Vacation calories do count, but you can survive!
I’ve been there. That point in your vacation when you look back on what you’ve consumed and are hit with a wave of guilt and don’t even want to walk past that full-length mirror every hotel room has because you suddenly notice an extra paunch hanging over the top of your bathing suit. And it sucks. In my case it usually brings on a mild (okay, maybe not so mild) panic attack and the remainder of my trip’s spent venting to my travel companions just how awful this feels (I’m still apologizing for that). Consequently, now I’ll do whatever I can to minimize that feeling (and avoid the “oh my God, will she just shut up already?” glares from my family and friends. What I’m getting at is that too many of us think that because we’re in a new time zone, all the nutrition rules we have to live by on a normal day suddenly don’t apply and let ourselves go. But with just a little bit of work, it is possible to survive your vacation with your waistline intact, and all without taking away from your fun.
This may sound ridiculously simple, but just monitor what you eat. I’m not saying you can’t have that amazing (and huge) sundae with the glossy red cherry on top, I’m just saying don’t have one every day. Or don’t have one after your deep-fried meat-of-some-unidentifiable-species with deep-fried-veggies and deep-fried-fries dinner. It’s the same basic principle you’ve heard a thousand times: try to choose veggies, fruit and anything fresh whenever possible, and avoid anything that, if you ring it out, you can use the drippings to polish your new hardwood with. I know the breakfast buffet is included in the room rate, but that doesn’t mean you have to personally eat everything they prepared, there are other guests to help with that, too. Or if you go all out on breaky, have a smaller lunch and dinner. The same goes for alcohol, too. I know it’s liberating not to have to be accountable all the time, but six beers and you’ve racked up over a thousand calories, over half your daily target without your body even knowing it. Moderation, people, moderation!
Regardless of how angelic your eating habits may be, if you’re doing nothing but lounging around like Jabba the Hut all day you’re gonna end up looking like, well, Jabba the Hut. You have to move it to loose it. Don’t worry, I’m not going to launch into some complex eighteen-step workout plan that you can do daily in your hotel room with only some minor equipment that you have to haul from home. With luggage allowances being what they are, no one is going to haul your own set of dumbells and an elliptical trainer through security, and any article that suggests it is totally full of crap. If you can’t get it in destination, it’s not worth it. But this is where the simple fact that you’re on vacation actually helps with your exercise plan.
Personally, I’m not a lie-on-the-beach-all-day-and-turn-over-at-regualr-intervals kind of girl. Not only am I too pale for that much sun, but I also have the attention span of a gerbil. Consequently, from the time I set down in a new city, I’m on the go, wanting to see everything this exciting place has to offer. This translates into a hell of a lot of walking. Be it walking around a museum or zoo or shopping mall or just walking because I’m too cheap to pay for a taxi for that short distance, I’m constantly on the move. Unless you have a very active job back home, for most of us this translates into more movement than we normally do at our desk jobs and equals calories burned without actually having to think about it. I had one client recently asking me to book him a room at a Cancun all-inclusive resort as far away from the buffet as possible to help him stop all the extra snack runs. Or, as he said, at least burn some extra calories walking there. This same client also thanked me for the gym membership he had to get to burn off what he consumed on his last holiday, but that’s beyond the point. Make sure you wear comfortable shoes and you’ll find you don’t even notice the extra ten minutes it takes you to hoof it, but your body will.
Many hotels, resorts and cruise ships have gyms, but do you really think you’re going to get up early to squeeze in a thrty-minute cardio session before your jungle tour after staying up a little too late last night? Me neither. But if that tour includes a hiking component, your workout is taken care of for you. Or if you go into the ocean/pool and actually swim (enough to get your heart rate up) instead of just bobbing like a cost guard buoy, you’re good to go. If activity can’t be included in your busy day, this is where it’s time to get creative. Do some lunges or squats while waiting for your turn to use the shower in the morning. Find the music video channel on the TV and dance around like an idiot (who’s watching? Your spouse has seen it before. Or better yet, have them dance with you). Have lots and lots of sex. Lift your carry-on bags as dumbells. Run the stairs up from the lobby every time you get back to the hotel. Personally, I’m fond of the dance around like an idiot option, and if you’re ever in Costa Rica, I strongly suggest Telehit, the Spanish pop is awesome!
See? That’s not so bad, is it? All you have to do is remember not to overeat on the things that you wouldn’t touch without crippling guilt at home and get your blood pumping in some way daily, and you should be good to go. I’d never say you’re going to loose weight this way – hell, it is your vacation, you’re going to eat the fun stuff – but it can keep you from gaining, so you get home at least in the same shape you were in before (buh-bye, Jabba the Hut). Don’t forget, it takes 3500 extra calories (or an extra 500 calories a day) to gain one pound of fat, so a little indulgence is not going to kill you. But neither will a half-hour of beach volleyball :)
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