So, you decided to turn over a healthy, new leaf in life, and you’re killing it! Eating healthy, getting in more daily exercise… you’re on a new path to wellness. But now, you’re realizing the hard part is about to begin: how do you keep up your progress while vacationing?
We just love hacks, so we have more for you! This week, we give you tips to help on maintaining your results while on vacay. We’ll also suggest what Purium products will help along the way.
Staying Healthy While Traveling/Vacationing
When we’re out traveling, we often put our health on the bottom of the priority list. But we can be mindful, while still having fun. Here’s a few tips to remember. We’ll guide you through what to do and what NOT to do.
What to Do
Stay Hydrated
Harvard Health reports that a healthy person needs to be drinking about 30 to 50 ounces of fluids every day for healthy nutrition. We suggest water or superfood juices of course. Green juices are especially great.
What’s more, you can hydrate with whole foods. Crazy, right? For example, fruits and veggies like watermelon and lettuce have high water-content. This means that by consuming them, you will be hydrating your body.
Remember, if you don’t keep hydrated, you risk dehydration, which can have detrimental effects on your body. You don’t want these side effects ruining your vacation! According to the Mayo Clinc, some of the symptoms include:
- dryness in the mouth, lips and tongue
- fatigue
- dizziness, confusion and brain fog
Purium-Powered Tips:
- Make sure you bring a reusable water bottle or shaker bottle wherever you go, so you can fill up on some H20 when necessary.
- Stock up on CoCo Hydrate, a refreshing blend of coconut water, rooibos, mineral salts and hibiscus. This helps balance electrolytes at only 20 calories per serving.
Like hydration, keeping yourself satiated is just as important when traveling or on vacation.
Keep Snacks Handy
It may seem counter-intuitive to snack on some grub when you’re trying to stay healthy on vacation, but it can help in the long run. Well, as long you are snacking smartly. We’re not encouraging you to stockpile tiny bags of Skittles in every jacket you own, but we do advise you to eat small, healthy snacks throughout the day.
Keep organic apples, bananas, and trail mix in your bag or pocket for an easy snack. Almonds and nuts are great because they can actually support weight loss (1). Apples will help provide dietary fiber, regulating metabolism and keeping you full (2).
So, why should you snack? Keeping yourself full will help you from over-doing it at meals. But remember, proportions do matter when you eat. Don’t eat a full canister of almonds, stick to the serving size.
Purium-Powered Tips:
- Keep your Lifestyle Guide handy and flip to page 18. Here, you’ll find flex foods that are great snack choices.
- Pack your snacks in our Pro Stak Containers.
- Stock up on Daily Fiber to encourage metabolism and production of adiponectin (the skinny hormone).
Take the Scenic Route When Possible
As much as you may hate it, you may need to fit in some sort of exercise while getting some R & R. But here’s the good news: you don’t necessarily need to hit the hotel gym. Yay!
When you’re vacationing, doing some light exercise can help you maintain your weight loss or progress. In fact, one study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggests exercise may be super important in maintaining your progress. (3) The study found that those who exercised more often kept the the lbs off better than those who didn’t workout.
We know what you’re thinking: what exactly defines light exercise? You don’t need to pack dumbbells in your carry-on bag, but we do suggest going for walks whenever possible. If you need to head to the corner store for a quick toiletries haul, throw on those walking shoes. And if you’re staying in a hotel, don’t be afraid to take the stairs to your floor. But if you’re on the top floor, we wouldn’t judge you for only walking halfway (yikes!).
You can go on hikes if that’s what you fancy, but don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable. It’s still vacation after all!
Purium-Powered Tips:
- Read up on some easy-to-do exercises with family.
- Stock up on Can’t Beet This! for extra energy to help push you up those stairs!
Cook When Possible
Cooking? On vacation? NOOOO! We totally understand, but hear us out. When we’re out on holiday, we tend to splurge on food–and we’re not just talking about eating either, we’re talking money. Not only can restaurant-style food be high in calories, but it could cost a pretty penny, too! Plus, you don’t always know what’s exactly is in the food, which makes tracking meals a little hard.
To help, we suggest cooking whenever possible. Of course, you can only do this if you’re staying somewhere where a kitchen is readily available. We’re not saying you need to cook every meal, so don’t worry! But starting off the morning with a little homemade oatmeal (even in the hotel) could help you stay satiated without eating like a hungry linebacker at the breakfast buffet.
Purium-Powered Tips:
- If you have fridge, get some kale and other greens that you can whip into a salad. These are great for quick meals!
- If you’re in a hotel, you can stock up on organic oatmeal and other foods that can be made with hot water only. (Let’s keep the cup-of-noodles to a minimum though, okay? That’s a lot of MSG).
- Stock up on Super Meal LOV, a healthy vegan shake that can help fill you up in between meals.
What Not To Do
We’ve given you tips on what to do help stay healthy during vacation. Now, here are some things NOT to do while on vacation. They can seriously set you back!
Skip a Meal
This is an absolute no-no! While not eating may seem like a good idea in theory, the risks don’t outweigh the benefits. You may think you’re cutting back on calories, but really you’re setting up your body for a failure.
How so? Live Strong reports that your body will adversely react when you skip meals. Your metabolic rate will slow down, which will affect how how many calories your body naturally burns. If you don’t provide your body proper sustenance, you can also decrease:
- mental clarity
- energy levels
- overall happiness/mood
- your ability to concentrate
Plus, withholding meals from yourself makes it more likely that you’ll overeat during your next meal. And we don’t want that!
Purium-Tips:
- Plan out your meals when possible. This can mean making mental notes like, “for lunch, I’m heading to that good vegan place I found on Instagram…“
- Take your favorite Purium drink along the ride to sip when you’re feeling hungry.
What’s another thing that can do more harm than good during vacation?
Alter Your Sleeping Patterns
While on vacation, we have to admit: we actually end up annihilating our sleeping patterns. Why? Usually, we don’t need to follow any rules when we take time off work! We can stay out all night and then sleep in all day. Then we repeat!
What’s the problem? Not getting enough good sleep can really mess up your circadian rhythm. In turn, that can affect how you feel throughout the day. And you don’t want to feel sleepy throughout your vacation–you want to live it up instead!
Purium-Tips:
- Try to give yourself a curfew. (Don’t worry, we’re not your parents, so you don’t have to listen).
- Set aside time to sleep, even when your itinerary is full.
- Stock up on Apothe-Cherry, featuring fresh tart cherries to boost melatonin. If you’re traveling, our Relax Capsules are ready to board the plane with you!
Here’s one last tip from your Purium friends. Always remember to….
Have Fun Out There
We hope you have fun on your well-deserved me-time. Bon Voyage!
Cited Links
- Abazarfard, Z., Salehi, M., & Keshavarzi, S. (2014). The effect of almonds on anthropometric measurements and lipid profile in overweight and obese females in a weight reduction program: A randomized controlled clinical trial. Journal of research in medical sciences: the official journal of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, 19(5), 457.
- Nagasako-Akazome, Y., Kanda, T., Ohtake, Y., Shimasaki, H., & Kobayashi, T. (2007). Apple polyphenols influence cholesterol metabolism in healthy subjects with relatively high body mass index. Journal of oleo science, 56(8), 417-428.
- Wing, R. R., & Phelan, S. (2005). Long-term weight loss maintenance–. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 82(1), 222S-225S.
