How to Stay in a Healthy Eating Routine While on Vacation
We just got home from a wonderful 10 day vacation in Belize. We had plenty of meals out, and enjoyed a few more beverages than usual, that’s for sure! Here are 4 tips I followed, to ensure I maintained my weight during this trip despite the dramatic increase in restaurant meals and the increased intake of Belize’s local Rum:
1. Drink more water!
The climate, when we go away on vacation, is often hotter than what we’re used to at home so it’s especially important to stay hydrated. During the second day of our trip, we were going to be on the road for most of the day and I didn’t follow this rule well enough. The result – I ended up getting a slight case of heat stroke and felt quite ill for one evening. What I did to ensure this didn’t happen again is I drank 500mL of water every day as soon as I got up. I made sure that I had consumed at least 1L before 12pm and had at least 2.5L daily. This not only kept me hydrated for the remainder of the trip, but it also kept my appetite down. Our bodies sometimes confuse the signals for thirst with hunger, leading us to eat more when what we really need is water.
2. Snack on veggies!
In every new town we visited, one of our first stops was to the grocery store to grab primarily veggies for our afternoon snacks. It’s actually fun (and surprising) to see how each country packages and sells their produce. It may make you feel more appreciative for the produce selection you have available to you in your local grocery store.
3. Watch what mixes you consume during Happy Hour.
I drank primarily soda or bottled water and lime with any of the rum drinks I consumed. Watching your mixes can shave up to 400 calories off one drink!
4. Make at least one of your meals daily.
Try to select an accommodation with a kitchenette, it really opens up what you can make for yourself. This tip saves you not only calories, but also money! We often made our breakfasts – veggie smoothies for me when a blender was available, or my famous yogurt + diced veggies; and eggs for Colin. One week into our vacation, we were craving a home cooked meal – veggie and bean pasta is a great option!
And of course…
…it’s important to stay more active during a vacation, to help burn off those extra calories we eat or drink. I focused on primarily yoga (while staring out at the ocean), swimming and of course, my TRX system that I brought with me!
In summary, vacation time should be a fun and relaxing break away from home, but not a complete free-for-all. Enjoy yourself while on vacation, but try to increase your water intake, snack on veggies, watch your drink mixes and make one meal daily. If you have any further ways you manage to eat right during a vacation, please connect with me directly here.