I think of summer as vacation time. Whether it’s a cottage week, day trips, or even an all-inclusive somewhere, it’s guaranteed to throw off your normal routine! There are always a few things you can do to try to keep your routines going as much as possible!
This summer, my main focus is to ensure that I keep up with my new healthier eating habits and my upgraded fitness routine.
Cottaging!
At a cottage, it might be easy to get out for a run and explore the area, or you could even find some canned goods to use as weights for a bit of an easy weight routine. I love having my fitness apps from my phone, too, because I literally have them with me all the time!
When it comes to cottage food, you basically have as much control as when you are at home. If you are cottaging with others, you may want to come up with a plan ahead of time so that people aren’t bringing only the same things! But you have the freedom to have the same types of meals that you have at home. You can throw in a couple of treats like maybe a roasted marshmallow or other evening treats! But for the most part, the menu is up to you. Shop ahead of time to hit up some cheaper grocery stores and enjoy the week.
Keeping the kids away from screens at home is one thing, but while cottaging, it’s best to limit it and let the kids play by exploring! Encourage them to play more outside, pull out puzzles or boardgames, or even bring some books and enjoy some group reading time! Play active indoor games like charades or act out a ‘who am I’ type of game. Have fun outside with swimming (if there’s a body of water nearby), riding bikes, or simply exploring nature! You may even have fun with low key activities like fishing or just sitting and chatting around a campfire!
Day Trips
Day trips can be very tough to plan for. Do you pack a picnic that you have to keep temperature controlled for who knows how long? Do you pick up food along the way? Do you pay the extra surcharge to just eat at whatever place you went for your day trip? If you go to a museum or amusement park you will surely pay more for the food on site. It’s hard to decide what is more worth it sometimes! No matter what, it’s worth it to bring water and some light snacks. Often, while the kids are out having fun, they neglect that little feeling that they are getting a little bit hungry. They only realize they are hungry when they are ‘starving and going to die if they don’t get food within 10 seconds!!!’ – sound familiar? Wherever we go, I always bring water bottles and at least one snack for each person, including adults – sometimes they can be just as bad as the kids!! If your day trip allows, try to pack a picnic. It gives you much more control over the nutrition AND your money! If you can pack a picnic and save money on food, then maybe you can get the kids something special to remember their trip!
All-Inclusives
No matter where you are, you can always continue being physically active! Even at an all-inclusive resort. You will likely be walking around a lot more than you would otherwise at home. If the resort is large or has multiple resorts, walk instead of taking the shuttle around. Pack a resistance band in your bag so you can do a couple of easy full body workouts. Check out the gym at the resort! Most resorts have beautiful gyms with lots of equipment! Take advantage of it. You are paying for it anyway! The other thing to check out is the daily events. Often, resorts offer yoga on the beach or aquafit classes in the pool! Why not use those if timing allows, again, it’s part of what you are paying for!
Healthier eating can be a bit more challenging when at an all-inclusive resort! I mean, the buffet alone is littered with good eats; food that may not usually be made at home, and a whole bunch of desserts. When it comes to the buffet, create a one plate rule! You can only fill one plate at meal times! (that way, even if you do want to indulge in a fancier or fattier meal, you can only do so much damage if you can only fill your plate once!) Often similar foods are available each meal. Most of the time at resorts, there are also a ton of other places to get great food. And, another hard part is that you don’t need to eat only at meal times! Food is practically available at any time of the day! The best tip I can offer is to focus on meats, veg, and fruit! There is so much available, but the thing that I used to always overlook or take for granted is not having to prepare and cut up all the fruit and veg! After you have had some time to explore the resort and know what treats are available, let yourself indulge a little! Pick your treat(s) at the start of the day. Let yourself pick a treat or two each day, and really dream about it through the day! You will find it so much more satisfying! I mean, you are on vacation after all!!
When thinking of going on any kind of vacation, even the prep and clean up afterward can be hard on your routine. It’s important to pack and unpack, but it’s also important to keep taking care of yourself! Work it into your time management! It will save a ton of stress – which is no good for your soul!
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