Recently our son and his bride celebrated a fairy-tale wedding. I have been looking at the photos from family and friends and replaying the entire 4 day weekend over and over in my brain. PS- I hid my phone in an off-site location during the entire wedding so I could enjoy and capture the memories in real time without squinting at a two-dimensional phone screen. The professionals will show us the best photos later
Vacations (and weddings) are full of promise and wonder. We anticipate them for months beforehand and talk about them long afterward. During this time many women admit to having dilemmas over whether to work out or not and what eat.
What about food on vacation?
Read about a passionate discussion regarding working out on vacation here.
The most sustainable and guilt-free approach to food on vacation is to keep a relaxed approach. Vacations are meant to be a break from the normal responsibilities of adult life. When we practice relaxed and mindful eating every day, on vacation the urge to over splurge does not occur. If we want something we don’t ordinarily have, we can enjoy it. (hello wedding cake and garbage plates*) We can give ourself the freedom to enjoy, and yet stay responsible because we don’t overdo it.
If you have ever been to Rochester, NY you know about the Garbage Plate, a Rochester specialty that originated at Nick Tahoes. And if you ever find yourself in Rochester, I recommend you sample a Garbage plate
I want to emphasize that choosing to eat how you want to on vacation, or any other another time, is up to you.
Do yourself a favor, and stop comparing your self to or judging other peoples’ choices. (Your food is your business and my food is my business)
The question then, is how do we balance vacation indulgence and responsible eating? There is a lot of confusion about how to manage this without the guilty conscience.
Cue up the 80/20 rule.
What you eat most of the time is more important than what you eat occasionally.
I came up with my personal mini “Vacation Eats Guide” to make it effortless. This relaxed approach minimizes the risk of uncomfortable bloating that sometimes happens when we eat different foods. It also gives us wiggle room to enjoy with freedom and responsibility. Learn more about mastering food choices with freedom and responsibility in this blog post.
This approach keeps in mind the purpose of a vacation, and yet provides a way to ease back into to real life without the guilt of having lost control. The point is to enjoy your, vacation without having stress over meal choices or pigging out and without guilt on the return home.
Vacation Eats Guide
- Start every day with a big glass or bottle of water to flush your system and rehydrate.
- Eat at least one meal with 50% of your plate full of veggies. (bonus if you get in two meals) This way you are guaranteed to get in some veggies and micronutrients daily without overthinking it.
- Eat protein at every meal
- Stop eating before you feel full. (stop before you think you should)
- Keep water intake up.
That’s it.
Topics like this are part of managing fitness and nutrition as an ongoing lifestyle.
#livebetter
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