I used to think, why would I exercise while on vacation? I’m on vacation! This was my mindset back in the day when I was not evolving into awesomeness and not advocating for health. Today I sing a different tune. Here are my 3 easy steps to maintain a healthy lifestyle while vacationing but still have fun!
- Set goals or intentions for your trip.
Make sure they are realistic/doable and know that they will, and should look different than when you’re home and in your daily routine. The point in doing this is so that you don’t have a total setback and lose all that you’ve been working towards while on holiday. Maybe when you’re in your daily routine, you’re really good about avoiding fries, or you gave up bacon on a regular basis but you’re on vacation, so instead of having it everyday that you eat breakfast or lunch out, you plan for 1 or 2 occasions that you’ll have a few fries with your meal or bacon with your eggs. This keeps it special but also doesn’t leaving your feeling guilty and that you “failed”.
- Be focused, yet flexible.
Let go of what you think it’s “supposed” to look like. A healthy lifestyle is all about balance and it’s up to you to define your own balance. For example, if you don’t normally exercise while on vacation, try scheduling 20 minutes of challenging movement every other day to keep you in the routine. Maybe you usually indulge in heavy, greasy, fatty foods or sugary, alcoholic bevvy’s. Instead, don’t completely deprive yourself, but try setting a realistic limit for yourself so you don’t mindlessly over indulge or making one meal a hearty salad a day. Remember that vacations are about recharging. We don’t want to come back from our trip feeling worse than before we left.
- Reflect and take action when needed.
Without judgment, reflect on how you did. Did you meet your goals? If so, celebrate and be proud of your progress. Take note of what worked and store it in your tool box to use in the future.
Assess what didn’t pan out. Sometimes things won’t, and that’s okay. It doesn’t mean you failed. Ask yourself what are one or two things you might do differently next time – nothing crazy. If you come back from your trip with a few extra pounds – it happens. Do not let it get you down. Stay focused on 2-3 realistic actions you can take immediately when you get home from your trip. This puts the power into your hands. Maybe it’s jumping into movement the following day, or heading to the grocery store to stock up on healthy eats for the week; or cleanse and replenish with lemon water all week – no other liquids… well, maybe coffee ;). Regardless, find the 2-3 things that work for you that put you back in a positive direction
Living a healthy lifestyle is about progress, not perfection.
So remember,
Do the best you can with what you’ve got, for where you are, and never stop…
Evolving into awesomeness.