As much fun as traveling can be, it sure can ruin the progress that you have worked so hard for! I've always had the mentality that while you are on vacation "anything goes" as far as eating. My yearly summer trips to the beach involved ice cream, caramel corn, taffy and other types of candy, maybe a few drinks, and of course, eating out....A LOT. A "normal" practice that occurred on every family vacation, that I have grown accustomed to, is eating out for dinner every night. Being that my parents own a restaurant, the last thing they want to do is go on vacation and cook! Staying on track while on vacation is challenging enough, let alone going out to dinner every night (and sometimes even breakfast and/or lunch!). So, this past weekend my husband and I decided to take the girls on a long weekend getaway to the beach! We decided to just stay in a basic hotel room rather than an efficiency or condo, so cooking food definitely wasn't an option for us. Since we have been to this location SEVERAL times, my husband likes to plan out where all he wants to eat when we are there, then, I just figure out what exactly I am going to eat as well as plan out the snacks. It may sound like a lot of work, but honestly, it isn't! Plus, I came home without feeling guilty or bloated from the choices that I made.
So here are my tips and how I planned out my long weekend getaway!
1. Plan out your meals! I know people think I'm crazy for planning out all of my meals, but I'm telling you, it's not that bad once you get in to the routine! So our mini vacation lasted from Thursday morning until Sunday evening. Since I started drinking
Shakeology, it is my go-to when traveling. If I know that healthy choices will be hard to come by, then I drink an extra shake! Since I am very familiar with the restaurants that we like to go to, it's not hard for me to figure out what to eat. Most restaurant menu's are online, so all you need to do is check out the menu before you go. That way, when you get there, you aren't rushing to figure out what you want and making an on-the-spot decision. So, as you can see, I listed out each restaurant and exactly what I planned on getting. So the question you may have is, did I stick to it? Yes, for the most part, I did! I ended up skipping out on the carrots and celery at lunch time. I totally forgot to pick them up at the grocery store when we got there. Shakeology was enough for me anyways. The only other change I made was at dinner. I stuck with our restaurant choices as well as my meals, but we ended up going to them on different nights than we planned due to accommodating to the girls.
2. Pack healthy snacks and/or meals! Easy snacks that you can include in your snack bag include fruits that don't spoil easily (apples, bananas, clementines, etc.), Quest or Larabars, Raw Unsalted Almonds, Cocoa Roasted Almonds, Unsalted Rice Cakes, Shakeology, etc. If you only have healthy snacks packed, then you will stick with eating them! NO DRIVE-THRU'S! I really enjoy my Shakeology each morning for breakfast, so I don't get to eat oatmeal too often; however, portioning out baggies of oatmeal is another great portable, healthy meal to have. You can get hot water at most hotels so it's a simple meal to make that will definitely keep you feeling full.
3. Drink Water! I know it's nice to have a few drinks here and there while on vacation, and that's okay....in moderation of course! Try and avoid soda/pop or other high sugar (and calorie) drinks. Stick with water and flavor it naturally if you need more of a taste. Deer Park has a sparkling water that is natural and good too! It's especially important to stay hydrated and to be sure you are drinking enough water even on vacation too! ESPECIALLY if you are at a hot beach!
4. Be PREPARED! I can not stress this enough! If you don't plan out what you want to eat while away, the temptations will take over! Sure, it was great smelling those greasy delicious boardwalk french fries last weekend, but I know those won't get me any closer to the way I want to look and feel. So, as a result, I had my bag packed and ready to go! It included my mini blender and Shakeology, Cocoa Roasted Almonds, 100% Whole Wheat Tortillas, and of course, my Unsweetened Almond milk for my shakes. Of course I did not remember to take a pic of the groceries I bought once we got there, but, I did end up getting some All natural Peanut Butter and yogurt for my girls. In addition, we stopped at a farmers market on the way and picked up some apples and bananas!
5. Don't go overboard! This is a tough one! I can't tell you how many times I got caught up in the "it's vacation!" mentality throughout the years. It's funny when you think about it. You spend time before vacation exercising and eating healthy so that you look good in your bathing suit (assuming you go to the beach); yet, once you get there all bets are off and you over indulge. I'm a firm believer of having fun and indulging in some treats here and there, I just think keeping your portions in check and not over-doing it is important too!
So, there you have it! That was the approach that I took to staying healthy while traveling on our weekend getaway. These are the same tips that I plan to continue using as my families travels throughout the summer.
It's simple....if you plan for success, you will succeed!
Labels: Becoming a Beachbody Coach, Clean Eating, Healthy Traveling Tips, Lisa Decker, Meal Planning, Planning Healthy Meals, Successfully Fit, Tips for Staying Healthy while Traveling
