How to stick to your goals while on vacation

No we are not going to tell you to stop having fun if you want to stick to your goals. It’s summer! A time where we might unwind, relax, head to the beach and participate in more social activities. This is all super fun and well deserved, however a lot of times this also means our goals go on the back burner because it can be challenging to maintain them.

Why is it so hard?

We’re going dining out more - either at friends' houses or to restaurants 

We may not be adhering to our normal bedtime routine

We may be drinking more

Travel time may be taking away from our workout routine

Our schedules may be busier with our kids' activities (nights, weekends, early morning camp)

However our routine may be thrown off, we must adapt. We don’t have to be super strict, there’s wiggle room for everything, but adapting to a different routine can help us be more resilient to change instead of completely falling off the wagon and giving up. 

We thought we’d share some ideas that we personally do while on vacation in order to stick to our goals!

Fitness Goals

The world is your gym, just because you may not have all your equipment doesn’t mean you can’t workout. If we know that wherever we’re going doesn’t have a gym, we always pack our collapsable foam roller (essential) and some bands. They’re super light weight and easy to pack and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

We adapt. Sure we may go to bed a little later or wake up a little later, but the workout still happens. It may not be our exact routine, but we ensure that we move our bodies. We may go for a hike, a beach run, yoga on the beach, a quick band workout on the back porch, a family pickle ball tournament, or push a stroller up a huge hill (trust us that’s a workout). It doesn’t have to be anything crazy, and it doesn’t have to be your exact workout that you normally do at home. The point is you’re still moving your body and maybe even having a little fun doing it - and that’s what counts!

Nutrition  

Regardless of where you are in your nutrition journey, it can be hard to maintain this while on vacation. There are a lot of temptations, especially when you’re traveling with friends/family who may not be on the same page as you as far as nutrition goes.This can be challenging because when those around you are eating poorly it can be hard to make healthy choices. We get it. What helps us is we remind ourselves how we feel when we have these foods. Now trust us, we imbibe on summer treats we’re not robots!!! However, it’s not 100% of the time. Remember the 80/20 rule (some of us go 90/10 but we’re being a little lax here because it’s summer). 80-90% of the time we eat healthy nourishing foods and 10-20% of the time we can indulge. This way, we don’t completely squash our way of eating and we can maintain our weight while on vacation. 

A few ideas:

If you’re vacationing in an airbnb with friends/family, bring or purchase food that you eat so you have it. Have your stash and go-to snacks so that you’re not tempted by others influences or dietary choices that may be on the unhealthy side. 

When dining out look at the menu ahead of time. We tend to dine out more when traveling, so pick and choose when you’re going to treat yourself and when you’re going to choose healthier options. If the restaurant boasts about being the best burger you’ve ever had, get the burger, please! But if it’s your usual cafe where you grab a quick bite, get the grain bowl or yogurt and fruit instead of the pastry. 

If you're going to a bbq, bring something healthy that you will eat! Try not to hang out by the food as it will be too tempting to continue filling your plate without even thinking.

Let’s talk about alcohol consumption. When on vacation we tend to drink more, it happens, but remember that alcohol can deter our mind and we can make poor choices after a few drinks. I mean really who wants a salad after a few drinks - pizza, please?  So similar to food, choose wisely, ensure that you drink water between drinks and stay hydrated. You can even try hydration tablets to rehydrate. No one wants to lose a vacation day because they’re hungover. 

Sleep

We’re on vacation, we don’t have to get up at 5:30 to go to work or take the kids to school - yay!!! Of course we’re going to sleep in, and perhaps even go to bed later. And because we may be drinking a bit, we may not be getting enough quality sleep. Try and keep your sleep a priority even if your sleep and wake time may be different than when at home. 

A few tips:

Ensure you don’t eat too close to your bedtime, your body will be digesting food instead of secreting melatonin to get to sleep so you’ll find yourself awake, annoyed, and potentially uncomfortable! 

The same goes with drinking. Alcohol disrupts your sleep as your body digests it differently so you’ll wake up at 3 am for no reason (we’ve all done it). Try to drink a bunch of water before bed instead and not drink too close to bedtime. Again we know this is hard and may not happen all the time but it’s just something to be aware of. 

Set up your space for sleep success. There are noise machine apps on your phone if the house is too quiet or if you usually sleep with a noise machine. Ensure the shades are closed, you can even put a blanket over the window if it’s too bright. Try your best to wake up close to when you usually do at home on weekends so your sleep is not completely off, but also ensure that you’re getting enough sleep so if you go to bed at 1am, adjust accordingly (nothing good happens after midnight friends just go to bed!). 

The main point here is to ENJOY your vacation, have fun, enjoy a break from life - but also keep your goals in mind so you don’t feel behind when you get back into the swing of things! You CAN have fun and also be smart about your choices.