Vacation, Diet Disaster?

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and Crystal Light.

Vacation, all I ever wanted.  Had to get away.  And all that.  But what does vacation mean for your diet and exercise?  Vacation doesn’t have to mean doom for your healthy lifestyle.

There are a variety of reasons to continue to eat healthily while on vacation.  For starters, when I am going on vacation, there is typically a beach involved.  Which means there is also a bikini involved.  And therefore, the exposing on my stomach is involved, and well, you get the picture.  But, as I found out on my last vacation, for me it is also important to keep on track because it is surprisingly easy to get out of a good habit and into a really bad habit in a matter of days.

Last fall, my husband and I traveled to one of our favorite beach spots.  It was a shorter trip than we usually take, and for that reason, I decided to just let myself go. Typically while on vacation, I am an excellent exerciser and a pretty healthy eater.  I have worked out in gyms all over the world because I have always been afraid that a few too many days out of my routine would spell trouble.  Unfortunately, my trip last September proved me right.  I did not work out on any of the four days that we were on vacation.  I made a few trips to the resort snack shop.  And when I got back home?  These bad habits continued.  Four days away from the gym turned into three weeks without exercise.  Three weeks away from the gym turned into bad eating habits.  It literally took me months to get back on track with my diet and exercise.  Those four days were a lot of fun, but they were not so fun that they made months of struggling worthwhile.

Right now, we are in the process of planning a late summer vacation.  I am equal parts excited and worried.  Excited for obvious reasons, but worried because I do not want to go through what I went through last fall with my eating habits and exercise routine.  So what do I plan on doing to make things different this year?

For starters, get moving!  For me, eating right and exercising go hand in hand.  It has been said a million times before, but if you are working hard to keep yourself fit, you are far less likely to try and ruin that hard work with a food binge.  Traveling somewhere that is walkable?  Then walk!  Save money on transportation expenses and be your own pedi-cab.  I always try to stay in a hotel with a fitness center and make a point of getting up half an hour early to go for a jog.  Working exercise into your vacation is a lot easier than you might think.

Second, decide when and where to splurge!  Excited about trying out that new restaurant while on vacation?  Enjoy yourself!  Put poolside lunch?  Eat a light salad or a healthy sandwich.  Make your splurges worth it.  You probably won’t remember that burger and fries, but that special seafood dish or a delicious steak at a romantic meal will be part of a more memorable experience. 

Third, always remember to stay hydrated.  All too often in life, not just on vacation, I confuse thirst with hunger.  Every time I travel, I take Crystal Light On The Go packets with me in my purse and beach bag.  I can only drink so much plain water, but I can drink tons of Crystal Light.  It’s easy to carry and easy to use. Not to mention that flavored water is much more like a sweet treat than the plain stuff!

Lastly, remember this- and I do think this is how I am able to successfully manage my weight- every meal?  Is not your last!  You don’t have to eat every single bite of every single course of a meal!  You will eat again and you will have a chance to have delicious food again.  You have to decide if a moment of yummy overindulgence is worth whatever grief you may cause yourself later in the form of weight gain or guilt.

How do you keep it together on vacation?  What are your stay healthy strategies?  Share your secrets and get an opportunity to win a $100 Visa gift card from Crystal Light- the perfect thing to start your vacation fund!  Wanna learn more healthy ideas?  Visit the review and giveaway roundup page here for great ideas and many more chances to win!  Get the official rules here and learn more about Crystal Light here!

MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL!