Anyone else find a family beach vacation stressful and exhausting? There isn’t much “vacation” involved for me when it involves everything I normally do at home just in someone else’s house.
4 tips for staying on track while on vacation
Kids don’t sleep, they need constant entertainment that costs extra money, and there is sand everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I love the beach and my children but I’m worn out. Normally I deal with stress by eating junk food and having a few (too many) glasses of wine, but this time around I tried to mindful and make better choices. Here are my 4 tips for staying on track while on vacation:
Eat protein first: Protein will help you feel “full” for longer, so make sure to get some protein with every single meal. I bought egg whites, yogurt, protein powder and my favorite protein drinks (Core Power and Protein Water) to make sure I hit my protein goal every single day.
Limit alcohol: Alcohol will slow down weight loss as it causes your body to work on metabolizing the alcohol vs. the fat/food that you just eat. Yes, it’s hard to resist when everyone else is enjoying the party, so I allowed myself to have 2 drinks per night. I figured this into my macros, so that I could adjust my other numbers accordingly. While it’s not ideal for weight loss, you can have SOME alcohol and not completely wreck your diet. Usually when you drink too much, it leads to bad food choices as well. So I made sure to resist the daily spread of donuts, chips, salsa, fried chicken, etc so I could fit in a few drinks here and there.
Exercise: While nutrition is king, daily exercise is queen. I managed to squeeze in a few runs during the week mainly because it wasn’t blazing hot.stay on track while on vacation by runningI also brought with me a set of dumbbells and some resistance bands. I put together a quick workout of thrusters, burpees, walking lunges, frog jumps and ab work. exercise while on vacation to stay on trackstay on track while on vacationI also made sure to do a lot of walking, especially after eating dinner. Not only did it help with digestion, but it also helped with stress management. Being trapped in a house with 7 boys and 3 other adults is loud. Very loud.
These bands from The X bands are my absolute favorite, I highly recommend them because they do not pinch your skin or roll up on your legs!
Water: Drink water like it’s your job. My favorite water tip is that each time you take a sip, you should actually take 10-12 sips. Aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water each day. When you go to the bathroom, it should be clear. If not, it means you are dehydrated, which most of us are, so drink MORE water!
While vacation is a great time to relax and enjoy the day, it doesn’t mean you have to completely go off the rails when it comes to exercise and nutrition. Make smarter choices and be ready to get back on track when you get back home.