Image Source: Pixabay
Vacations are fun. There’s no doubt about it. It doesn’t matter if you’re cruising through the Bahamas, packing up for a road trip to the coast, relaxing in a rented Airbnb in the mountains, or anything else, planning in a trip for some much-needed rest and relaxation is always nice.
The only problem is, it’s easy to lose sight of your day-to-day goals when you’re visiting that buffet on the cruise ship or feeling tempted to sit with your coffee and watch the sunrise rather than take that morning jog. Honestly, it’s hard to maintain a healthy lifestyle all around when you’re in vacation mode.
But it isn’t impossible. In fact, there are many small yet easy ways to insert various personal “vacation health regulations” into your plans in order to help maintain your health and enjoy your well-earned time off.
Go for a Checkup
You take your car into the shop before a long trip in order to make sure it’s tuned up and ready go, right? The same goes for yourself, too. One of the best ways to help prevent any health-related woes from creeping into your vacation plans or, even worse, derailing them as they unfold is to head to the doctors for a checkup before you head out of town.
From general physicals to dental cleanings, make sure you’ve got the green light from the health experts before you kick things off.
Create a Nutritional Priorities Checklist
If you’re a health nut already, you’re probably aware that proper nutrition is a lot more than just eating your leafy greens and getting some protein in every day. That’s why you can’t simply dive into a vacation without a thought to how your meal plan will play out.
It’s easy to assume that you’ll simply “choose the healthy option” whenever you’re dining. However, this can be quite a bit more challenging than it sounds. Even though the modern era has seen a rise in health awareness, that hardly means your vacation plans will be as obliging to your health regimen as your daily life back home. Often menus are deceiving or simply aren’t expansive enough to accommodate every dietary need.
To ensure that you maintain good eating habits on your vacation, it can be helpful to create a bulleted “nutritional priorities checklist” to help keep you on course. This should include more than just what you can or cannot eat, too. Make sure that things like eating breakfast every day and drinking enough water get on there, too.
It doesn’t matter if you keep this list on a piece of paper in your pocket, a Google Doc on your phone, or simply memorize it, having a quick way to vet any eating decision is handy.
Plan Around the Kitchen
While it’s inadvisable to bring your kitchen with you on vacation, it can make a world of difference if you keep the kitchen in mind as you plan your trip. It’s easy to lock down the cheapest hotel room or Airbnb with your only goal to be a place to rest your head, however, the added cost of finding a place with a kitchen can easily save you money in the long run and keep you in tip-top shape, as well.
If you book a room with a kitchen, you give yourself the option to make your own food. While it may require a little extra elbow grease, making your own meals can allow you to stay close to if not completely on diet — depending on how easy it is to source your ingredients. It also helps avoid the hefty costs of eating out. Having a kitchen option on your trip is an easy win-win scenario that should always be considered.
Remember Your Mental Health
It’s easy to prioritize things like exercise and dining as you plan your vacation, but remember that time off can also provide the perfect opportunity to allow for some genuine mental healing to occur, as well.
Try to take purposeful time to address your mental health as you rest. Make time to meditate and mentally relax. Don’t drink too much coffee if you don’t need to. If you go for a jog, use it as a chance to clear your head, too. Remember, you’re in no rush to get to the office or drop the kids off for school. Don’t drive yourself too hard. Ease off the gas for a bit and let your brain rest.
Plan Ahead
Before you roll your eyes and move on to the next tip, hear this one out. We’re not talking about a detailed meal schedule or an intricate exercise routine here. In fact, spontaneity is one of the great things about vacation, and it shouldn’t have to be sacrificed if possible.
However, it can be helpful to do a little research and lay some ground rules in order to make sure that each time you head off in search of adventure, you’re set up for success.
A few obvious ways to prep include:
- Having a list of healthy snacks to look for that’s backed up by your nutritional priorities checklist.
- Researching local health food locations and meal options before you visit an area so that you’re not tempted by the local junk food options.
- Trying to choose accommodations that will facilitate good, quality sleep.
- Planning how to handle curveballs like time changes before you’re actively dealing with them.
- Keeping in mind things like jogging routes or local gyms when you choose where you’ll be staying.
Staying Healthy on Vacation
There are numerous ways to go about keeping up your health while on vacation. From planning ahead to nutritional checklists, keeping a kitchen nearby, and tending to your mental health, it really is possible to take a break from everyday life without throwing your health for a loop.
The most important thing of all, though, is to simply make sure to prioritize your health in the first place. It’s easy to buckle under the pressure of temptations — and don’t doubt the fact that they’ll arise sooner or later. Making a commitment to fight for the healthy options both before and during your travels can make a world of difference and set you up for the healthiest summer vacation you’ve ever had.
Be the first to comment