How to Balance Food and Fitness During Vacations

Throughout this year, you've been disciplined. The morning strolls, the thali kept in check, and the mithai avoided at office parties. But then comes vacation - a week in Goa with the family, a trip to the hill station with friends, or a much-awaited journey to Rajasthan as a pilgrimage, and everything slowly falls apart in 48 hours. Three plates of poha for breakfast, roadside jalebi mid-morning, a full lunch with biryani, and somehow a full dinner, as dinner is a social gathering from which you can't run away. When you're home, you feel guilty, sluggish, and bloated. Sound familiar?

The truth is, vacations aren't a bad thing for fitness. Not having a sensible approach. Some simple changes can be made that will help you enjoy every single bite of your trip and then some!

Why It’s Hard to Stay Fit During Vacations

It's not a lack of willpower; that's the difficulty. This is a total breakdown of routine, and routine is what helps to keep our food and fitness habits on autopilot.

Throw in the social stigma of traveling to India. On travels, food is a way for us to connect, celebrate, and show love. In Rajasthan, if one doesn't eat dal baati churma a second time, it seems rude, and in Kolkata, to refuse roadside jhalmuri seems unfun. In a way, when it comes to food and travel, everyone is being generous; it's really difficult to say no, but no one should have to say no to anything.

Whether it's the excitement of traveling somewhere new, dehydration from travel, being in a car or plane for long periods, or an irregular sleep schedule, traveling will leave the body slightly "off-balance". Throw in calorie-laden restaurant food, and you can come up with the ideal combination for packing on pounds and feeling exhausted – not the ideal combination for a great vacation.

Should You Worry About Fitness on Vacation?

The answer is, well, not obsessively, not completely haphazardly. Travel is nothing to be miserable and restrictive about, especially in a foodie heaven like India, when it comes to fitness goals. There's no transformation during vacation. It is maintenance. Try to be sufficiently active, eat sensibly rather than mindlessly, drink plenty of liquids, and get plenty of sleep. That is it.

Your body doesn't disintegrate in seven to ten days. When it comes to muscle, it never goes away. Fat doesn't just magically multiply and be impossible to recover. What happens is that consistency goes out the window, and it takes much longer to regain it after being totally indulged on a trip. The true goal is to feel well enough to enjoy the holiday and make the transition back to your normal routine without a 3-week fight.

Smart Food Choices During Vacation

The best food plan for a holiday is not to restrict, it's to select. Don't feel compelled to eat everything offered to you, nor to avoid all foods. The middle path is so perfect here.

Begin your day with protein! A boiled egg, a bowl of curd, some sprouts, or a glass of lassi without sugar will provide the body with steady energy and reduce the urge to overeat at lunchtime. Start a meal with soup or raita when sitting down for a full meal; it will help curb aggressive hunger and prevent overeating.

Do not "make up" missed meals with the expectation that it will make up for "indulgence". It rarely does. When you skip lunch and get to dinner starving, it's almost certain that you'll eat more than two meals' worth of food. Use satisfaction, not fullness, as a cue to stop eating.

How to Stay Active During Vacation

Most people don't realize just how active vacation time can be unless they get involved with where they're going. A sightseeing trip, a walk up the steps of the temples, shopping at the markets, a short hike, swimming, or taking a walk along the beach at night, etc. The issue occurs when in-transit time, lounging by the pool, or excessive phone use takes the place of that natural movement.

Your walking shoes will be your best company. Go on a walking tour of a new city instead of a taxi tour. Take the stairs. The 30-45 minute walk you do in the morning is better for your energy, metabolism, and attitude than anything you do at the gym when you don't feel like going.

If your hotel has a fitness center, even 20 minutes of body weight training, squat, plank, push-ups, and lunges to get muscles working can keep them from becoming stagnant and make getting back to exercise like a breeze. No equipment, no trainer, no excuses were necessary.

Beach vacations provide swimming, a great full-body workout that isn't even considered exercise. Hill stations are naturally created to incorporate walking and elevation! Even in a temple town, there are more steps taken in a day than an ordinary office worker takes in a day.

Travel-Friendly Snacks to Stay on Track

One of the sneakiest reasons for putting on the pounds while on holiday is when you grab a bite to go out of boredom, perhaps a packet of chips at a bus stop or train station, or a samosa at the airport due to your likeness, or to clean your plate because you're used to doing it. It's a simple, inexpensive way to bring your own snacks.

Here are some handy, convenient, and portable choices; easy to pack and truly enjoyable:

• Low and lightly roasted makhanas are light, crunchy, low in calories, but extra filling
• Dry fruits and nuts such as almonds, walnuts, and raisins (in a small zip-lock container)
• Chana or roasted chickpeas; they are a good source of protein and fiber, and are good for snacking between meals.
• Multigrain theplas are suitable for a whole day, without refrigerating theplas, without any problems.
• Dark chocolate (70% or higher) – a little bit will satisfy a sweet craving without the crash in sugar
• Seasonal, locally sourced, and sometimes edible for the first time, fresh fruit from local markets is a godsend.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

The most frequent mistake is to get rid of any structure. Routine doesn't mean being rigid; however, eating at random times, sleeping at 2 a.m., and only getting up when you're told to do so will affect your hormones, digestion, and energy, which can build up over days.

Another common mistake is not to consume enough water. Trips to some places in India are often accompanied by a loss of water, and in warm climates, it's often mistaken for hunger. Have a reusable water bottle and drink water throughout the day.

Last but not least, if you're on a trip, to stay healthy, you should avoid local cuisine. In Bihar, eat litti chokha; in Maharashtra, eat modak; and in Kolkata, eat misti doi, alu posto, or various sweets. Have a "portion," not a "mountain.

Simple Daily Routine for Vacation Fitness

This routine may be helpful for you during vacations!

Mornings: Hydrate with water before coffee or cell phone. Do 20-30 minutes of walking, preferably outside, based on the place. Eat a protein-rich breakfast, but not deep-fried food.

Walk short distances, take the stairs, and drink water regularly. Try to eat smaller amounts at a time and add plenty of fruits and dry foods (non-perishable), such as puffed rice, cracker biscuits, cake pieces, etc.

Evening: Take a brief walk after dinner; it helps digestion and helps avoid an overly full stomach. Remember that drinking too much alcohol can dramatically affect the quality of sleep, which in turn can negate some of the fitness effects of eating. Try to stick to the same bedtime while traveling away.

No equipment, no gym, no giving up, just maintaining a happy, healthy, and functional body all day, every day throughout the holiday.

How to Get Back on Track After Vacation

It can be demoralizing to come home and get on the scale. It's higher, the clothes are a little tighter, and getting back on track with discipline after days of freedom is too much. This is normal, it's normal, and it's temporary.

The weight people lose immediately after a vacation is mostly water weight from overindulgence in sodium, glycogen stored due to increased carbohydrate consumption, and food bulk. It is not all fat. Most of this will improve on its own within 1 week of resuming your normal diet and activities.

On the first day back: Back to normal meal schedule. Avoid extreme detox as it's not good and causes as much metabolic disturbance as it does any other. For a few days, take home-cooked food, dal, and vegetables. Go to bed at your normal time at night. It adapts easily when rewarded for good behavior, but not when punished exclusively.

Vacations are one of the things that are truly a gift in life. They bring back the mind, improve connections, and provide an encounter that no gym workout or crash diet can. If you're prepared to take a little precaution, make a couple of wise decisions, and maintain a mildly conservative stance, you can travel fully and arrive home with an unforgettable feeling.

Author: Swapan Banerjee