Enjoy your Vacation and STILL Crush your Fitness Goals!

It’s already March! As the spring and summer seasons are fast approaching, many of us will be jet setting to warm, tropical locations to unwind and get away from it all.  Vacations are a chance for us to put the demands of life on hold for a brief period of time while we enjoy ourselves and relax in a beautiful location.  

So, I’m sure, like me, the last thing you want to be thinking about while you’re away is whether or not you’re eating the right amount of calories, hitting your macros, or burning enough calories.  This, at times, can be a stressful process, and didn’t we plan that vacation to get away from the stress in the first place?!

Don’t stress! You’re on vacation to enjoy yourself!

After just recently going on vacation, I took a little bit of time to reflect on how I was able to enjoy myself without stressing over my fitness progress.  I want to share with you some tips on how to have fun in the sun while still holding on to those hard earned fitness gains.

Plan when and where you’re going to workout.

Before actually going on vacation, most of us take the time to plan out our flights, where we’re going to stay, and the activities we’re going to do.  Take a few moments to plan your vacation workouts as well, even if it’s just a few quick ten minute workouts in your hotel room.  Being realistic with how often you are going to workout is important as well.  Strive for a number that you know you can hit.

Plan out your vacation workouts.

On my vacation to California for example, I gave myself the realistic plan of working out at least two days out the six I was going to be there.  I looked up a Crossfit gym close to my hotel and walked there to workout in the morning before getting the day started.  Two workouts were realistic for me because I had a lot of activities planned on the trip.  Figure out what is realistic for you.

Plan active activities.

I like to enjoy the food while I’m in a new and exciting place, and I have no shame in saying that I like to eat!  A great way to counteract some of the indulging that will be done on vacation is to plan activities that require a lot of movement.  Activities such as swimming, hiking, walking, and dancing are all fun examples.  Plan a few throughout your trip so that even if you don’t get the chance to workout, you are still getting in a lot of physical activity.

My boyfriend and I planned active activities like rock climbing, hiking, and sightseeing (a lot of walking!).  Because I planned to be moving a lot, I enjoyed eating out at several great restaurants without stressing about how it would impact my progress.  I relied on physical activity to help counteract some of the delicious eating I knew I was going to be doing.  You can do the same! Getting out to explore is so much fun!

Rock Climbing in Joshua Tree!

Practice mindfulness when eating.

Did I mention that I like to eat?!  It is very easy for me to overdo it when I eat, but recently practicing mindfulness while eating has helped me a lot.

So, while you are enjoying that delicious food on vacation, pay attention to how you feel.  Slow down your eating and enjoy it.  This will improve digestion and help you feel more satisfied while eating less food.  When you feel satisfied, stop eating.

Grocery shop as soon as you return.

After returning from a trip, it is more than likely that there will be close to nothing in your fridge upon your return. This has gotten me in trouble in the past because I would hold off on grocery shopping and end up continuing the habit of eating out like I did on vacation.

This time, I stopped the madness and got myself to the grocery store the same day we got back.  I stocked up on lean meats, fruits and veggies to push myself right back into my healthy eating.  I took away the opportunity to continue the indulging because I already spent money on groceries.

I’m not saying to rush to the grocery store as soon as you land, but the sooner the better.  It will help tremendously in helping you get back to working on your fitness goals.

Give yourself the week or two after vacation to allow your body to normalize.

Your activities, your eating, and maybe even your sleep habits are most likely not the same on vacation, and that’s okay!  You took the vacation to enjoy yourself and that is what you’re doing.  So, it is very possible that you may experience bloating and a little bit of weight gain.  If you give yourself the week or two following vacation to get back into your home routine of great workouts and healthy eating, your body will undoubtedly return to the state it was in before you went on vacation.  Just give it a little bit of time.  I hopped right back into my routine the day after I returned, and I already feel pretty much back to normal.

Give your body time to normalize.

Putting plans in place, moving, and giving yourself time to get back into your fitness routine will allow you to enjoy yourself and the beautiful place you choose to spend your vacation.  So, the next time you go on vacation, take these tips with you and have fun!

I hope you found this article helpful.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me at brie@ogletreeformandfunction.com.  If you are looking for a supportive community to help you reach your health and fitness goals, join the Form and Function Tribe on Facebook!

 

WORK FOR YOUR GOALS!!!

Brie Ogletree

Owner, Ogletree Form and Function

B.S. Kinesiology: Exercise Science

Certified Personal Trainer

Nutrition: Building a Solid Foundation

Your nutrition (diet) is as simple as what you eat on a daily basis, but understanding how it works is a whole other story!  With so much information out there on “what to eat,” “what you should never eat,” “what’s healthy,” “what’s bad for you,” it may make you want to scream!

