How To Stay Fit While on Vacation and Still Enjoy Yourself

You know that feeling when you’re just under 7 days away from leaving for a vacation

That’s me right now! (at the time of this post) and I’m so excited

I’ve been working hard to crank out more blog posts for my readers and keep up with my own personal health and fitness journey

But the truth is…

This is my third vacation so far in 2022 (February). I’m NOT trying to brag about all the trips I take.

My friends and I bought a snowboarding IKON pass and have been trying to get the most bang for our buck

But with 3 vacations in 2 months (this will be my final vacation until summer)

How am I keeping up with my progress?

How do I stay fit while on vacation and still enjoying myself?

There’s a lot of talk about what will happen when you take some time off from the gym + nutrition for a trip

 You’ll gain X amount of weight

You’ll lose X amount of muscle

But I’ve been able to stay in shape, gain muscle, and stay lean during my past two trips PLUS 4 additional work-related trips I took back in October – December 2021

(Okay… I need to chill and focus more on helping YOU with your own fitness goals)

But you guys… I DO NOT make this stuff up!

You yourself may be days or months away from leaving for a trip

You may even do a lot of traveling yourself

So I’m going to share with you my vacation strategy to stay fit and still enjoy myself

Remember vacationing should be a part of your fitness journey

Because what’s the point of all the workouts, making GOOD food choices, and putting all the effort in if you can’t sit back and relax occasionally, and even show off your progress!

So, let’s go over some tips on how you can sit back and relax on vacation with ease of mind on your fitness progress

Plan Ahead

Usually, most vacations are well planned out one month or more in advance

Take the time between now and when you leave to plan your workouts around your trip (the before and after)

 For example, It’s sometimes hard to jump right back into a workout the day after a vacation, but not always

If you find yourself needing an extra day before going back to the gym, use that extra day to do another form of physical activity (sport, walking, running, etc..)

When it comes to the nutrition side of fitness…

DO NOT restrict food at any point just because you’re going on a vacation. Keep things the same as before and after.

For me, it’s even more motivating to stay consistent with the gym and my own nutrition goals if I know I’m about to have some time off

DON’T restrict food at any point before, during, or after the trip.

Food restriction is never a good thing and doing so will not prevent you from losing muscle or gaining fat.

Increase Daily Steps

Another effortless tip…

Where are you walking? The Roman Coliseum? All over Disneyland? The Beach?

More vacations than not, we’re moving a lot more since we aren’t behind a desk

Try to walk more and increase your daily step count

Go for Hikes, walks along the beach, walk around the hotel/camping resort

If you’re snowboarding or skiing… walk to the further chairlift

If you’re at the lake… walk around the dock and along the beach and be one with nature

Having more time off from the day-to-day grind will give you more opportunities to increase your NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis) when doing something like walking

I usually aim for 7,000-10,000 steps daily depending on the vacation agenda and where I am

Keep a goal like this in mind to try and aim for. You’ll burn some extra calories using a fitness tool like walking, and can still enjoy the cocktails

Order High Protein Meals At Dinner

Restaurant food is amazing let’s be honest

So order the higher protein meals such as steak, chicken, fish, sushi, etc.

I’m not saying you should give up the nachos on your trip

But whatever you do decide to order, consider the protein levels as this will help keep you fuller and more satiated

Some options I like to go with are

• Steak (Flanks or Prime Rib)
• Turkey Burgers
• Sirloin Burger (depending on the restaurant’s dish)
• Chicken (depending on how it’s cooked and what sides come with)
• Fish (Sushi, Salmon, Grouper)

I’ll fill my sides with a higher-carb option that I love such as fries. You don’t have to give up the fries 😉

And then my second side, I’ll usually get steamed veggies, mixed greens, etc.

Getting my nutrients in for the trip!

Try Lower Calorie Cocktails

I’ve been on a Vodka Cranberry kick lately (and I usually hate vodka)

I’ve also been on a Gin kick when in Las Vegas

Beer and Wine will be on the higher end of calories (1)

Consider some lower calorie cocktails with alcohol servings of 45ml

I’m not saying you have to get vodka and water (gross!)

But find something that you enjoy and is within your caloric targets and stick to 3 drinks max per day.

Alcohol has calories with little to no nutritional value (2). Consider something like ginatonics, tequila soda, rum, etc. if you’re trying to go easy on the calories

White Claw may only have 100 calories but how many white claws are you really drinking at every party?

 5 White Claws = 500 calories  

That adds up after a few rounds of rage cage…

Eat More Fruits & Vegetables

Like I mentioned earlier…

DO NOT restrict foods before, after, and during your trip. Instead, add MORE

Add MORE fruits and veggies to your plate and get your nutrients in

Don’t count calories, or tell yourself you shouldn’t have that burger, fries, and pizza

Increasing your daily steps…

Finding a lower calorie cocktail to stick to…

Picking higher protein meal options…

And adding MORE fruits and vegetables to your plate…

Will be enough!

As a reminder, when I order at restaurants, most main meals come with 2 sides

The first side will be something like fries

The second side will be something like steamed veggies, asparagus, spinach, etc…

Try this out on your next trip to keep filling your body with good nutrients!

If You Find Yourself Struggling to follow these tips

These are great tips to keep in mind when you’re on vacation

However, it’s easier said than done, right?

I’ve even gone off the bandwagon with trying to follow these tips on my vacations

If you try to follow these tips but don’t…

 Then LET IT GO!

 Don’t stress about it

 And instead, enjoy yourself

Often, it’s the mindset that has us falling off track, NOT the vacation

Feeling guilty about our decisions and choices we made on one or multiple vacations

But when you don’t fall into that mindset and instead you get right back to it like no vacation happened

Then you will keep that long term consistency to help you stay fit and reach your future goals

I’m also giving you these tips to help you continue to make good choices while you’re out of town

But even if you can’t resist or follow these tips every day of your vacation, and you end up going with the higher calorie cocktails, meals that aren’t high protein-based, or even didn’t get enough steps

 WHO CARES!

 What’s Done is Done

What’s the point of fitness and having physique goals to reach if you can’t sit back and enjoy yourself occasionally, and even show off your progress?

One trip is NOT going to ruin your progress.

A few trips throughout the year are NOT going to ruin your progress

You are still going to be fit!

Just enjoy yourself and GET BACK TO IT after the vacation

It’s that long term consistency that wins the game and produces results

Are you having trouble staying on track with your goals when you’re not on vacation?

I help young and established adults like yourself reach their physique goals with a mindset first approach

Crafting a fitness routine that works for YOU

Without that and the right mindset – we cannot be consistent to reach goals while enjoying the process

What are your goals? 

 Until the next post, much love,

Greg