Vacation: Healthy Habits or Not?
June 13, 2013Vacations are wonderful. They are a time when we can be carefree, face none of the daily responsibilities of work or home, spend time with those you love and care about, and to make it your primary focus to have fun. Yeah vacations!
When you pack for vacation you take the necessities and things you’ll need while you’re away. There is an important thing to remember to take with you — your healthy habits that you practice daily.
You are going on vacation but your weight loss goals aren’t. Do you take your healthy habits with you while you’re away or do you leave them at home? For many of us, we want to have fun and that means leaving our healthy food choices and exercise behind.
There are things you can do so you don’t completely abandon your healthy habits when you go on vacation. It all has to do with deciding, preparing, and keeping the idea of staying on track in mind.
Of course, you can always decide to suspend your healthy habits during the course of the vacation. That’s up to you―it’s your weight loss or maintenance and you're vacation. This can be an alternative decision, as long as you’re willing to slow down your progress, start a plateau, or maybe even slip back a little by gaining a few pounds. You may decide it’s worth it to you.
If you decide you really want to keep on track and to follow your regular habits so that you don't interfere with your weight loss momentum, good for you! The most important thing is that it is your decision, your preparation, and your mindset that count most. Once these things are in place, they will influence how and what you eat. Before you leave on vacation, do the following things:
1. Before you leave, think of all the things you’ve been doing successfully to help you stay on track. Determine which of these strategies are portable and which ones you can take with you easily. Also, see how you can adapt some of the others to take on vacation.
2. Don’t restrict yourself. If you are rigid or restrictive, it will set you up for unhealthy choices or a binge. Rather, consider having a couple of meals while you’re away where you allow yourself a little more leeway. The idea here is that you don’t feel deprived. Make sure the meals won’t be triggers for unhealthy eating during the rest of your vacation.
3. Purchase your favorite snacks to supplement your meals. If you are unsure of their availability, be on the safe side and bring them with you. Essentially, be prepared with healthy food choices to enjoy. Eating snacks you are used to will remind you of your normal healthy food choices.
4. There may be times that you don’t have the healthy options you’d like. You may not be totally in charge of what food will be available and in what portion sizes. If you have the decision to stick to healthy choices firmly in mind, you can make vacation eating possible. For example, you can estimate portion size or how many carbohydrates and fat is in a choice. Keep your meals as close to your eating plan as possible. You will find that when you have the desire to do this, it won’t be nearly as difficult.
5. Stay active. Continue your regular exercise while you’re on vacation. Find a place to run or walk. You can do pushups, sit-ups, squats or leg raises. Check to see if your hotel has a gym. Take sight-seeing walks to enjoy new surroundings. Look for ways to get in activity. You’ll find that keeping up at least a minimum level of exercise will help you have an even better time.
6. Follow a schedule. Many people struggle with eating frequently throughout the day. This can happen because there are many distractions and you get busy enjoying yourself. If you go too long though you will get ravenous or make unhealthy choices to “grab and go”. This will lead to overeating.
Remember what your vacation is about for you. Having fun, enjoying time with your family or friends, seeing new sights or revisiting your favorite places should be your priorities. Food isn’t the focus of a vacation. Keep in mind the important thing is to balance out your indulgences with healthy choices.
Will you return home having maintained your weight (or even lost weight) or bring home extra pounds? Visualize how awesome you’ll feel when you return home having stayed at the same weight as when you left or having even lost!
Eating healthy foods and staying active when on vacation can be a challenge. However, your health is worth it. When you make healthy choices you will also fight illnesses that you are likely to encounter when vacationing and will be more attentive so that you can enjoy your trip. So eat well, stay active, relax and have a great time!
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Cathy Wilson, PCC, BCC, had RNY surgery in 2001 and lost 147 pounds. Cathy is a regular contributor to the OH Blog and authored the "Mind Matters" column in ObesityHelp Magazine. Cathy is a licensed pilot and loves flying. She is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) and the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC).Read more articles by Cathy! |
