What to Do On Vacation (Part 1)
Summer season means vacation season and we get a lot of people wondering, “What can I do on vacation to stay on track with my fitness goals?” We’re here to put your fears and worries aside and tell you the best way to get the most out of your vacation!
In this first part of our “What to Do On Vacation” series, we’re going to be talking about most vacations that are two weeks or less. There’s a separate set of considerations we can look at a little later when talking about extended vacations and longer trips. That being noted, let’s get into what you should do to stay on track with your fitness goals while on vacation!
Right off the bat, it should come as a relief that when you go on vacation, we really believe your priority should be just that, ENJOY YOUR VACATION! Most research tells us that from a physiological standpoint, you’re not going to even begin to lose any of your hard-earned muscle mass until at least 2-3 weeks of being totally inactive, and even then, that’s only very minor. The point we’re making here is that there’s no real reason to stress about your workouts! In fact, the vacation provides a much needed break from life’s everyday stresses! There’s just as much research to show how stress management is crucial when it comes to performing your best in and out of the gym, so let yourself relax!
Additionally, if you’re concerned about weight-loss progress, a similar mindset can be taken. It took a lot longer than two-weeks to gain any of those extra pounds you may be trying to lose, so taking a couple weeks off and relaxing on your nutrition strategy isn’t going to knock you back to square one!
Another thing vacation allows us to do is to take a moment to reflect. While there are a lot of ways to enjoy your time on vacation and like we mentioned above, you should enjoy it, there are certain things we can take a moment to note within ourselves when we take some time off.
If your vacation is just a nonstop bender, take a minute either during or at the end to note how you feel. Cold sweats on the plane ride home may not be the best way to step back into things and feel good, so remember that and think about maybe approaching your vacation differently next time if you want to feel better on the back end. Additionally, if you blow it out night one, and you take a moment, then you have the opportunity to make some different decisions as you continue your break.
Again, this isn’t to say don’t have fun on vacation, please do. But understand that you have total control over how that time goes and how you feel. If a night of drinking until the sun comes up or eating the entire buffet doesn’t make you feel so hot the next day, then you could try something else the next night. But again, it’s a break from real life, so take it to whatever level you feel best at.
Here are some key takeaways to stay on track with your fitness goals while on vacation:
Don’t stress it. One or two weeks away isn’t going to move the needle one way or another too much.
Enjoy yourself! The stress relief you get from taking a break is just as impactful and important as the few workouts you may be missing.
Be mindful. Take stock of how your style of vacation feels to you, and if you do feel like you could make some changes, do. But again, don’t beat yourself up about it.
Do what makes you happy. If you do want to work out while on vacation or exercise THAT’S GREAT. None of this isn’t to say you can’t have an action packed vacation, full of activities you love, but don’t worry either if you’re not in your usual gym routine.
We hope this takes some of the anxiety out of going on vacation. It’s really a time to enjoy and that’s what we encourage. Stay tuned part two of this series where we talk about strategies if you may be taking some extended time away, because we want everyone to feel happy and healthy on vacation!