Managing your Fitness Lifestyle on Vacation: Food and Libations

After properly planning where to stay and setting realistic workout expectation during your stay. The last and most important element of any healthy lifestyle is diet.

 

“You CAN’T out train a bad diet”

 

From 6 to almost 26 I could eat just about anything I want with no noticeable change in my appearance. Well I’m no longer 16 and it’s important to be conscience of what goes into my body. If you spend time year round taking care of yourself then don’t blow it on vacation.

 

“Don’t let 51 weeks of discipline unwind with 1 week of excess.”

 

This doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the summer. Take time to drink your favorite beverage of choice, enjoy neighborhood BBQs and eat some food that you would normally pass on. It is important to treat yourself, but also remembering that humans are not dogs and should not be rewarded with food. Eat things you enjoy because you enjoy them, not because you have “earned” them.

 

Moderation is the key. Know what your plans are going to be during the day and when and what you will be eating. I always love the triangle method during the summer because breakfast is my most structured meal. So I load up and a huge egg scramble knowing that it will be my most protein packed meal of the day and it also helps stave of hunger cravings during lunch and late afternoon. The triangle method will help you eat more in the morning then slowly taper off the amount of food you eat lunch and then the smallest portion will be dinner and the afternoon is typically when I eat the worst anyway.

When you are outside at a neighbor or cruising the pool there is typically food available everywhere…. if you’re hungry you eat anything. At least I do, but if I had a huge breakfast I’ll typically only pick at things throughout the day and not gorge on a whole bag of chips and salsa.

 

I am a notorious for snacking on sweets and when I’m hungry I eat myself into a food comma with candy and deserts. I’m especially a sucker for holiday themed candy.

Prepare yourself for these “opportunities” so you don’t end up a victim of food availability.

The last piece that I purposely waited to address is the “beverage” section. I haven’t met an alcoholic drink that I didn’t like. So I’ll drink any combination of beer, wine and liquor, but in doing so I know which drinks work best for me to be fully functional the next day. Try out drinks you like and find out what works best for you, but the trick is to drink plenty of water. Knowing if I’m going to be day drinking by the water or by a grill I always try to drink 60 ounces of water before taking one sip of alcohol. This accomplishes two things:

First, you be hydrated before you start dehydrating your body. You will feel better the next day and be more functional throughout the long day.

Second, the water will help fill your stomach so you drink less and don’t pick at food as much during fiesta.

 

Those two tips will help you have a productive Monday after a “Sunday Funday.”

 

Having a plan of how to tackle the summer is always necessary, but if you prepare and set realistic expectation for food and fitness you can have fun and not skip a beat.