PROGRESS DURING VACATIONS? EXPECTED!
Here’s the deal….
You have fitness goals. You want to make progress. Then keep that as your focus. Here’s how:
1. TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE.
You’ve taken time off work. That’s generally 8 hrs of work plus an average of 1 hour of commuting time placed back into your vacation day. 9 WHOLE HOURS. If you are not willing to use a FRACTION of that time to engage is some sort of productive exercise, you may in fact be a lazy ass. Figure out if the hotel has a gym or some cardio equipment. If not, there are plenty of exercises you can do without equipment in the comfort of your room.
2. REDEFINE YOUR VACATION.
Vacations are usually a time to escape, relax or site see. Incorporate fun active pursuits into your vacation. Rent a bicycle, go for a hike, play volleyball on the beach. Nobody said that exercise had to be boring.
3. HAVE A PLAN AND A GOAL.
You’ve worked hard to shape your body and make progress. Vacations can kill that progress by setting you back unless you have a goal. For example, the goal might be to come back weighing the exact same as when you left. From there, Make a plan to keep that goal. This will probably involve some sort of exercise and dietary modifications to achieve that end.
4. DO NOT DRINK YOUR CALORIES.
Most destinations are either hot or involve a lot of walking. Both types of vacations have a mindset that you need to drink something. That’s fine. This is what water is for. How about alcohol….I’m on vacation? You are most likely on vacation for 7 days, minus the one day of travel to and from the destination. That leaves 6 days. One of those days is your Refuel Day. This should be your designated party day.
The other 5 should be strategically planned:
a) Build the calories from beverages into your daily allotment for dinner. You may have to trim your carbs to accommodate the drink. That is a decision you will have to make. Drinks or more carbs. Not both.
b) Stockpile your carbs by having a very low carb breakfast and lunch. This is really easy to do. Ask for an omellete for breakfast, with a side order of tomatoes or cucumbers. Stay away from the “white”, starchy carbs. For lunch, get a grilled chicken or fish salad, with light dressing, avoiding the bread and other carbs. Avoid snacks throughout the day and keep with just 3 meals in the day.
c) Exercise more on days that you plan to consume these beverages. By having a calorie deficit, you will be able to have that extra drink.
5. KEEP CARBS IN CHECK. It’s human nature to want dessert and a few treats on vacation. This is especially the case when you go to places where the food is really good. As outlined in the tip above, keep carbs low throughout the day so that they are stockpiled for the time when you want them the most. If you are on a 1300 calorie a day plan, you can easily gear your day to make the most of the dinner while still losing weight:
a) Meal 1: Omellete or Eggs with a small serving of ham. By keeping the carbs low, and going with a lean protein source, you can get away with a really tasty breakfast that is no more than 250 calories.
b) Meal 2: Grilled chicken or fish on a salad or as a side with low cal dressing on the side. Again, carbs are completely minimized. 300 calories.
c) No snacks throughout the day.
d) This leaves you with 750 calories which is enough to have an enjoyable dinner on plan. Need a few more calories to make dinner worthwhile? Then earn them through exercise. See point e.
e) Exercise. If you engage in 30 minutes of vigourous exercise, you may burn about 200 calories. Add to that a long hike, and you have an additional 200 calories. Add that to the 750 cals mentioned above and you have just over 1000 calories, which is plenty for a hearty dinner.
6. KEEP AWAY FROM ALL YOU CAN EAT BUFFETS. Your system is already affected by travel. On top of that, the letdown you had from going from a stressful work situation to a relaxing state almost always affects your immune system. Thirdly, you may be eating food that you don’t normally eat at home. Moreover, you might be eating food that is foreign to your region of the World. Add to the the fact that buffets are generally cooked en mass in less than sanitary, cross contaminated cooking spaces and touched by ALL the tourists. This is a recipe for DISASTER. So you are going to have the buffet anyways….. I warned you…..
a) First Plate… it’s not a plate, but rather a quick revving up of your metabolism with 10 short 20 second bursts of exercise. Trust me, this makes a huge difference to how the food will be handled.
b) Second Plate….it’s not a plate, but rather a tall glass of cold water, to satiate you a little.
c) Third Plate…. A big, full plate of salad with light dressing, eaten slowly.
d) Fourth Plate……Your plate is more protein based, with smaller samplings of the carbs that you want to try, but know you can take a bite of and leave on your plate for waste because the waiter will come by and take away the uneaten portions.
e) Fifth Plate…. Dessert only if necessary. Remember, it’s a buffet. The desserts provided are CRAP.
f) Do not sit down after the buffet. Go for a walk. Keep your metabolism active.
TIMEOUT…….. WHY DO I FEEL LIKE I WANT YOUR SUCCESS MORE THAN YOU WHILE I’M WRITING THIS??????
7. KEEP PERSPECTIVE. Remember this is an escape from WORK or a chance to experience CULTURE and SITES. This is not an escape from your healthy eating. REMEMBER THAT.
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