If you’re planning a vacation but you’re worried about straying from your regular exercise routine and your diet, don’t worry. If you’re near a beach, make sure you go for a walk each day in the sand. Walking in sand burns twice the calories as walking on pavement. Strive for a pace of about 4 miles per hour for optimal weight loss.
If there isn’t a beach near you, find some grass or gravel. You won’t burn as many calories as you would by walking in sand, but it will burn more than walking on regular pavement. Don’t forget to wear proper shoes and always have a bottle of water with you to keep hydrated.
Always have a healthy snack with you to keep from binging when you get back to your hotel. And remember to eat regularly to keep yourself from going hungry only to stuff yourself later. If you are going to eat a big meal, make it earlier in the day so you have more time to burn the calories off.
By making conscious choices about eating and exercising, you won’t gain any weight while on vacation and you can enjoy your time off guilt-free!
Just wondering-you mentioned things to help keep on target while on vacation. But where can we get information on things that we can do to keep on target while we are enroute to and from our destination? For instance, I’m going on one more trip this year, and it’s not one that can be made in an eight hour drive…we’re flying. Aside from the mad dash to the terminal and the occasional walk up and down the aisle (provided that there is no turbulence) while in the air, what can we do to stay on track while travelling?
Also, is there a place we can go to get nutritional information on airline food (I’m trying to stay away from that but that may be a possibility)?
Excellent question Melissa. Here’s my answer:
Consider missing out on airline food altogether. Not only does skipping airline meals save you a hefty calorie count, it can also help speed up recovery from jetlag.
Airlines should let you bring along your own snacks, so pack some healthy carbs to nibble on while everyone else is eating.
Drink plenty of water to help curb cravings and jetlag.
Depending on the airline, you should be able to order a ’special low fat/cholesterol meal’ when making your reservations if you feel like you really should eat while flying.
If your flight is 3-4 hours or less, consider skipping all foods completely.
While you’re in the air, it’s a great time to get some well-needed sleep. Not getting enough sleep is a definite factor in how successful you are with your weight loss, so take advantage of this down time to get some z’s.
As for the nutritional information of airline food, I can tell you that most of it is not at all nutritious. Airline food is loaded with preservatives and contains too many empty calories to mention. It’s best to stay away from it if possible, especially the ’snack boxes’.
Snack boxes and other foods you are required to pay for should have nutritional information right on the package. However, last I heard airline food was exempt from having to label the nutrition information on food served as part of the airfare.
Thanks for the great question,
Cassie