How to Balance ‘Healthy Eating’ and ‘Treating’ on Holiday
It is so important to enjoy yourself on vacation and feel like you can eat what you want when you want.
Your health and fitness goals should not mean you miss out on a single experience or miss making a single memory with the ones that you love.
There is nothing worse than not enjoying a meal with your family when everyone else is digging a spoon into the chocolate lava cake and you’re still pushing your salad round your plate.
That being said, there is a big difference between indulging for the enjoyment and just eating for the sake of ‘being on holiday’. Here are my top tips for balancing ‘healthy eating’ and ‘treating’ when you travel.
If it’s hot or not – hydrate
Drink water, water, water. If it’s hot, you are more dehydrated just from the heat so drink up, it may have you running back and forth to the bathroom but if you are ‘treating’ yo’self more frequently whether, with food or alcohol, water will be your best friend for flushing out your system and beating the bloat.
Eat healthily, so you can eat what’s worthy
The very best principle I take away with me on holiday is mindfulness and balance. I take every opportunity I have to eat well (healthily) so that I can take EVERY opportunity I have to eat something AMAZING.
For example - if we are out for lunch at a beach bar or diner, I would rather choose the healthy option like a salad, or flatbread, so that when we go somewhere that has a ‘special’ - like the best steak, or a renowned chocolate dessert that I’m never likely to experience again. I can order it and not worry for a second about my body, my goals, the sugar or the fat.
Sure, I could have had burger and fries at the beach bar and it would have been great, but I wasn’t missing out on anything. I know I can get a generic burger and fries anytime, home or away.
Breakfast every day
At home, breakfast is my favourite meal.
Years ago, breakfast on holiday would have been a full English, or on the go foods like muffins and pastries.
Now when I stay in a hotel for any length of time, I go to the local supermarket on the first day and buy good quality granola and a carton of almond milk (which I keep in the mini bar fridge). Then I can have a quick, healthful, easy breakfast, every single day.
Permission to eat pudding
As most of you know. I love cake. It’s my favourite thing and I just can’t resist it. I’m not someone who can go out for dinner every single night of the week and only order pudding once. So, instead of just letting myself overindulge 5 nights out of seven just because I’m on holiday’. I make a pact with James, that we will always only order one pudding each night we are out and everyone around the table gets to have a bite. That way, I get to taste everything I want to and never feel like there is a night that I’m ‘not allowed’ to order cake. On another sharing note:
So that’s how I balance healthy eating with ‘treating’ when I’m on holiday.
I don’t restrict anything at all – but I choose well so that I can treat my body well. I hope you found this helpful and take away that you really can enjoy the best of both worlds on holiday without worry.
