Happy October, friends!

I just love this month.  The (hopefully) cooler weather, jeans, boots, sweaters, pumpkins, costumes and all the wonderful things that fall brings.

This week we are out-of-town at one of our favorite spots, Hilton Head Island.  I look forward to Fall Break every year.  It’s a week to rest and recharge.  A week off all things school and sports.

Since I am on vacation, I thought it would be a great time to talk about tips on how to stay active while on vacation, workouts and nutrition.  It can be easy to fall off track while on vacation.  I know for me, I love my mornings on vacation.  Drinking coffee, enjoying the quiet, reading a book or just sitting on the porch.  I do enjoy several mornings of this, but try to add in runs, workouts or fun activities with my family.  It is all about finding a good balance.

Be Prepared

Pack your workout clothes yo!  If you are driving to your destination, pack your weights, resistance bands, jump ropes and anything else you can.  This will help add in variety to your workouts.  If you don’t have weights that’s ok!  There are plenty of workouts you can still do.

Plan Ahead

I am a planner.  A list maker.  A girl who loves to know what she’s doing with plenty of time in advance.  For me, a lot of the battle is mental so I go ahead and set a tentative plan in my mind.  It’s tentative because if I miss a day, I don’t beat myself up.  It is vacation!  If you CrossFit, plan to visit a local box.  If you are a runner, plan what days you will go for a run.  Setting that plan in your mind helps keep you accountable.  And if you are traveling with a group that also enjoys working out, do it together!

Involve Your Family and Friends

You do not have to go out and run miles and miles and miles or go to the hotel fitness center for hours.  You can make staying active fun!  Go for a hike, walk on the beach, play spike ball or volleyball, golf or go shopping!  My husband would disagree that shopping is exercising, but it totally can be.

We love renting bikes and taking the kiddos out riding. We normally set one day aside as “bike day.”  We ride our bikes around the island and grab lunch.  You will be surprised at how many miles you put in by the end of the day.

As a box owner, I’ve had a lot of athletes ask me for ideas of WODs (workout of the day) while on vacation.  There are so many on the web that it can be a little overwhelming when trying to find them.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

A.  20 Minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible)

5 Push ups

10 Sit ups

15 Air Squats

Add in a one or two-mile run at the beginning or the end and you have a great 30-40 minute workout.

B.  4 Rounds for Time

Run 400m

50 Air Squats

C.  100 Burpees for Time

D.  For time

Run 1 mile, lunging 30 steps every 1 minute. (Keep your hands off of your thighs!)

E.  Run a 5K

Next up, nutrition.  Oh me.  The hardest part of vacation.  Resisting the urge to splurge.  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  It’s all about balance.

I am one to go crazy on vacation and then come back home with an extra set of pounds and regret.  It leaves me feeling gross and makes it hard getting back on track when I get home.  This is why, for me, staying active is so important.

Choose a healthy breakfast

Oatmeal, whole grain toast, turkey bacon and eggs.  This will help get you started on the right track for the day.

Healthy Snacks

I make sure to bring my protein powder and yogurt bars when travelling.  If I have a refrigerator I make sure to have Greek yogurt, fruit and deli meat on hand.  This keeps me on plan with my snacks and helps me avoid reaching for the cookies or the potato chips.  Water is your best friend!  Lots and lots of water!

Choose a Healthy and Light Lunch

When we go to the beach, we pack snacks and lunch for the day.  So when packing, I make sure to go ahead and pack something relatively healthy.  I roll up slices of turkey and ham with cheese and some pretzel crisps.  I make sure to pack lots of fruit in our cooler.

Dinner

When we are in HHI, we eat out most nights.  There are so many restaurants that we love so we make sure to hit as many as we can.  I choose to have a glass or two of wine with my meal and don’t fret too much about the calories.  Again, it’s vacation!

When we go to PCB with friends we eat in for dinner every night.  This year we were spoiled with our friend Rod’s cooking.  We try to balance out healthy options like spaghetti squash or steaks and a salad.  One night we have a Low Country Broil.  Our friend’s uncle makes the best mac n’ cheese.  Believe me.  I am not thinking about calories that day ha!

Everyone is different when it comes to staying active on vacation.  Some choose to do something daily, others may choose to do something here or there and others may take a complete break.  There isn’t a right or wrong way.

Our bodies and our mind need a periodic break.  This summer I chose to take a complete break off of counting macros, but I also balanced it out with staying active as many days as I could.  It’s all about balance y’all.  And grace.  Don’t be so hard on yourself for missing a couple of days.  But when you get home….hit it hard!

Happy Vacationing!

-Maggie