY want to achieve results you have to give yourself some freedom to live! Going on vacation and trying to manage your whole routine will only make you miserable and resentful of your plan. Enjoy your vacation! Every single piece, every single minute, every single bite. Move your body as much as you can. Don’t give in to shame or fear and have a routine or a plan in place that you enjoy so when you get home, you look forward to starting back up!
Happy summer guys!
Xo
Hally