By: Bridgette Wilson

As a basic rule of thumb, vacation time means packing up your cool gear and temporarily escaping your worries. However, it should not mean leaving your good healthy lifestyle habits hanging in your closet. You have worked very hard to achieve your goal of healthy living, so why would you want to sabotage your efforts.

Although the thought of lavishing in the thoughts of your vacation and no schedules to keep, it is still a good idea to keep your meal planning and exercise routine on your priority list of “to do” items. Remember, staying healthy is now a part of your daily life, as is brushing your teeth or taking a shower. Would you go on vacation and leave those habits behind you? Of course not!

Staying healthy while on vacation is not very difficult if you do some planning. Think about your vacation plans. Did you just wake up one morning and say, “Hey, let’s go to Palm Springs today?” I am not a gambler, but I am willing to bet that unless you are a millionaire with your own private jet, it is not something you would logically do.

Most people must go through the process of planning where they want to visit, how much time can they spend away from work/school, and of course, what will be their spending budget. So, when you think about factoring in your healthy lifestyle habits, the same factors apply. Planning and budgeting your time.

• Where and what you will eat?
• What activities will you do to stay active?
• How will you keep track of your calorie budget?

During my recent vacation to Washington, D.C., to return home with no weight gain, and only fond memories and pictures on my iPhone, I had to follow some basic guidelines. First, I booked a hotel that had an onsite exercise room. If that is not possible, no worries, just make sure you choose some activities that will keep you very active, such as guided walking tours. Next, I had to do a little online searching to look up the eateries that I would encounter on my vacation itinerary. In today’s social media world, it is simple to pull up any restaurant or even hotel menu with their nutritional stats. You can glance at what they offer as well as pre-plan how you will spend your calorie budget. My first night, I had blackened salmon with a fresh mixed green salad topped with walnuts and cranberries. For breakfast, I enjoyed a delicious egg white and veggie omelet with multi-grain toast and fresh seasonal fruit.

Stuck in an airport or running between connecting flights? No worries, there are always to-go salads, deli options with multi-grain breads or wraps. If you want to avoid the tempting breakfast taco or oversize Cinnabon, try some low-fat yogurt with fresh berries and granola.

I know it is hard to make the healthier choices daily. So, when it is vacation time, it will be even more challenging. However, the rewards of having a fun vacation while staying on track is priceless.

To read more about staying healthy on your vacation, check out:

http://www.webmd.com/women/features/vacation-eating#1

http://wellviewhealth.com/news/2017/06/wellbeing-wednesday-eating-healthy-traveling/