What good is a diet and fitness plan if you can’t take it with you….as in you can’t leave the home or travel for the holidays or go on vacations with friends and family? You can’t live in a bubble, because that is NOT living!
I went on a 4-day, 3-night trip with my husband and friends to Vegas {of all places} just three and four weeks out from my June 2013 Figure shows in Indiana. I’m sharing out my tips and tricks on how to prepare for the trip, how to stay on your plan AND have a good time while doing it! Eating clean and bodybuilding are a big part of my life, but they are NOT my life. You must choose a plan that is flexible, forgiving and sometimes just go-with-the-flow when your regular routine goes by the wayside. Read on!
I chose to take my dry goods with me (supplements, nuts, oils) and chose to leave most of my refrigerated items at home. In past trips where I was not flying, I packed it all, but on this trip I chose to not be a slave to my cooler, trust my food ordering skills and work to find foods in the restaurants that are on my plan. I say, when in doubt, just order a salad with fresh vegetables and skip the unknowns of the oily, processed dishes. I eat a lot of eggs, avocados and salmon right now, so once I find the best spot for those items, I’m gold! For my fresh items, I bought not-quite-ripe avocados and packed them in my luggage. I then hard boiled a dozen eggs, threw a few in my purse and put the rest on on some ice packs in a small lunch bag…and packed that as well.
I weighed out all my dry goods and packaged them into individual servings. I bought toiletry bottles to hold my fish and flax oils that are big part of my diet. I’ll take a measuring spoon with me to measure out each serving while I’m there as well. I also plan to take my 56-ounce water bottle and keep tabs on the nearest ice and water machines to stay filled at all times.
(I’m now writing this AFTER my trip and have tips from my info above)
One thing to consider {we actually left the oils at home on accident}, BUT if you are flying, you may encounter the oils being taken from the TSA in a bag search. That is what we thought happened, but actually we left them at home in the fridge. Just a thought, but still a good idea for travel!
I will be very honest in telling you that over the course of my 19-week contest prep from December to April, I saw a “food fear” coming on. I felt I had to eat ONLY food I prepared in order to stay my plan. While much of that is the case, I realized that I had to live, too. By that I mean that I had to be able to travel, enjoy meals with friends/family at their home or dine out with my family and not feel paralyzed or in fear by the food in front of me. Balance comes from dining out on occasion, making healthy choices while out and knowing it will be ok for your body. Of course you can’t expect to dine out frequently and achieve your fitness goals, but when the times comes for you to be social, you can exercise your super power menu skills and make a healthy choice to stay the course!
In this meal we happened upon an Irish Pub in the mall. It was time for breakfast and then we were heading for the plane. Of course there were no nutritionals for this small venue, so I had to *create my own meal* and make choices of common items that I knew I could track and stay the plan. At this time, I was eating on a Keto diet, which is high fat, very low carb. So I could choose fresh smoked salmon, eggs cooked with light or no oil (I requested that!), avocado and bacon. I tracked it all and stayed the course.
This was a salad I created. I took off the dressing and cheese and asked for a bed of lettuce and as many fresh veggies as they would give. The server initially had a blank stare, but then he got it. In the kitchen the cooks know that all their menu items are created from a base, add a meat, topped with dressings and given a name. You DON”T have to eat those preset meals if they are not on your plan. Bottomline, go back to basics. The biggest hold up the server had was that I did not want a dressing. In the past, I have squeezed fresh lemon juice on my salads and I’m even planning to pack some flax oil in my purse for future salad toppings. This salad was simple, but overall fresh and really hit the spot! Never be afraid to speak up!
While in the airport on the way home, I needed to prepare for the long flight and knew the snacks served on the plane were not on my plan. So I was drawn to the food stand that said “Fresh Market On The Go” and was hopeful it would hold up to its name! I was super impressed with its many options. Fresh sandwiches, water, veggies, fruit and even hard boiled eggs….just what I wanted! I got the eggs and veggie cup, ditched the ranch and had a great snack for the plane! They even had lots of nut options, but I still had mine packed with me, so I was good there. This was a perfect alternative to the other fried options we passed to our gate along the way. I’m thankful for venues like this and it’s reassuring for travelers and those looking to stay on their plan that you can find healthy fare out and about….you just have to keep on to find what you’re looking for!
It always amazes me how water is often more expensive than pop or juice, but is however, the better option. If you can’t have your water bottle with you on the plane, at least you know that bottled water is an option pretty much everywhere!
I was still able to stay on my cardio and lifting plan, too. I had to pay extra to get into their awesome workout center, but I wasn’t drinking, so my alcohol fund was actually shifted over to my lifting fund! I got my lifting in twice and two HIIT cardios on the bike as well. There are so many ways you can stay active on vacation, it’s not even funny. Take a walk, find a trail, find a local gym with reciprocating membership (like a YMCA!), take your bands, put a dvd on the lap top, jump in the pool, find a stairwell or set of bleachers, do some body weight exercises. If you want to, you will……No excuses, really!
I had many more pictures to share, but my new iPhone decided to blitz and many were deleted. A picture I took was from one night when we ate at a huge buffet. They made a ton of money on me because I only made one trip up and kept it pretty simple, but I was happy. I went for the raw fish from the sushi area and the fresly sliced veggies. It took a lot of strategy, but it worked for me.
There has to be balance in your plan or it won’t work. You must find ways to enjoy life, be social and be able to travel to take in all that this world has to offer. When in doubt eat fresh, ask as many questions as you need to on food prep and balance it out with bringing some of your own foods as well. What you do occasionally is not where your results come. Your results come from what you do day in and day out. Most likely you’re not traveling daily, so do your best to make the most of it and stay YOUR plan. Where there’s a will there’s a way!