NOTE: This blog is written for individuals with a strong fitness and nutrition routine before vacation. If you are not there (yet) but are ready to make that change. Check out one of the blogs below to get started:
Overcome your FOWO (Fear of Working Out)
3 Tips to get started exercising again or for the first time
So you are starting over with exercise again…
Top 3 Tips for Busy Millennial Women Ready to Start Improving their Mental and Physical Health
I just returned from a 6-day vacation in Italy, where I indulged in excellent Italian food and wine. I walked a ton on this vacation but did very little in the way of traditional exercise. This would have stressed me out a few years ago. I would return from vacation and automatically think I needed to double dose my exercise and severely restrict my calories to return to where I was before I went on vacation.
This caused so much stress in my life. The endorphins I should have returned home with from a fantastic holiday would disappear in an instant. I would feel guilt and shame. I would think about all the “progress I lost” on vacation. I would then brutalize my body for the next few weeks with too much exercise and not enough food to compensate for my vacation.
This was especially true when I returned home after a summer spent in the USA, where I would indulge in all my favorite things I couldn’t get overseas. For those of you who don’t know, when we live overseas, we typically spend 4-6 weeks back home in the US during the summer, spending time with family and friends. This is usually our only time at home, and we like to eat all the Chick-fil-A.
I know I am not alone here. I have had countless clients come in for a session after a holiday and want to “really work” off their vacation.
A few years ago, I realized that if I just returned home and focused on a few key things, I didn’t have to feel guilt or stress. This new outlook has been super freeing and allows me to enjoy my vacations much more. This change in mindset took time and practice, so be patient with yourself.
Here are three tips to make your return to normalcy after vacation stress and guilt-free:
- Give yourself a day: I always give myself one day after returning from a vacation to get my life in order. This means laundry, meal planning, a grocery store trip, putting away luggage, etc. This is a day where I get as much done as possible because I know the work I put in today will make my future self so happy. This means we often come back from vacation a day before we have to return to work and school. I know this isn’t always possible, but it’s a game-changer if you can make it work. It allows me to start the following day squarely in my “normal” routine without seeing the remnants of my vacation everywhere I look, which stresses me out.
- Return to business as usual (as quickly as possible): Wake up and pretend you didn’t just return from vacation (even if your enviably sun-kissed skin says otherwise) and pick up your routine. This is two-fold:
- Exercise: whatever you were doing before, try to pick right back up where you left off. This means getting up and rolling out the mat or lacing up your shoes for your morning workout (even if you might be sleepy). You may need to start slow, depending on home much of a break you took, and that is ok. Pick classes and workouts you know make you feel good and lean on them. Don’t kill yourself; just return to what you enjoyed before leaving for vacation.
- Nutrition: the same goes for food. Pick easy, healthy, and satisfying dishes to nourish your body. Don’t overly restrict or starve yourself. Go back to what was working before that made you feel good!
- Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate: This is a big one for me and always makes me feel better after vacation. I never drink enough water when we travel. I don’t usually carry my massive water bottle as I do at home, and I tend to drink more alcohol on vacation, dehydrating you. I also have a real fear of not finding a bathroom, leading me to drink less water than I should. Air travel, in particular, is dehydrating too. So when you come home, make sure you hydrate. Your body will thank you. I always seem to go home blotted from holidays. I know it is air travel, rich food, and alcohol. I always drink a ton of water once I get home to help eliminate that sluggish, heavy feeling, and I swear it makes me feel like a new woman!
Returning to your fitness and nutrition routine after vacation doesn’t have to be stressful. Give these tips a try, and be kind to your body. Please share things that work for you in the comments below that I may not have included.
Personal Note: I feel better mentally and physically when I get in my regular Pilates or gym sessions. If there is an option to work out on vacation, I like to take advantage of a hotel gym or visit a local Pilates studio. It didn’t make sense on this trip, so it didn’t happen.
