Staying Fit, Focused and Energetic on Vacation

For many of us, going away on vacation is awesome because we get to escape from reality and do, eat, and drink anything under the sun. Often this means bad (yet tasty) choices that bloat our waist lines and leave us feeling sluggish and lazy.

I won't tell you to not eat something tasty or have a cold beer or a glass of wine while you're doing what you have waited all year to do. However, If you want to minimize your post-vacation blues and weight gain, consider the following:


1 - Find time to Exercise!

If you exercise just 20-25 minutes a day while on your vacation, you will have MORE energy while you're sight-seeing, laying on the beach, or traveling.

No, you don't have to walk with a shark on your back to get a good workout. But how about these suggestions:

- Run/Powerwalk
- Ride a bike
- Swim
- Play a sport
- Go hiking

For healthy, medically cleared individuals who have no reason to NOT exercise, 20-25 minutes is generally considered a good length of time to exercise. And remember, if the activity is not at least moderately difficult, do it harder, or for longer!

Why?

By exercising while you are on vacation, you are keeping yourself accountable to your health.  While vacation is a great time to escape from the daily grind, escaping from your exercise regimen will only make it harder to resume after you have returned, increasing your likelihood of losing momentum, and possibly increasing levels of anxiety and depression.

Working out will also increase your bodies metabolism, which will help reduce weight gain and keep you trim!

2 -Take Time to Reflect

The opportunity to take a step back from life is a privilege that many don't have. One of the biggest benefits can be the opportunity for self reflection without the pressures of life bearing down on you. While you are on vacation enjoying fine food, drinks and sights, take a moment or two to think:

- What about my life is good?
- What are my strengths?
- What are some positive changes I can make to make myself even better?

We can all be grateful for something, and for most of us, life is not all that bad!  So take a moment on vacation to infect yourself (and others) with some positive thinking and acting!  It works. I do it all the time

Until next time, make good choices and move a little bit!

-Matt Yeager

Picture Credits:

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Enjoying the Journey: The True Secret to a Toned and Healthy Body that Lasts!

Let me start things off by stating what I have observed to be true with myself, my clients, and die-hard gym-goers:

Losing weight is Simple!

but this doesn't mean that it can't be a very difficult process. When I talk to individuals about losing weight, the number one reason people give me as to why they fail is:

"I love food too much to eat healthy"

Well, I guess that means that because I stick to healthy foods most of the time, that I must hate food. WRONG!  I love it!  And yes, I have a soft spot in my heart for greasy hamburgers and fries just like the rest of you health seekers.

As long as you continue to associate eating healthy with bland, tasteless dribble, you will have a hard time changing for the long term.  So what can you do?

Make your healthy food taste good, REALLY good!

If you are not enjoying the food that you are eating, you are already at a severe disadvantage.  We can all be disciplined for a period of time, but what about when you have those moments of weakness, when you just want some food to satisfy the soul? It is during those moments that you can derail your healthy mindset, so you really need to be able to work with this to ensure it does not get the best of you. 
If you know how to prepare healthy food that tastes amazing, you will have a much easier time warding off junk food cravings, and you might even learn to crave certain health foods instead.

This blog will serve many purposes, from sharing the recipes of myself and others, to discussing all things fitness related.  I invite you to join me and my team, as we explore these topics in detail, and have fun along the way.

Stay tuned for upcoming content, when we really get into the thick of it.  Until then, Enjoy life and get creative with your cooking!

-Matt