Diet/exercising on vacation?

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melmarie4
melmarie4 Posts: 39
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm going on vacation for a week next thursday and i haven't decided how close i'm gonna watch my calories and how much exercise i'll fit in. i just know i'm gonna want those delicious fruity tropical drinks but they're are so many calories! i know the hotel has a gym and i'm thinking i'll bring my 30DS dvd but its definitely gonna be hard to motivate myself. i wanna relax and have fun on vacation but at the same time i'll be so bummed if i gain any of the pounds i've lost back. what do you do on vacation? do you take a week off or try to stick pretty close to your diet? do you try to fit a few workouts in?

Replies

  • lindalee0315
    lindalee0315 Posts: 527 Member
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    I stick close to my exercise routine, allowing myself a little variety if the weather is great by doing more outdoor things than I would here in Michigan in say, January. I allow myself a little slack with respect to food choices, but truly not a whole lot. I loaded my DVDs on my laptop, and usually do the Insanity DVDs or Jillian Michaels DVDs which don't require weights since we fly. I've worked very hard for my body, and get pretty anxious about not exercising.
  • Stoosshelby
    Stoosshelby Posts: 14
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    No one wants to spend their vacation counting calories and working out. Give yourself a little slack, have your fruity umbrella drinks, and hit the treadmill every morning. That way you're still burning calories, maybe not as much as you consume, but some is better than none. It's a vacation after all. Enjoy it!
  • easfahl
    easfahl Posts: 567 Member
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    Great question. I've been thinking a lot about this too. I'm island hopping in the BVIs for two weeks just three weeks before my first half marathon! I've been training with a group so I need to run this question by them and the coach. I plan on bringing my running shoes but doing most of my cardio by swimming a lot. Won't be able to do any weight training because it won't be available. :cry: I sure as heck don't want to ruin all my hard work with this half marathon training by gaining a few pounds and losing my endurance base. :noway:
  • Redlybird
    Redlybird Posts: 11
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    Are you going someplace tropical (by mention of the drinks)?

    It would be both relaxing and fun to take an early morning walk each day along the beach, if there is one. The sand will provide resistance so you won't need to run as much. Just take a nice, long walk, and then find activities that also include plenty of walking and sight-seeing. You can have tons of fun on vacation and still fit in exercise! It might not be as tough as 30DS, or a trip to the gym on a normal day in your home town, but some exercise is better than none.

    For example, when I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I walked for HOURS each day! Sight seeing, the shops and markets, walking along the beach instead of swimming (the water wasn't clean, and where it was clean there were baby jelly fish at that point in the year). It was super fun!
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
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    I am better about exercising on vacation than at home. Enjoy (REALLY ENJOY) a fruity drink, then have a glass of water. Moderation.
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I just got back from a "mini vacation"...We sent to see my mom and her husband. I didn't log an food/exercise while I was gone this time. (last time I did). We did some walking, but nothing like I do at home during a workout. I didn't go nuts on food. Pretty much ate what I do at home, with a few little bits extra. Its all about moderation.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,704 Member
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    I ALWAYS exercise on vacation. It's my lifestyle and I do it because I LOVE it and how it makes me feel. That's why where ever we stay, I try to get a hotel with a gym. It's usually a Marriott since my wife has so many points from travel and the room ends up being free.
  • caveats
    caveats Posts: 493 Member
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    How often do you go on vacation with delicious fruity tropical drinks?

    If you're like me, you maybe get a couple vacations in your lifetime with delicious fruity tropical drinks. If you're like Donald Trump ... okay, so maybe you go twice a month. But I'm going to guess you're less like Donald Trump and more like the rest of us. ;) In which case, I would say ...

    SCREW THE CALORIES! BOTTOMS UP!

    You have the rest of your life to work off those calories later, but if you're going on a really good vacation to a locale you're likely not going to have a chance to visit regularly, personally, I don't think it's worth it to stress about diet/exercise. You're only going to get a week ... it's not like it's a month-long trip through Europe. :D (In which case, I would also be very jealous ... what fun that would be!)

    If it's just a business trip, then yes, I often do watch my food/exercise still, especially since sometimes our trips to clients don't often land us in exotic locales anyway, so it's not like I'm missing out on much.
  • msiamjan
    msiamjan Posts: 326 Member
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    I have gone twice on vacation since starting this particular journey. Both times I opted to not log, but to eat mindfully and walk everywhere. It worked out. One of the times I came back the same weight and the other I actually lost. Have a great vacation.
  • melmarie4
    melmarie4 Posts: 39
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    Are you going someplace tropical (by mention of the drinks)?

    It would be both relaxing and fun to take an early morning walk each day along the beach, if there is one. The sand will provide resistance so you won't need to run as much. Just take a nice, long walk, and then find activities that also include plenty of walking and sight-seeing. You can have tons of fun on vacation and still fit in exercise! It might not be as tough as 30DS, or a trip to the gym on a normal day in your home town, but some exercise is better than none.

    For example, when I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, I walked for HOURS each day! Sight seeing, the shops and markets, walking along the beach instead of swimming (the water wasn't clean, and where it was clean there were baby jelly fish at that point in the year). It was super fun!

    Ya i'm going to st. thomas! so excited :) i was thinking taking walks on the beach would be a fun way to get some exercise in. that's a good point about the sand being good resistance, didn't think about that. i guess i don't need to get really intense workouts in, just doing a little is better than nothing and sight seeing is way more fun than running in a gym. thank you!
  • melmarie4
    melmarie4 Posts: 39
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    I have gone twice on vacation since starting this particular journey. Both times I opted to not log, but to eat mindfully and walk everywhere. It worked out. One of the times I came back the same weight and the other I actually lost. Have a great vacation.

    good to know! i figured it be harder to log cause it won't be easy to find calorie info for the things i'm eating. if i eat mindfully like you did, it won't be bad to take a few days off from logging. as long as im not gaining weight i won't mind and it seems like the key is to fitting a lot of walking in. thanks!
  • BaileyBoo13524
    BaileyBoo13524 Posts: 593 Member
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    Honestly I would take the week off! If I was on vaca at a tropical destination I would want to enjoy myself and not worry about anything! I did go on a cruise a couple of years ago and was mindful of my food choices plus I walked a lot to see tourist things and the scale didn't move either way :)

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