We don’t have to leave everything we love about vacation behind when we come home. I’m talking about your approach to stress, how much you sleep, eating well, exercising the way you want to, and maybe most importantly, connecting deeply with yourself and others. It’s my mission to bring these components home with me and nurture them even when I’m not lounging on the beach.

 

Key Components to Optimal Health

1. Managing stress
2. Prioritizing your sleep
3. Optimizing nutrition
4. Creating a realistic exercise plan
5. Connecting with yourself and others

 

Finding Your Natural Set Points on Vacation

I’m home from vacation. While I have to leave the sand behind, what I didn’t leave behind were the relaxation and healthy communication habits I picked up while there.

We always look forward to going on vacation. It’s a break from normal life and for whatever reason, it always seems easier to prioritize your health. The biggest change is that you’re free of the pressures and demands of work, which means you can really put yourself first.

One of my favorite parts of vacation is how your body starts behaving how it naturally wants to behave, especially when it comes to sleep. The lack of pressure and schedule while on holiday really lets you understand your body’s natural sleep patterns: are you an early riser? Night owl? How long do you naturally stay asleep?

 

Approaching Food and Exercise While on Vacation

When it comes to exercising while on vacation, some people love it, others avoid it, and some do the bare minimum. Your approach to exercising on vacation is probably related to how you find exercise in general. Is it grounding to you normally or is it a chore? I personally find it grounding and love to keep somewhat of a routine.

I also think that going on vacation is a great way to try new foods and experiment with different ways of eating. It doesn’t have to be hard to maintain your healthy eating habits, especially if you put some boundaries in place. But that also doesn’t mean you have to - this is your vacation to do with what you please.

Finally, I find vacation a wonderful opportunity to reconnect with yourself and figure out what you actually want. When you open this conversation up with yourself, you can also bring it into how you relate to your partner and whoever else you’re with. I know Mark and I will definitely be keeping this introspection and connection as a habit now that we’re back home.

I’m curious how you approach exercise while on vacation. Do you exercise on vacation? Do you exercise at home but not on vacation? Let me know why you do or don’t exercise on vacation in the comments on the episode page.

 

In This Episode 

• What happened when we went on vacation [6:00]
• Why it’s easier to prioritize your health on your vacation [9:00]
• How your vacation can help you figure out your natural sleep patterns [12:00]
• Three different approaches to exercising on vacation [15:00]
• How to uplevel your nutrition while on vacation [20:30]
• The importance of connecting to your thoughts and yourself, especially on vacation [28:00]

 

Quotes

“We have to stop comparing ourselves to ourselves and to everyone else. That is not relaxing. That is not being on vacation when you are on vacation.” [15:55]

“Exercise on vacation can look different than exercise at home. If it looks the same on vacation as it does at home, I’m pretty certain that exercise is grounding for you, so do it, own it. No explanation is needed. If exercise is not a priority, though you work out at home, I’d be interested to know what your why is. Why do you like to exercise at home but not on vacation?” [17:53]

“On the trip, I can honestly tell you that Mark and I took some time, had some conversations, and allowed ourselves to just be who we are. We were able to connect on a deeper level because we were connecting with ourselves first. What we’re going to do is bring some o that home with us and prioritize connecting with ourselves so that we can better connect with each other.” [28:51]

 

Resources Mentioned

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Check out the full episode page here

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Podcast production by the team at Counterweight Creative

 

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