As a teacher, vacation has somewhat of a different meaning to me. It's true that I don't have to go to work for a solid three months out of the year, but for me, having an entire day to my self means I'm cleaning the house, running errands, getting caught up on business stuff, and the list goes on. If you really want to talk vacation with me, it means I'm not in my own house and most likely, also have a wonky internet connection. Those two things for me = vacation. Those two things also mean it's going to be hard for me to a) stick to my meal plan and b) workout.But for me, I LOVE eating well because it makes me feel good and healthy. I LOVE working out because it energizes me and gives me an outlet for my stress. And so for me, when I take a vacation, a real vacation, I don't actually want to stop doing those two things! But none the less, as I said before, taking a vacation does make those things difficult. So, I wanted to talk about my tips and tricks to eating, working out and work your business even while you're on vacation!
Food is Fuel.
Everybody's vacations look different. Some people are with their families and young kids, some are with friends, some are laying by the beach and pool all day napping and reading, some are walking around theme parks (me!), some are on amazing adventures like hiking and biking and rock climbing! Whatever the case is, vacations almost always involve... RESTAURANTS. People love not having to cook for themselves. Seriously, if I didn't have to cook for the rest of my life, I would be a happy woman. It's not that I don't like the actual cooking per say, but everything that goes along with it: the meal planning, the shopping, the prep, the clean up. Check please!So what are some DOs and DON'Ts of restaurant dining if you're trying to stay on track?
DO eat all the fruits and veggies that come with your meal. All of them.DON'T eat the bread that comes before the meal! Even though it is delicious.
DO save half of your meal as leftovers. Restaurants almost always give inappropriate serving sizes.
DON'T order alcohol (or, order only one, and NOT the super sugary ones with the umbrellas in them!)
DO drink as much water as you can!
DON'T order meat and bread heavy options at every meal if you are eating out for multiple meals of the day.
DO skip dessert.
Everyone deserves a treat. It will not be a treat if you are away for 10 days and eat whatever you want. Trust me. #allthepoop
Some other helpful tips for eating right while on vacation:
- Keep some easy to keep and carry fruits and veggies in your hotel room/vacation space. You can easily pack a banana, apple, or some baby carrots to munch on while your on the boat or taking a break from Space Mountain (woohoo!)
- Don't go out for breakfast. Instead, buy a box of cereal and eat it in your hotel room! You can even keep little cartons of milk in the hotel fridge!
- Remember that most places will sell you bottled water, but they will fill up a cup of water for free. If you're not nervous about where the water is coming from, take advantage of that!
- Did you know that with just 8 oz of water, you can shake up a serving of Shakeology and know that you are getting almost all of your necessarily vitamins and minerals for the day? And covering a snack or meal? And doing it for less than $4.66 a serving. That's less than a water bottle at most vacation spots!
Wake Up and Work Out.
Getting motivated to workout during vacation is hard. I get it! The allure of sleeping in and cuddling with your significant other/kids/pillow is strong when it is a rarity on days when you have to go to work. But instead of thinking of exercise as something that cuts in to or takes away from your vacation, think of it as something that adds to and enhances your vacation!
Take advantage of where you are and turn your surroundings into exercise. Do yoga on the beach or take a bike ride on the boardwalk. Do laps in the bay. Jog through the woods or even through the city! If it's a rainy day, grab a partner and head to the hotel gym or pool. Vacations should also be about spending time with people that you... love to spend time with! Imagine that! So spend some time working up a good sweat and talking about what you're going to do that day or even how much fun you had the night before!Regardless, just get up and move around. If you spend all day walking around an amusement park, don't feel guilty about counting that as your exercise for the day. But, if you're going to nap and drink mojitos all day long, a sunrise, exploratory jog might be just the ticket!
Are you looking for some accountability during your upcoming August vacation? Or are you just looking for the motivation to get up and get moving? What about daily posts and reminders to make good food choices? How about the advantage of having ONE totally and completely healthy and guilt-free delicious meal that you can make at home or take on the go?
My Operation Vacation Challenge Group is starting on August 16, just three days before I leave on my own vacation to Disney World... and I would LOVE to have you join me (in the group... although if you want to come to Disney World with me, let's do it!)! Just fill out the form below to apply!
Fill out my online form.
Use Wufoo templates to make your own HTML forms.
