Nutrition by Dawn - Blog

If you’re like me, you may be trying to squeeze in as much vacation time as possible in these last couple months of summer. There are so many fun aspects to vacations, like eating at cool restaurants and scouting out new spots, but unfortunately, some of the things that make vacations so great can also get in the way of your goals for yourself back at home. 

Today, I want to talk about how you can enjoy your vacation and stay on track, too. 

1. Understand you have a choice. 

I want to make one thing very clear: there is never anything wrong with choosing to eat out with your family, get a drink to sip on by the pool, or stop by a bakery for a treat. The important thing is to understand that you have a choice in whether you indulge at a certain time or not. 

Maybe you know you want a specific dish for dinner on your vacation that doesn’t exactly fit your goals, so instead of skipping out on something you really want, you choose not to indulge as much for breakfast and lunch so that you can really enjoy your dinner knowing it won’t wreck your progress. 

You shouldn’t ever feel pressured to eat something you don’t really want, and understanding you have a choice can help you have a healthier vacation in whatever way you choose. 

2. Bring enough snacks plus a few more. 

I've heard a lot of nightmare situations recently about getting stuck in airports after delays or being left on the plane waiting for hours and not having snack options available. Anytime I leave the house, I bring plenty of PFC snacks with me; that is, snacks that have a balanced amount of proteins, fats, and carbs. And now, the trick might be to not only bring enough for your journey, but also grab a few extras just in case you end up stranded somewhere along the way for longer than you had planned. It’s always better to be over prepared than under, and you can always save the snacks for your next journey if you don’t end up needing them! 

For a car trip, a cooler is ideal so that you can bring a greater variety of food. But you can get creative so that you can bring food on planes, too! You just need to be mindful about bringing liquids, so instead of bringing a pre-made shake, you bring only the powder and plan to mix it with water in a bottle once you get through security. 

3. Choose snacks that take up less space. 

When you’re traveling on a plane, you have less space, so even though you may want to bring fruits and vegetables along, there may not be a ton of room to make that possible. Bars are a great choice for a smaller snack that can easily fit in a backpack or purse. I try to choose a bar with 15-20 grams of proteins and carbs and 8-10 grams of fat. If you end up with something a little less balanced, you can bring additional snacks to balance out your bar, like Epic Jerky strips which can add some protein to your meal. 

4. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. 

No matter where you’re going or what you’re doing, we always need to make sure we’re hydrating along the way. When we travel, we’re especially susceptible to dehydration and, so we need to take even more care to hydrate our bodies. I’ve recently been loving Electro, an electrolyte and antioxidant supplement that I add into my water. I can easily take it on the go, and I know I’m staying hydrated along the way. 

Summer is still in full swing, so I hope that whether you’re planning a staycation or a vacation, you’re doing something fun and refreshing to celebrate the season. 

Are you team vacation or team staycation? Let me know in the comments!

If you need some inspiration for healthy living, please join me in my Facebook group Never Diet Again for a great community filled with great discussion!