You’re going on vacation - fantastic!! I know it can be easy to relax, eat and drink anything you want, and stay up late. What if I told you that doing all of this will actually give you less energy and you’ll probably enjoy your vacation way less than if you give yourself a FITcation? These are my top 5 tips for making the most of your FITcation.

 

Tips for Having a FITcation

1. Eat When You’re Hungry
2. Get Your Steps in Every Day
3. Plan Out Your Alcohol and Sweet Treats
4. Get Enough Sleep
5. Manage Your Stress

 

Make Your Food and Fitness Work for You

One of the most important things you can do on vacation is to actually eat when you’re hungry. It’s tempting to eat whatever’s going, whenever it’s going, but trust me when I say it’s better to actually listen to your hunger cues. 

If there’s a restaurant or a splurge meal you’re really looking forward to, I’d also recommend planning your meals around that! Maybe eating less throughout the day to prepare for the larger meal. Finally, definitely stop eating when you’re full - it’s too easy to keep going when the food is so good!

When you’re on vacation, I’d also urge you to keep up your baseline exercise. While you don’t necessarily need to hit the gym every day, I would encourage you to hit at least 5,000 steps. This keeps your movement consistent and will help with all the other aspects of your FITcation.

 

Alcohol and Treats ARE on the Menu

You probably want to indulge in alcohol and sweet treats while on vacation and that is absolutely allowed. I say to plan what drinks and treats you want and stick to that. I’d also say that you can’t be above sending back a drink that doesn’t taste great to you - why drink it if you can’t really enjoy it?

One big priority for me is my sleep. My sleep matters to me, even on vacation when I might fall into those Fear of Missing Out moments. When I think or know there will be a late night, I compensate by allowing myself extra sleep through the day if I want it. Besides, aren’t vacation naps just the best?

Finally, please manage your stress levels while you’re on vacation. Coordinating schedules, the urges to check into work, being in a foreign environment, and more can all be really stressful - make sure you have facilities in place to help you manage anything that you know might cause you extra stress.

What’s your normal vacation style? Do you prefer to have an active or relaxing holiday? Have you ever had a FITcation before? Let me know in the comments on the episode page!

 

In This Episode 

• Why your hunger cues matter, especially on vacation [7:30]
• How to celebrate with food and serve your body [11:30]
• How many steps to aim for every day [18:00]
• How to fit in alcohol and sweet treats on your vacation [21:00]
• Why you need to plan for extra sleep if you know you’ll have a late-night [26:00]
• How to manage your stress while on vacation [28:00]

 

Quotes

“If you are eating when you are hungry, then that’s exactly what, as humans, we should do.” [8:17]

“Planning that fun, social meal to be able to go ahead and then coordinate your other eating times to really fit in a space that’s going to work for you.” [16:17]

“I highly recommend to you, unless this is a vacation where you are going to be doing physical things on purpose, get those steps in. That can be the mainstay of what you do. If that’s not the mainstay of what you’re doing at home, then it’s a little shock to your body and it’s really beneficial.” [19:56]

 

Resources Mentioned

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Podcast production by the team at Counterweight Creative

 

Related Episodes

Episode 97: Prepare to Relax: A 6-Step Strategy

Episode 99: Taking Vacation Home

Episode 83: What Are You Waiting For?