It’s time to hit your favorite vacation spot. Maybe it’s the beach for a couple of days, maybe you’re headed to a destination farther away for a longer period of time. Either way, now is NOT the time to take a step backward!
We (Americans in general) have this perception of vacation as time to stuff our faces and drown ourselves in alcohol. We deserve it! But really, you worked so hard to get to where you’re at. Why ruin it in a week? You can gain anywhere from 5-10lbs on vacation if you’re not careful. It will take you mere days to put it on and at least 1-2 weeks to take it off (assuming you give it 100%!)
Here are some tips to prevent vacation from setting you back:
1) Aim to maintain. To try and lose weight over vacation, in most cases, isn’t going to work and it’s just going to stress you out. And while it’s not a good idea to binge, you should feel alright about having a dessert and a drink if you want to. This journey is about learning to maintain a reasonable, healthful lifestyle – I’m guessing you’re not going to always want to eat chicken and broccoli on vacation.
2) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! Did you know the body gives us the same signals for dehydration as it does for hunger? If you’re laying out in the sun all day, you will dehydrate very quickly. Keep drinking water or by the end of the day, you’ll feel like you need to eat everything at the restaurant.
3) Walk 20-30 min every day. Whether it’s on the beach, treadmill, or around the neighborhood before everyone wakes up, making sure you get some cardio in will help to balance out any desserts and drinks you may have had the night before. This is not a free pass, but merely a way to enjoy your vacation food a little bit without suffering the consequences!
Ashley Brodeur, ACSM-CPT
President, Active Lifestyle Fitness, LLC
413.519.9641
http://activelifestylefitness.com
