healthy, happy, holistic : Vacationing Without Guilt

So it's been a while since my last post, and that's for the single reason of VACATION. Between the packing, meal planning and last-minute intense workouts, fitting in time to blog has been tough. However, now that I am relaxing on the beach with my toes (and crispy back, oops) in the warm sand , I feel it's necessary to write about AVOIDING the guilt that comes from a week of unclean eating and lazy exercise.

Ohhhhhhh, vacation. Most of us look forward to it, and a few of us dread it as we fear gaining 20 pounds.
*NEWSFLASH*
You won't gain 20 pounds in one week. Even if you ate McDonald's Big Mac's at every meal for 7 days, you won't blow up like a balloon all of the sudden (don't take my word completely, I haven't actually tried it).

Personally, because I worked my butt off for 5 months, I was deathly afraid of going one week without my typical nutritious foods and daily exercise routines. But now, as we are on day 3 of vacation, guess what? I still look and feel exactly the same.

It's all about control. If you treat your body nicely, it will treat you nicely.

So now down to the real scheme - HOW?
First off, plan out your food. Yes, I KNOW it's impossible to know every little meal you'll have. Vacation means relaxation and trying new things, like that hoppin' restaurant on the boardwalk a few blocks down. You don't know what food they'll have, so don't even bother planning out every piece of food going into your mouth over the course of 7 days. That's why it's important to bring food you know will keep you on track most of the time. For example, my 3 younger siblings survive off of Pop Tarts and Dunkin' Donuts Munchkins for breakfast. So what do I bring? My favorite box of Special K cereal. Pizza and candy for lunch? That means protein bars and rice cakes in my hands. Here a few of the foods that I managed to bring along to curb my cravings:

Garden Vegetable Hummus with Reduced Fat Wheat Thins
Nature Valley Greek Yogurt Protein Bars
Lemon Meringue Pie Quest Protein Bars
Caramel Rice Cakes
PEANUT BUTTA
Crystal Light Raspberry Green Tea

Yes - last night as we were downtown I had a Peppermint Stick ice cream with sprinkles. BIG WHOOP. It's not about depriving yourself; after all, you are on vacation. It's about controlling yourself. For dinner, I had a garden salad with grilled chicken. However, I did eat a few of the nachos my family ordered as an appetizer. Control will do wonders.

Second off, it's good to take a break from exercise. But...if you're like me and think your muscles will melt after a week, plan out a few workouts for the week. For me, the beach is a prime place to go for a morning run. With the water by your side and the breeze in your hair, what could be better? For upper body strength, I brought along 10 pound weights and have done a few lifts here and there, remembering I'm on vacation and my body deserves a rest too. For lower body, I can always squat, lunge, or deadlift my sister (kidding, but good idea...). Staying active is the key here.

So overall, don't stress while away from home. I guarantee you will not have to be rolled back home from an overload of pizza and fries and ice cream and cotton candy. You will be fine. Relax and enjoy.