We’re right in the middle of summer and with that comes an abundance of vacations and long weekends away for many of you. I’ve received quite a few requests to write a post about finding a good mindset in regards to health and fitness when you are traveling and out of your normal routine.
This is a great question and I have a lot of personal insight to share on it. I love traveling, working out and food and I think I’ve found a pretty nice balance between then when I’m away.
WORKING OUT ON VACATION
Personally, I enjoy working out on vacation but I give myself complete freedom around food. Working out is something that makes me feel good and that I genuinely look forward to doing regularly. A little bit of sweating on vacation helps me feel energized, normal and not heavy/lethargic/blah from being out of my normal moving and eating rhythm.
My favorite way to exercise on vacation is running. It’s easy, efficient and you can do it pretty much anywhere. The bonus is that it’s an awesome way to see the place you are visiting. I went for a few runs when I visited Brussels last summer and also in Portland last fall and absolutely loved getting a feel for the cities by running through the streets.
When I’m visiting a resort or a destination where I can’t really leave the property to run, I will often create circuits where I’ll do a 400 meter run followed by some push ups, lunges, squats, burpees, etc. I like to do this outside so I’m still soaking up the sun and fresh air. It’s a quick way to get a great workout in and then you can get yourself to the beach!
I also LOVE taking new fitness classes when I travel to big cities and dropping into other yoga studios for a practice. As someone who works in the fitness industry, it’s awesome to step outside of your instructor role and be the student in a place where no one knows you. It’s refreshing and gives me great ideas for my own classes!
Remember, this is my personal vacation style. Yours might be different! It’s also okay to be on vacation and NOT workout. Maybe your body needs to rest and relax. Maybe you are totally cool with your exercise being the steps you are taking exploring a new destination. That is totally cool too! There is no right or wrong way to be on vacation.
EATING ON VACATION
When it comes to eating on vacation, for the most part I give myself carte blanche to eat whatever I want. That might be donuts for breakfast.
Cocktails poolside.
Lunch on the beach.
Sweet treats in middle of the afternoon.
And definitely dessert every night!
I love food and in my mind vacation is not the time to worry about what you’re eating or counting calories. In my experience, even if you come home from vacation a few pounds heavier, you are almost always back to normal within a few days of getting back into your routine. Most of the weight you gain on vacation is water weight and nothing that is going to stick permanently.
You might feed a little extra bloated on vacation because you’re dining out more, moving less, eating things outside of your norm and your digestion might be little slower because, you know, that just happens sometimes when you travel! Just don’t stress and know that it will all even out in the long run.
If you do feel a bit stressed, up your water intake and work to get a little more movement in if that makes you feel better. You can also try to make one or two of your meals throughout the day more “normal” for you and then have one or two meals where you say, “I’m having whatever I want!”
My main message here when it comes to finding your vacation food and fitness mindset is to do what makes you feel good and to stay grounded in the fact that unfortunately, vacation isn’t forever. You’ll be back to your normal routine of working out and eating well soon enough!
Tell me about your vacation/travel food and fitness mindset. Do you workout on vacation? What’s your eating style on vacation?
