The most important thing when you are vacationing is to sit back, relax, and enjoy yourself. Vacationing is a great way to get out of your regular routine and truly just indulge – guilt free. If you are normally on a healthy routine when it comes to eating and exercising, vacationing may leave you with a few extra unwanted pounds and feeling like you want to lose the vacation weight gain.
While you do not necessarily need to get on the scale when you return from a vacation, I have pulled together a few tips on how you can quickly get back into your healthy routine.
Here’s how to help lose the vacation weight gain.
Re-establish normal eating habits.
Upon returning home, immediately get back into your normal eating habits. Head to your favorite grocery store and grab all your favorite healthy foods so that you can get right back into the swing of things. An easy way to ensure that you are eating healthy is to throw out any fattening foods that are in your kitchen – this way you can stay as focused as possible on getting the proper nutrients for yourself. If you find that you are a snacker, try to only purchase healthy snacks, such as almonds, cottage cheese, or apple slices to help lose the vacation weight gain.
Cook at home as much as possible.
On top of getting back into your normal eating habits, try to avoid eating out for a few weeks as you are re-creating your habit of healthy eating. If you continue to cook at home, then you know exactly what foods you are putting into your body, and you are more easily able to avoid sugary and salty snacks and ingredients.
Drink lots of water.
Hydrating is always important, but may not be prioritized when you are on vacation. When you return, aim to stay as hydrated as possible by drinking a lot of water. Rehydrating your body helps to ease water retention, which can also help you to de-bloat. While you are rehydrating your body, aim to avoid any drinks that may cause extra bloating, such as fruit juices or soft drinks (even the diet ones!) This is one of the easiest ways to lose the vacation weight gain!
Restart normal exercise routine.
Getting back into a proper exercise routine can be very difficult after a long vacation, but it is necessary. If you normally find yourself doing intense workouts, try to start slower while getting back into the routine. For example, perhaps you start with long walks, a little bit of cardio, or a quick 30-minute lifting session. One of my favorite ways to get back into working out is participating in some of my favorite workout classes, which is a great way to get some extra motivation.
Track your progress.
Tracking calories and workouts is totally a personal preference, but I have found that tracking my food intake as well as my workouts while getting back into a routine helps to keep me organized and on track. It also helps me to track what is and is not working in terms of nutrition when it comes to weight loss and toning up. If you are not into tracking your progress through Apps on your phone, try to take a picture of yourself each week, as most of the time the scale does not reflect your progress!
Most importantly, do not feel guilty about indulging on a vacation and truly enjoying yourself. As long as you are motivated to get back into the swing of things upon your return, you will be able to lose the vacation weight gain.
And remember – a healthy lifestyle is a balanced one. AKA – have the queso and margarita!