There’s a pretty strange relationship between fitness and vacationing. People tend to workout with the goal of transforming themselves for their vacation. But, there’s a problem with this: Most of the time, that healthy diet you’ve been sticking to for months falls apart as soon as you enter vacation mode.
So, let’s get to the point. How can you eat health on vacation? Here are 10 tips to keep you on track.
- Pack snacks. Whether you’re flying or driving to your destination, travel-food is notoriously unhealthy. The selections that you’re likely to encounter will probably be loaded with fat, salt and sugar – none of which are great in abundance. Save time – and calories – by bringing your own snacks like veggie sticks, jerky or whatever will keep you satisfied and feeling good.
- Stay hydrated. Very often, when people think they feel hungry, they are actually misunderstanding their body’s “thirst” signals. As it happens, the recirculated air in cars and planes can make you feel dehydrated. So can being out in the sun for hours at a time. Have plenty of water on-head and drink it steadily throughout the day to stave unnecessary calories.
- Account for the travel-time. Regardless of your mode of transportation, you’re probably sitting for long stretches of time en-route to your actual vacation. This sedentary time reduces your caloric expenditure by an average of about 400-calories – the equivalent of a small meal. If you don’t adjust your eating accordingly, then, you’ll be taking more calories than you actually need. And those excess calories turn into body fat. And that is bad.
- Bring a meal replacement. When you’re running around on vacation, it can be tempting to just grab some fast food – which is packed with more calories than most people realize. Plus all sorts of other junk you probably don’t want in your body. For a quick, healthy meal, consider bringing a meal replacement like Gnarly Whey or Gnarly Feast. As the name suggests, Gnarly Whey is a whey protein supplement while Feast is a nutritionally complete meal; but both are perfect grab-and-go meal options, depending on your needs.
- Find the markets. As soon as you get to your vacation spot, make sure you know where you can get some fresh food. Knowing where the local grocery store or farmer’s market is will keep you stocked up on supplies, giving you more control over your diet.
- Get your fruits and veggies. This probably seems obvious, but its a tip many people ignore on vacation; Vegetables aren’t really seen as “vacation-food.” But, sticking to your daily intake of fruits and vegetables serves two purposes on vacation. First, it fills you up on healthy, low-calorie foods. Second, all those vitamins, minerals and antioxidants could help you ward off any sicknesses that could spoil your time off.
- Walk. Strictly speaking, walking isn’t really a healthy eating tip but… we’re going to put it on the list anyway. As mentioned in tip #3, sitting for hours means that your body is burning fewer calories than it normally would. To get around that, walk as much as you can to keep your metabolism active.
- Workout. Again, not an eating tip, but it can still help you stay on track. Not only will sticking to your workout routine burn any extra calories you might… inadvertently accumulate, but exercise is actually a fairly potent appetite suppressant. Use your workouts to get to the your vacation spot better by going for runs around the area or renting a bike.
- Taste, don’t splurge. Part of the “vacation mindset” is the thinking that it’s okay to totally splurge at every meal. Sorry, but it’s not. Instead, only eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re comfortable.
- Allow yourself a treat. Don’t feel like you have to completely deprive yourself in order to eat healthy; You just need to practice self-control. Allow yourself a little treat here and there but, again, do not splurge.