I’ve felt this way many times.  Just when I thought I had it figured out, BOOM! A new knowledge bomb would be dropped right into my lap again!

I probably still don’t have it ALL figured out, but what I have mastered is a solid foundation, and I want to make sure you have the information to build a solid foundation as well.

So, what is the foundation of nutrition?  How do you make sure you are eating a well balanced diet?

To eat a well balanced, nutritious diet there are three basic concepts to understand:

1. What’s in your food
2. What the best quality sources of food are
3. How much to eat

It starts with understanding the breakdown of what is in your food!

All food, natural or artificial, organic or commercially produced, genetically modified or not, can be broken down into macro nutrients, micro nutrients, and water.  Macronutrients are the components of food that contain energy; your carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Micro nutrients are your vitamins and minerals; the components of food that are key to certain human body structures and execute many different bodily processes.

Let’s take a minute to review the role of each macro nutrient.  I feel it is important to understand  what your body actually does with the food you eat.  I have summarized it all in a chart for you!

Macronutrient	Role
Proteins	Build muscle/antibodies/enzymes, hormones, provide structure/energy, maintain fluid/ electrolyte/ acid-base balance, clot blood
Carbohydrates	Primary fuel for most bodily tissues and functions(especially the brain and central nervous system), complex fiber-rich sources provide important vitamins and minerals
Fats	Muscle relaxation/contraction, regulate genetic activities affecting metabolism. blood vessel constriction and dilation, blood clot formation, blood lipid regulation, and immune response to injury and infection

I could also go into each and every benefit of the 26 or so vitamins and minerals next, but that is really not necessary to making sure your nutrition is well balanced. And I do not want to bore you!

It’s really a lot simpler than that!

A well balanced diet encompasses foods that are quality sources of macro nutrients and micro nutrients.  The best sources are foods that occur naturally on Earth, or are minimally processed.

What can get confusing is the fact that humans have found ways to turn naturally occurring foods into other types of food (i.e. crackers, chips, pastries, other baked goods, protein bars, etc…).  A lot of these “foods” are so manipulated and processed that they end up losing the original nutritional benefits that they once had.

And pretty much all of them are so damn tasty!

A really good rule of thumb: If it’s grown in the dirt (fruits and vegetables) or once had a mom and a dad (animal meat), the food source in question will most often than not provide you with some type of nutritional benefit (Unless it’s poisonous! Don’t eat anything poisonous!).  And I’m talking about foods that are closest to their natural form, so minimally processed.

No, sadly french fries do not count…sigh…

As long as you are eating with that idea in mind, it is pretty hard to go wrong. Eating this way will ensure that you are getting all the necessary vitamins and minerals your body needs as well.  Below is a list of various great sources of each macronutrient.  It’s not an all inclusive list, but it gives great examples.

Proteins	Carbohydrates	Fats
Chicken breast, fish, lean ground turkey meat, lean ground beef, lean cuts of beef, eggs, dairy, whey and casein proteins	Fruits, non-starchy vegetables, starchy carbs (100% whole grain/ sprouted grain breads and pasta, sweet potato, white potato, rice)	Avocado, nut butters, olive oil, coconut oil, nuts, flaxseed oil

The last big concept in eating a well balanced nutritional diet would be knowing how much of each macro nutrient to eat.  

Five guidelines:

1.Fill half your plate with non-starchy vegetables

2.Fill ¼ of your plate with protein

3.Fill ⅛ of your plate with a quality starch

4.Fill ⅛ of your plate with healthy fats

5. Eat fruit once or twice per day

Many people are not currently eating this way, myself included up until recently.  I found however that once I got this a little more under control by eating with these guidelines in mind most of the time, my body composition that was once stalled at one place for a while began to change! I am dropping some body fat and leaning out. Just by changing my eating.

I am also finding that my energy levels are much more in check, where they used to be all over the place, and I am performing better during my workouts.

And another thing, my cravings are in check as well because my body is getting exactly what it needs.  Do I still love ice cream and pizza?  Of course! But I’m not thinking about those foods every single day now.

So now it is your turn.  Try these 5 guidelines for most of your meals using quality sources of each macro nutrient and watch everything fall into place.

I have developed a fit eating guide to help you figure out what to eat and how much of it to eat as well.  You can download it for free right here.

This nutrition foundation is a good first step to living better, feeling better, and doing better, so take action today!

 

WORK FOR YOUR GOALS!

 

I hope you found this article helpful and easy to follow.  If you have any additional questions or you are interested in online fitness coaching, please email me at Brie@ogletreeformandfunction.com

 

Brie Ogletree

Owner, Ogletree Form and Function

B.S. Kinesiology: Exercise Science

Certified Personal Trainer

 

References:

Webb, Frances Sizer., and Eleanor Noss. Whitney. Nutrition: Concepts and Controversies. Australia: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/pn-my-plate