Keeping your goals afloat while on vacation

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Hi there, friends! How is everyone’s summer going? Have you gone on vacation yet? I have recently returned from the land of lobster rolls, fried clams and chowder chowdah – also known as Cape Cod. As a result, I want to talk about keeping your goals afloat while you are on vacation- something I did not do.

Between all the delicious food and my apparent hydration plan consisting mostly of adult beverages, let’s just say  holy weight gain, Batman! I got on the scale at home after my return and was not surprised to see that the temperature is not the only thing around here that is rising. Learn from me, people. Let me be a lesson on what not to do. Your vacation does not have to mean all your hard work gets washed away with the next high tide!

Here are some tips to help you keep your goals afloat while you are having fun in the sun and to save you from beating yourself up as you reflect on it all in baggage claim.

With credit to WebMD’s article “10 Ways to Eat Healthy While on Vacation.”

1. Resist the urge to splurge. According to a study led by Linda H. Clemens EdD, RD, of the Consumer Science and Education Department at the University of Memphis, women tend to splurge when they eat out, then eat normal amounts during their other meals that day. This means they end up with an abundance of calories and fat that day — much more than the body needs!

2. Have it your way. When it comes to table-service restaurants, customers are asking to have it their way more and more, according to a recent National Restaurant Association report. Some 80% of restaurants with meals averaging $25 or higher per person, and 70% of restaurants with meals averaging under $25 per person, say customers are more interested in customized menu items now than even two years ago.

3. Enjoy the scenery and enjoy the food. You are on vacation, for heavens sake. It doesn’t make sense to deprive yourself of an enjoyable food; the trick is carrying “moderation” in your back pocket. Sample these delectable foods, instead of feasting on them.

4. Walking is your secret weapon.

5. A treat a day. Try to keep your treats to one a day. After that, opt for a healthy choice instead.

6. Better choices on the menu. Make healthful choices that appeal to you at fast food and restaurants whenever possible. Why is it important to order more healthful choices only if they appeal to you? Because if they don’t, you’re going to feel like you are depriving yourself and resent it.

7. Hide the mini-bar key. You know that little refrigerator that comes with your hotel room that is filled with all sorts of beverages and candy? Hide the key, it can only lead to no good — physically and financially.

8. Water is your friend. Keep all systems going by drinking your daily water requirement. Traveling can dehydrate you, and so can being out in the sun more than your body is used to. If you can, stock your car, backpack, or hotel room with ice-cold bottles of water. Bring water everywhere you go.

9. Take “Five a Day” on vacation with you. Now, more than ever, make an effort to get five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. It will make meals seem more filling and satisfying. It will provide enough fiber in your diet, and keep your intestines regular. And it will keep your levels of antioxidants and important vitamins high so you are less likely to get sick.

10. Eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re comfortable. It sounds simple, but many of us have gotten out of the habit of paying attention to whether we’re truly, physically hungry. Eating opportunities and celebrations are all around us when we are vacationing, and we’re in the “I’m on VACATION!” mindset. That’s when we will be the most vulnerable to eating even if we aren’t hungry and not stopping when we are comfortable.

I wish I had read these tips prior to leaving for the Cape! Why not print them out and put them right in your suitcase?

Have you gone on your vacation yet? How was it for you? Did you keep your goals in mind? Have any tips to share for the rest of us on what worked and what didn’t? Hit us up in the comments! Help your future traveling sisters out!

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