Prepare for Your Spring Break Vacation with These Reminders

By: Marley Carviou, Rierson Personal Trainer

The weather is getting nicer, and it’s finally beginning to feel like spring! As you gear up for spring break, there is a fine line between enjoying your time and obsessing over counting calories and checking the scale a few too many times. A good focus when on vacation is balance, but how is that even possible with all of the yummy food (or drinks) and sweet treats calling your name?! Below you’ll find our tips and tricks for having a fun vacation and not losing sight of your fitness goals.

Hydration

An easy place to start while on vacation is water intake. Whether you are flying or driving to your destination, lounging on the beach or hiking through mountains, try to bring a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go. This is an easy way to remind yourself throughout the day to stay hydrated, remember if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind. An easy way to get ahead is to start your day with a glass of water before your first cup of coffee (or first mimosa). Staying hydrated will help with numerous bodily functions like digestion, kidney, and heart function, so not only should it be prioritized in our day to day lives, but especially on vacay. A good rule of thumb for water intake is drinking half of our body weight in fluid ounces. If you are spending some time in the sun, you probably want to consider increasing that number.

Sleep

If you already are crushing your water intake, another thing to consider is how much sleep you are getting. Our bodies need good sleep to tackle whatever fun activities we have planned, and running on an empty tank for your entire vacation will hurt you more than help you. Typically on vacation, we are exploring new places or spending time soaking up sun, and in both instances, sleep will help our brains and bodies reset for the activities of the next day. Not only do we need to sleep and reset for your fun vacation days, but we also want to make sure we are returning to the gym and to our “normal” schedule refreshed and ready to go. Our vacation shouldn’t be spent overworking and stressing about finding a gym, finding time to workout, time to eat, time to drink, and so on. If you are with family and friends, use this time to get good sleep and do activities that help you destress so when you come back to your workout routine you are refreshed and ready to go! Seven to nine hours is the typical recommendation for adults, and keeping your body on a consistent schedule, even when not in your own bed, is helpful to getting quality z’s. 

To Workout, or Not to Workout

The biggest concern people have during vacation is if they should workout or not. Unfortunately, the answer truly depends on where you are at in your journey. Walking is a hugely underrated form of exercise, so if you have the privilege of being in warm weather get outside and get some steps in! As a general rule of thumb, if you have access to some gym equipment in a resort or hotel, and you know you struggle with consistency, I’d encourage you to do a quick and easy workout to keep yourself on track. But for most of my clients, I want them to be able to step away from the gym for a few days and relax. Vacations are the perfect time to give our bodies rest, focus on light activities like walking or biking, and enjoy the time off we have. Our lives were not meant to be spent skipping vacation time with family and friends because we are too stressed about missing a workout. Get outside, move a little, and get right back to the gym when you return home!

Conclusion

Stressing about nutrition and working out over vacation takes more time away from enjoying your vacation and doesn’t positively add to it. Your health and fitness should add to and elevate your life, not take away from it! Take the time on your vacation to meet yourself half way and enjoy your time off without throwing your goals out the window.

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