Hello Friends!
The summer travel season is here and you may be tempted to throw your healthy habits out the window while traveling. But please don’t! It’s absolutely possible to enjoy every minute of your vacation without sacrificing your health.
We’re headed to Lake Michigan for a couple of weeks and I definitely believe in enjoying myself on vacation. That usually includes a few treats and less healthy food options. But I don’t believe in going totally off the rails because I know my I won’t feel my best or enjoy my vacation as much if I do. And there will be longer term consequences for my health.
With a little planning, you can have a healthy, healing vacation and enjoy every minute of it!
1. If possible, rent a condo or house with a kitchen.
With kids, this is a must and for anyone health conscious it is a huge help! It will save you time and money and make for a less stressful & more relaxing vacation.
2. Plan healthy meals & pack a cooler & groceries.
We typically eat breakfast and lunch at our rental, and then plan a few easy dinners that we can prep ahead of time and pull together easily. For breakfast I pack plenty of fruit (although we’ll be hitting the farm stands and farmers markets too!), oatmeal, eggs, pre-made pancakes or waffles (this time I’m taking a big batch of my Double Chocolate Buckwheat Waffles), and my favorite plant-based protein shake mix.
For lunches, I pack foods we can enjoy at the house or pack in a cooler bag for a full day at the beach or hiking. Sprouted wheat and gluten free bread, almond butter and organic cheese for sandwiches. Hard boiled eggs. Fruit. Veggies and hummus. And plenty of salad fixings. I love my Sistema salad containers and pack myself a big green salad almost every day.
For dinner we plan easy meals I can have mostly prepped and pull together quickly, like Salmon with Roasted Veggies and Rice, Hamburgers and Oven Fries, Gluten Free Spaghetti with Cousin Claudio’s Authentic Italian Pasta Sauce (I doubled the recipe last time I made it and froze half to take with us), Tacos or Taco Salad, and Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad (dressing made ahead and packed in the cooler). I take all of the meat we need for our stay in a big cooler because clean, sustainably raised meat may be hard to find or cost double what I’m used to paying.
Make sure to pack plenty of healthy snack options too: fruit, veggies and hummus, nuts, seeds, olives and popcorn. Almond milk and frozen fruit for smoothies. (I never travel without my Vitamix blender, either!) I also make and take my favorite energy bites and a few healthy treats like my Buckwheat Brownies and Salted Caramel Nut Clusters, so I’ll never feel deprived!
If packing groceries isn’t an option, order groceries through InstaCart to be delivered to your vacation house or hotel. And make sure to visit the local farmer’s markets!
3. Choose wisely when dining out.
Even when eating out, its possible to choose mostly healthy options. Look up restaurants online in advance and check out the menu. If all else fails, you can find a good salad almost anywhere.
If and when you do choose to throw out all of your usual healthy eating rules, that’s ok! Just make a conscious decision in advance, knowing this is a one time special occasion, not the first step to eating anything and everything the entire time you are away. Make sure whatever you’re splurging on is completely 100% worth it. And then breathe deeply and enjoy every minute of it!
4. Get outside and stay active.
Summer is a great time to get outside and stay active–swimming, hiking, walking, jogging, golfing or actually going to the gym. If you’re headed to the beach, google “yoga on the beach” and the town you are staying in and visit a class. Try out a new & fun activity like paddle boarding or kayaking.
You may have experienced or heard friends laugh about eating in excess while traveling and still losing weight. Amazing, right? But the reason for this fairly common occurrence is two-fold. First we tend to be more active on vacation, with a lot more walking and movement. But even more importantly, our stress hormones are lower because its one of the rare times we actually relax, take time to breathe deeply, and mindfully enjoy our meals. Being in a “rest and digest” state rather than our typical “fight or flight” state dramatically improves both our digestion and our bodies’ ability to burn rather than store fat.
Which leads me to my last tip . . .
5. Make time for sleep, relaxation, mindfulness, prayer, meditation & gratitude.
I’m the vacation planner in my family and I have definitely been guilty of putting my husband and kids on a death march to see and do and experience everything on my list. If this is you as well, I hope you’ll take a bit of advice from a recovering type-A planner. Having a general plan from which to deviate is great. But make sure you also allow for down time & flexibility in your schedule. Plan for plenty of quality sleep (oh so important for our health!) and relaxation. In our hectic, schedule-driven lives we SO need time to rest, relax and just go with the flow. I’m learning to let go of my plans and schedule and ideas of the “perfect” vacation and just enjoy whatever each moment brings. And it turns out the best memories are made in the spontaneous, unplanned moments of life!
Make time to enjoy slow, mindful meals where you can savor every bite and enjoy the company of those around you. Slowing down and eating mindfully has a host of health benefits, even when you aren’t making the best food choices.
If you don’t already have a regular prayer, meditation and/or gratitude practice-summer vacation is the perfect time to start one. Take a few minutes when you wake each morning and before you drift off to sleep at night to close your eyes, breathe deeply and list the things you are thankful for. You might be amazed what this one small habit does for your emotional and mental health and your enjoyment of life!
May your summer travels all be healthy & happy!
Kristi
