You’ve worked your tail off in the gym for weeks or maybe months to prepare for a vacation – so now what?
Often we feel we only have two options, let it all go or stay in deprivation mode, which no one wants to do on a much needed break from the daily routine.
Fresh off a week break, I’ll share with you our experiment in staying on course with our goals (muscle gain and fat loss) while giving a bit of flexibility to enjoy things we normally avoid.
1. Bring the Food Scale.
I know, it sounds crazy and a little obsessive, but flexible dieting is really the way to go, especially on a trip. We’ll talk more about this in upcoming posts, but the concept of flexible dieting enables you to have what you want – in moderation – because you’re striving to hit a macronutrient goal each day (a certain # of carbs/fat/protein). This means you can save macros for whatever it is you’re craving – cocktails, waffles and whipped cream or a huge steak. Just keep track and make tradeoffs.
Not sure of your macronutrient daily goals? We figure out ours using www.avatarnutrition.com. It’s a super easy web interface that guides you and spits out your macros based on your goals (fat loss/muscle gain/etc) and whether you prefer higher fat or more carbs.
2. Move Like a Kid.
Most places have a local gym you can join with a weekly pass for a low cost. Do it.
In addition, if you’re eating and drinking a bit more, get out and move more. For me, on a vacation with my kids, that means I try to move as much as they do. Pool time? I get in the pool and swim. When we hike or go sledding, I walk up and down the hill as many times as they do. It may seem like little changes, but it all adds up over the course of several days and can outweigh a few diet mishaps here and there.
Check our Instagram page for a couple of vacation workouts we did while away.
3. Sleep!
This one is huge. Sleep plays a huge role in willpower, discipline and our hormone balances that affect cravings. Contrary to popular thinking, you cannot “catch up” on sleep, but you can “bank” it. The best strategy on vacation is to get a solid 8 or 9 hours every night.
All of these, when combined are great strategies for staying on track while still enjoying your time off. Because ideally, you’ll return rested and ready to jump back into your regular routines with more energy than before.