It’s coming to the time of year…holiday season!!
We all look forward to it, but often I have people comment to me regarding their fears.
Not your typical fears of flying or travelling with family etc. No, these fears I’m told about are ones relating to food and exercise.
I thought this week it was a great time to write about this, since I just got back from a long weekend in Queensland.
I want to start by saying these fears are normal. I’ve had them in the past as well. So, never feel embarrassed.
The second thing I want to say is, that everyone is different when it comes to this. And that is ok!! It’s going to be better for you, if you can find your own why and what works best for you.
When Matt and I travel we do so with a plan, when it comes to our food and exercise.
Before we go we discuss if we are going to go the gym, while we are away. Or if we will do some sort of outside cardio activity.
The point here is that we do exercise whenever we go away, whether it’s for 3 days or for 3 weeks.
We will then plan our week leading in to our trip accordingly – for example, if we are not intending on going to a gym while away on a short trip, we will make sure we do all our gym work before we leave.
I went for a long run while in Queensland...the view was amazing.
This is what I did last week before our trip to Queensland. I did all my gym work Monday to Thursday and then did cardio while away. I knew I was going to a sunny, beautiful location so I didn’t want to be stuck in a gym. I enjoyed my surroundings.
Whereas when Matt and I when to America last year, we were there for 3 weeks, so we did go to the gym while there.
Did we follow our workout plan exactly? NO!
But that’s not the point. We work with the equipment which was available to us in hotel gyms, and still got some great workouts in.
Now the food.
Last week Matt and I also discuss what we want to do with regards to food. You all know I’m a big food prep girl. I do a bulk food prep twice a week. So, what do I do when away?
Again, it depends where you’re going and for how long. This weekend just gone, we stayed in an apartment. It had a full kitchen, however I didn’t want to spend precious holiday time on food prep.
So the answer was…to take some of my food with me.
The Day before we left, I placed a slow cooker on with some chili con carne. Then portioned it out in to 10 smaller containers, and placed them in the freezer. The morning we were leaving I placed them in to a freezer bag. This bag come on the plane with us, as carry on. We checked our clothes bag in.
Yes – you can take food on the plane, just so you know. And yes, for a 2-hour flight it was fine. By the time, we got to our apartment we placed them in the fridge and they were ready to go.
I went to Coles to get some easy salad mix and voila – great food and zero wasted holiday time J
When we went away overseas, this was not going to work. So we did eat out in restaurants, to ensure great quality food. We also got easy salads on the go.
The big thing I want to emphasise here is that we still had cheat food. Whether it be last weekend or last year on out big trip. We still had hamburgers and ice-cream.
As much as Matt and I love to keep exercising and keep up with good food while away. We also love to have our treats.
This is absolutely a personal preference.
I know people who will not train while on holidays. They will watch what they eat but training – not happening.
I know others who go the opposite way – they will train the house down while away, but they will eat whatever they want.
Is there a right and wrong? No – I don’t think there can be.
We are all individual and have different goals. So, what you do on holidays should reflect your individual goal and where you are in your transformation. It is something you should work out with your trainer.
But remember – living a healthy lifestyle is not just for 12 weeks at a time. It is for good. Life must always include balance.
Court
