Your vacation doesn’t have to ruin your progress! here’s what to do.
It is summer holiday season and I bet that you have been working extremely hard to get in shape for the beach. You spent long hours hitting the gym and doing cardio, and you have cut out all the junk food to drop some body fat in order to be able to take some #beach #hotgirlsummer #bikinibody pics for Instagram.
While I’m sure you are looking forward to catching some sun rays and lounging around on the beach, deep down, I know you are also dreading your holiday a little bit. You have worked so hard for you physique and you don’t want that to change when you come back. No matter if you’re going to an all inclusive resort or will be renting an Airbnb, you know that going away and getting out of your usual routine will most definitely ruin all your hard work.
I mean.. who would want to say no for some local food, cocktails and sweets? You only live once, after all.
I’m here to tell you, that you don’t need to worry about your holiday. There are plenty of ways you can enjoy your time away and keep most of your gains at the same time. All you need to do is focus on the things I listed below and you’ll be fine.
Protein
To keep your gains, you’ll need to make sure that you continue to feed those muscles that you built. Protein won’t only help with muscle maintenance, but also with keeping you more satiated. Make sure you are having 5-6 palm size portions of it daily, distributed evenly throughout the day. If needed, take some protein powder with you to supplement with.
Veggies
Sticking to the basics is going to help you keep your results sustainably. If you were on a cut prior to your holiday and start eating double the amount of food while moving less than before, you are going to gain fat… a lot of it. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, veggies will be your best friend. Double up on your veggie portions while on holiday to help stay full and make sure that your digestion is good even though you might be having different foods from your usual stuff. Replacing some of your sides with veg will also help you regulate your caloric intake.
Hydration
Drink your water! No matter whether you go on a warm or cold holiday, having enough water will help you stay hydrated, it will aid your digestion and will help you feel less peckish during times when you aren’t at a restaurant trying out dishes from the local cuisine. Drink your water, stay hydrated and you’ll be less likely to overeat.
Stay active
Going on vacation doesn’t mean that you should give up all of your hard-learned habits. Make sure that if you like to go to the gym you still find time for it. Gym hopping on holiday is actually one of my favourite pastimes, as I get to experience how other gyms are around the world and I get to meet awesome people in the fitness community. I also recommend walking everywhere you go. Taking public transport makes things easier but to get a real feel for your destination, walking around will be your best option. This way you can go exploring and also stay on top of your activity levels.
Stay mindful
As much as vacations are there to be enjoyed, the worst thing you can do is go into it mindlessly and ruin your whole experience by feeling guilty after you leave because you overate. Set some guidelines and boundaries going into your trip, like (A) hitting protein targets no matter what, (B) getting 10,000 steps daily or (C) not forcing yourself to finish your plate if you feel full. These will help you keep your calm and not feel bad after leaving because you ruined all your progress.
Remember, it is a learning process and you are really travelling to relax, but if you know that too much relaxation will make you feel lazy and letting go will make you feel guilty, there’s no point in doing so. Stay mindful, check in with yourself regularly and do what feels good not just in the short but also in the long term.
If you stick to these five basic things and really just focus on finding that balance between enjoyment of your travels to the fullest and also staying on top of habits that will help you enjoy life in the long-term, you’ll find your holidays to be even more fun than before. You won’t only get to relax, but you’ll also be able to stay on top of maintaining your results.
Struggling to follow through with your plans? Do you feel like you won’t be able to do this alone? Book a FREE Discovery Call with me and I’ll help you build habits that will enable you to enjoy holidays while making awesome progress.