That’s me off on my summer holiday, as I’m sure many of you are at this time of year.
All inclusive, fancy hotel and pool. Sadly it is possibly also a time when some of you may be concerned about ruining your fantastic efforts this year of staying fit and healthy and within a weight that you are happy with.
And you don’t want to ruin that.
The first thing I will say is that like other special occasions, it is a time of year when you deserve to let loose a bit and eat/drink/relax a bit more than you would at other times. Which is fair enough, I agree completely. However, I also agree that for most of us, we don’t want to come back 10-20lb heavier than when we left. That is not really a fun prospect to put up with and try to lose again in a responsible way.
I absolutely 100% believe that you can have the best of both worlds, avoid excessive weight gain without restricting yourself and looking like a fool to your family or friends.
Be mindful
Let’s get real! The holidays are surrounded with food, and tons of it. You will be seeing and smelling food constantly and having drinks offered to you all the time, whether you are hungry or not. Maybe with this being the case, there is no real need to stock your room with crisps, chocolate nuts etc. Subconscious snacking can very easily accumulate a large number of calories in a short period of time. Again, not saying avoid, just not needlessly.
Alcohol
It’s not really controversial for me to say that when you consume alcohol, those empty calories pile on quickly. In addition, when you have drinks, your tend to increase your potential for snacking (see Be Mindful). Again I’m certainly not going to tell you ‘don’t drink’ but perhaps not by the bucketful every night, or at least apply some moderation. My personal tipple is a good rum with coke zero, calorie wise a much better option than beer (and tastes amazing too)
Breakfast
I personally love all inclusive breakfasts, both the typical British and continental ones. I believe that the continental ones are the perfect way to start the day. Fruits, yoghurts, cheeses, hams, packed full of vitamins, minerals, natural nutrients that are able to make you feel awesome first thing in the day. Also, significantly lower in calories that fried sausages, bacon etc. Ultimately though, the choice is yours.
Always eat veggies
Yes, it your holiday, but I don’t care. It is always important to keep putting good things into your body and vegetables come at the top of that list www.theicecreamninja.com/dont-like-vegetables-tough/. The fibre content and water in the veggies will quell your appetite and you will be less likely overeat or eat as much ‘junk’. So fill your plate up.
Move
No, you don’t have to go to the hotel gym every day, or go out running if you don’t want to. But clearly the more you are sitting about, the far lower your calorie requirements are. Go for a lots of nice walks, or bike it. Play volleyball or football on the beach. Join your kids in messing about in the pool. Or like I always preach, start your day in a positive way, with stretching, swimming, yoga, kata, bw squats and create a positive mindset from the moment you wake up. Again my choice is to to something like this before I go for breakfast, so that it doesn’t overly impact on the rest of the day. I cant stand lying about anyway.
Stay hydrated
Applicable to every day life but perhaps even more so on holiday. Hunger and thirst can get confused, so if you’re sweating more (and so losing water) then you may feel hungry when in fact you’re just dehydrated. The best way to see if you’re drinking enough is to check the colour of your pee. Simply staying hydrated can go a long way in preventing overconsumption of food, not to mention generally keeping you energized,
The thing is there are potentially a million ways to stay lean or at least avoid excessive weight gain. Smaller plates, chew slowly, eat higher satiating protein, reduce side plate extras etc etc. the key is managing to do what works for you in a relaxed manner and doesn’t affect you or your friend/families holiday in a negative way, in which case it maybe isn’t worth it.
Tienen un gran vacaciones
