Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Fit Tip #4 Vacation Sabotage

As we are in the month of June and it is officially summer, people are going away for vacation, for the weekend, preparing for 4th of July festivities, the question becomes how do I stay on my diet? How do I enjoy myself without sabotaging my progress and keep up with my routines? I have answers and they begin with many of the things I have discussed previously. First if you make a commitment to making this a lifestyle and not a diet or quick fix then vacation is not a metaphor for free-for-all. Also look at pay attention to your words and intentions, do you feel vacation you should be able to eat whatever you want, do whatever you want? And what is the logic behind that? Does it support your overall intentions for your life? Do you consider eating well, healthfully and exercising punishment or a privilege? Something you do because you care about your body? Something you do because it gives you more energy, makes you feel good and supports your vision for your life?

I'm throwing it back at you because that's where all the responsibility is. Change your mindset and your weekend is not when you're "bad", change you mindset and vacation is not a buttery, fried food extravaganza. You eat well because it supports your body, your health and tastes good. Within the context of this is a lifestyle and not a diet, you can have fried food once in a while. You can have that creme brulee or piece of cheesecake. Pay attention though is it everyday? Every meal? Because if it is there is something else going on. Something you are pushing down with food. Yeah you could say it's cause it tastes good and I'll tell you sugar is one of the most addictive substances. Since you are an adult you can make a choice to change your taste buds, train your palate as well as your body.

So you're going on vacation and you don't have a gym where you're going, what do you do? You can do abs anywhere. The core exercises I gave you earlier can be done in a hotel room, poolside just about anywhere. Also bring a jump rope with you if you don't have access to a gym to get on the elliptical, treadmill or don't have access to a trail to run. A jump rope is really easy to pack, takes up no room and really gets your heart rate up. It can be done in a small space and it will help tone your arms. Other exercises you can do are lunges and squats, push ups, modified or full body. None of these require equipment all they require is your commitment and a willingness to have the vision of the body you want. If you wish to add resistance you can bring resistance bands with you, either with handles or without. These are also very lightweight and don't take up a lot of room. You can add bicep curls to your lunges or squats, you can do a standing bent over row, triceps kickbacks, overhead press. In other words there is no excuse to not continue your program.

If you make the time to exercise during your vacation and make healthful eating choices, there is no reason to sabotage your program. You can indulge in some of your pleasurable foods, balance is the key. Have that delicious buttery whatever for dinner just make sure to balance that with a scrumptious salad for lunch and yummy fruit for a snack etc. Or have the grand slam for breakfast just choose healthfully for the rest of the day. Plan your meals and your exercise time, just like you plan your tanning time! If you don't want to feel like you're spending your whole vacation working out, cut it back to 20 or 30 minutes, just pack it in. Don't rest, give yourself a circuit training workout and do jumping jacks or jump rope in between your sets. You can keep your commitment to yourself just make it non-negotiable, make it an appointment with your best self and honor it.

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