Over the past week my husband and I traveled to Colorado and had the best week celebrating our third anniversary! We had so much fun and ate so much good food!!
When traveling and on vacation, it’s really easy to let our habits fall. We don’t continue them and them we fall into a habit of just not continuing the habits.. We get home and give up because we “failed.”
But why does a few days (or weeks) lead to giving up?
When we mess up we tend to think we failed. But that’s not true!
The only way to fail is to quit. Which a lot of people do when they feel like they have failed.
You can find a balance on vacation between taking care of yourself (which by the way is not a punishment) and enjoying yourself.
I want to show you how I maintained my healthy habits while on vacation, which led to me feeling great the whole week and jumping right back into my routine when I got home!
Here are some actions I took while on vacation:
1. Moving my body for 30 minutes every morning
I know I feel my best when I start my morning with movement. This is NOT a punishment. I was not exercising because of what I ate or because I wanted my body to look a certain way.
I was moving my body because I wanted to feel good in my skin.
Exercise makes me feel happy and free. It’s a release.
Our bodies tighten up when traveling and finding ways to loosen it up is going to help you feel your best.
Most hotels have gyms and you can even do some kind of movement in your room. You can also get outside and walk or hike. Of course, do what brings you joy. Move your body the way you enjoy.
2. Eating fruits and veggies
I am very aware of my body and I know that when I am lacking energy I need to increase my food intake.
Almost every hotel has a small fridge. Keeping fruits and veggies in the fridge for when you need a snack is super easy.
I kept strawberries, blueberries, and apples in our fridge. Every day we had brunch and dinner, so between those meals I would snack on the fruit.
Snacking on fruit definitely kept my energy up and got my plant count up for the day!
I also made sure I had veggies whenever we ate. It’s easy to add veggies to your meal. At brunch, I like mine with eggs and hot sauce!
Even if your meal doesn’t come with veggies, you can always ask the restaurant to add them. Just choose your favorite veggies and add them to whatever you are already eating!
3. Balanced eating
While we were gone I ate out for every meal and enjoyed my desserts after dinner. And I did NOT feel guilty!
Eating is all about balance. You don’t have to avoid certain foods or feel guilty when you do eat them.
No food is bad!
Finding balance with food is key to feeling good and ditching the guilt.
Our bodies need certain nutrients. So yes, eating our fruits and veggies is important. But so is enjoying the food we eat.
Enjoy that dessert, but eat your fruits and veggies too!
4. Releasing stress (aka not working)
As a therapist and coach, it’s easy for me to take my work with me. A lot of my work I can do from my phone (which of course I had with me).
However, I knew I needed a break and I needed to release the stress I had been carrying. I love the work I do, but it can be stressful.
Whatever work you do, taking breaks is healthy and needed!
I stayed off my phone most of the trip. Social media and work will be there after vacation but you will never get that time back.
Releasing stress and taking a break from work helped me to be present in the moment. I wasn’t thinking about what needed to be done, I was enjoying the time with my husband and having fun!
5. Maintaining a sleep schedule
If you know me, I need my sleep. Without sleep, I am not a happy camper.
While we were gone, I made sure to go to sleep at a decent time, and let my body naturally wake up 9-10 hours later.
Our bodies need sleep. Without sleep our bodies won’t function properly. Even on vacation!
If you keep a sleep schedule while on vacation, jumping back into your habits and routine when you get home will be much easier.
I know making excuses for not doing these things while on vacation is easy. But not feeling comfortable in your body is not easy. Not feeling good is not easy.
Remember why you started these habits in the first place. To feel good, right?
Why should we stop feeling good on vacation?
The habits you’ve created are meant to bring you joy, not be a drag. If you feel forced or like you HAVE to do your habits, they are not the habits for you.
I look forward to moving my body.
I enjoy my fruits and veggies (and my dessert!).
I feel great because I take care of myself and my body.
I hope this gives you an idea of how you can continue habits that make you feel good even while traveling.
Don’t make excuses, just take care of yourself.
If you are struggling with this, let’s schedule a session and make a plan for you to be consistent and feel great in your skin! You can schedule a free session here.
