Vacation Pleasures
Aug 24, 2022
Ever feel like you need to recover from your vacation? Yeah, me too!
Vacations can leave us with wonderful memories, but they can be tough on us too!
My normal days at home are hemmed in with lots of healthy routines. My food, exercise, bed time, and morning routines for starters.
Then there is the stuff in my home that anchors me, like the mirror I high five into, places I stretch my body or write in a journal, car I go to the gym in, and sticky notes that say encouraging things like:
“Live, Love, Matter”
“What could I get excited about today?”
Pack a bag and pile into the car, and all those anchors retreat into the rear view mirror!
Over the years, I have found that bringing a few anchors helps me survive trips in decent shape.
You guessed it, food is a big one!
Now, of course, vacations offer a great opportunity for enjoying some serious food extravagance, and that’s awesome!
Let’s squeeze every last drop out of the vacation pleasure zone!
I am usually checking the pain to pleasure ratios pretty carefully, though.
I know that packing my own breakfast grounds me tremendously. My oat/protein breakfast, dry ingredients mixed in a bag, gives me so much security.
Even if I don’t eat my oats for breakfast, having them once a day helps calm and steady me.
I will also bring protein bars for snacks, powdered flavored protein drinks, and a shaker bottle to make it easy.
I have come to notice that, on vacations, carbohydrates are often plentiful. Fruit! Breads! Pasta! And, yes, alcohol is a carbohydrate too!
Quality protein, however, is often scarce. Even if you eat animal products!
A lot of restaurant foods will be way heavier on carbs and fat than protein. Eggs, cheese and fatty meats, for example, will have very modest protein compared to fat.
If you are getting used to eating more clean burning plant foods, these standard american meals will not sit so well. My bet? You will be eyeing my high protein oats pretty darn quickly!
Another feel good supplement that’s easy to bring along? Powdered green drinks! I love these. I also bring green tablets which are even easier to consume.
On the road, I often don’t get the veggies I am used to, and I miss them pretty quickly. A quick green supplement helps steady me.
I also make sure to bring some exercise clothes and shoes, and plan adventures into my trip here and there.
Vacations offer a great opportunity to do something different, and break up the usual exercise routine!
Last night, I just got back from a several day outing that featured lots of swimming in rivers, climbing around on rocks, and hiking.
I am feeling excited to get back to my regular workouts, but the change felt good too, and gave my body a chance to rest.
Now and then on a trip, when someone sees my high protein oats or sneakers, they will exclaim, “You are so good!”
Hahaha! They think I am being “good”! Nope! I am simply giving myself as much pleasure, and avoiding as much pain as possible!
