Do you struggle with exercising while on vacation? Many times a good fitness routine and healthy eating habits are thrown out the window the second vacation or travel begins. It doesn’t have to be that way. Throughout my nine day stay in Vegas I am going to chronicle how to continue an exercise routine and healthy eating habits that will at the very least allow you to come home maintaining your new lifestyle.
First, make a deal with yourself about what your vision of success will be upon coming home. Do you want to continue to lose weight? Do you want to have a good time, indulge a little, and come home maintaining your weight? Do you feel confident that a two to three pound gain is acceptable and are willing to work hard at home for a couple of weeks after vacation to lose the weight? Whatever you decide, plan with that idea in mind. For me, I want to indulge in foods I normally don’t treat myself and am fine if the scale creeps up three pounds. I will work it off at home with clean eating and exercise.
Second, pack travel snacks and foods. Too many times when you travel you are stuck with poor choices or time schedules that don’t allow for healthy eating. In my suitcase I brought:
- 150 calorie protein bars in various flavors for snacks and emergency breakfasts
- Packets of seasoned tuna and chicken that are already cooked and can be eaten right out of the package. These are great to throw on a house salad in a restaurant.
- Soy Crisps to eat instead of french fries with a sandwich.
- Bananas, apples, and other fruits that travel without refridgeration.
- Dry oatmeal if you have access to a microwave.
- A soft sided cooler. I carried it on the airplane loaded with fresh fruit and chicken for lunch. Vegas if four hours from Nashville and I can’t live off airplane snacks.
- Crystal Light and Splenda.
These are just a few things I travel routinely with to make eating easier for me.
Third, bring a resistance band and resistance band routine for workouts if you will not have access to a gym. If you have a laptop, bring your exercise DVDs to do in the room. If all else fails, walk/run stairs of the hotel and then do a series of dips, push-ups, squats, and lunges for a boot camp style workout.