Heading on Vacation?

Here’s What You Need to Know:

Heading on vacation? Here’s what you should know. Image of a yellow and white striped towel on a pool deck

It’s vacation season and I’m here with some advice for how to handle your health and fitness while you’re enjoying your time away: 

Don’t worry about it. 
That’s all. 

What you eat or drink on vacation and what exercise you do or don’t do will NOT make a big difference in your overall health, fitness, weight loss, strength gains, or any other metric. 

(Unless you are someone who is going away for a month at a time or will be on vacation for more time than you are home, in which case you should definitely hire me to come along and keep you on track.)

I've worked with clients who planned their vacation workouts in advance and who packed all their meals to bring with them instead of eating out with the rest of their crew. 

I've brought weights with me on vacation, gotten up early to run when I didn’t really want to, and cut my beach time short to sit in traffic en route to a Zumba class so I could burn "enough" calories. None of that was worth it. 

If you enjoy running or yoga on the beach or hikes in the mountains, by all means, go forth and enjoy!

But if your idea of a great vacation is sleeping in and not working out and overindulging in foods you don’t normally have, I want you to enjoy that 100% free of guilt as well. 

It is VACATION. Vacations are for relaxing and resting and NOT stressing about things, especially not calories consumed or burned. 

If you are following the basics most of the time — eating mindfully, getting veggies, drinking water, moving your body — then you’re already ahead of most of the population, and what happens on vacation (or on holidays or at special celebrations) WILL NOT have any kind of lasting impact. 

Teal and aqua image with the text: Reminder — One vacation will not “ruin your progress” or “set you back.” It’s ok to eat what you want, not workout, rest, and enjoy your time off. Take care of yourself.

You might be tempted to jump right back into high intensity workouts and strict nutrition when you get back, but especially if you’ve been away for a longer trip (lucky you!), take a few days to ease back into it. 

And when you get back, don’t ruin your relaxed vacay vibes by stressing over any potential weight gain or strength loss.

In fact, if you usually weigh yourself, hold off until you’ve been home for a week. Travel and different foods and a different routine can cause water retention so the number might look like it’s up when it’s really just your body settling back into its norm. 

[More healthy travel tips here.]

I personally feel better when I move, even if it's a light walk or stretching, and when I get a mix of decadent and lighter foods and lots of water, but it’s your vacation so you do you. And enjoy!!

Learning how to manage vacations and other life stuff without “getting off track” is a big part of my online nutrition coaching program. If you’re ready to take the next step and get individual guidance, email coachjustineh@gmail.com.