ONE WEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!!!! And some healthy vacation strategies.

Can you tell I'm excited about something? One week from today I will be going home to AZ for Christmas. I love everything about this idea. Christmas. Family. Traditions. Food. Warm temperatures. Shopping. Etc. Etc. Etc. I love it. I can't wait for this next week to fly by! I will be there for 9 days which sounds like an absolute DREAM to me. Are you traveling for the holidays?

I find that there are some pros and cons to vacationing as far as health is concerned. For my trip home this is usually what I'm dealing with, and maybe you can relate.


Vacation Health Positives:
- My mom is the queen of produce. My love of fresh fruits and veggies directly from her.Remember the 14 servings of vegetables in one dish?
- My mom and sister (who also lives in AZ with her family) are both EXTREMELY active. My mom ran a half marathon with my siblings and I a few years ago.(please excuse this photo. I am blonde and looking a little scary, my mom however, looks like a rock star. She is 65 and she keeps up with me at the gym no question. She might kill me for posting her age...love you mom!)

Anyways...my mom and sis always gets me a guest pass to their gym so we can go sweat together. The family that sweats together...smells together? :) (More like eats frozen yogurt together.)
- My mom is an very healthy cook, and is always willing to try out new healthy recipes I find. We have a great time cooking and experimenting in the kitchen.
- My body gets a change. Sometimes it is SO great for your body to be able to relax and not workout like a maniac. A little recovery time is a GOOD thing, but don't let that get to your head.
- I get to run outside. (Cross your fingers that I'll be able to with my foot still struggling a little.)
- I eat a lot of frozen yogurt. That is a total positive. We are all frozen yogurt fiends in my family. It's in our genes. It used to be krispy kreme donuts, back in the day when we didn't have one here in UT. Thank goodness we got over that fast. I can't even stomach one without getting sick these days.
- I sleep in. Man sleep feels good. 
- We get extra steps in shopping. Duh. Total positive.

Vacation Health Negatives:
- I am out of my routine. I like my routine. I like knowing when I'm eating and what I'm eating. Which brings me to my next negative.
- We eat out more. I usually make it a point to try and not eat out more than twice a week total. My fam does pick pretty healthy locations, and I'm a believer in being able to find good food choices anywhere, but it can still make you have to use some will power.
- I eat a lot of frozen yogurt....pro and con. Man that stuff is good.
- I sometimes don't get to workout every day. This is more mentally hard for me than anything else. I need that sweat session to feel good, but family first. Priorities people.
- We bake a ton.

 

Although it usually is fairly healthy, (and I don't eat sugar so I stay away from it if it isn't,) there is just more food available. Especially with the holidays. More food around makes it difficult to stick to your normal diet. 

- I am driving in the car both ways, which means I have to really try and stick to my traveling road rules for staying healthy while driving.

All in all going home is SO awesome, and I am stoked for some vacation time. Luckily I am going on a vacation where working out is possible, and eating healthy is doable. Are you ready for a break? What is the hardest thing for you about holiday/vacation time, and how do you overcome it??