There are countless workouts and diets to get you beach ready for your summer vacation, but what about taking care of all of the damage we do to our body during our week away?
Something about being on a carefree vacation, perhaps an all-inclusive one at that, makes you leave all inhibitions behind and say “yes” to the extra drink, extra dessert, and second trip down the buffet line. After a week out of your healthy routines you can start to look and feel bloated and heavy, leaving you to wonder how all of that hard work vanished at the beach! Don’t sweat it- we have the tips and tricks to get that beach body back, even after vacation has come and gone.
Catch up on your zzz’s.
Coming back from vacation can be stressful! Returning to work to an overloaded inbox and the responsibilities of real life can kill your vacation-induced carefree spirit. Stress can lead to weight gain, so shoot to log 7.5-8.5 hours of sleep each night. While you should always try to get adequate sleep, this is especially important when trying to ditch a few extra pounds.
Sweat daily.
Do something every day the week post-vacation to get your sweat on. Hike, run, bike, swim – whatever you enjoy, just get out and do it! Have you tried yoga or hot yoga? Give it a shot! A sweaty, relaxing exercise session will help you work off the extra pounds in a stress-free way. Sweating out the toxins from the lavish foods and tropical drinks you indulged in last week is just what your body needs!
Drink up!
Time in the heat and sun can dehydrate you, as can the fruity alcoholic beverages you may have indulged in. Take a week off from anything with added sugar, juices, and alcohol and focus on drinking extra water all day, every day. This will cleanse your system and restart your body back into your healthy habits.
Add extra protein to your meals.
Most women do not eat enough protein in general. Aim for 40-60 grams of protein each day from clean sources like beans, spinach, brown rice, quinoa, and nut butters. Protein repairs the cells in your body so they rebuild fresh, strong, and energized. With your amped up workouts, these foods will be much needed!
Hit the weights.
During your daily sweat sessions, aim for 4 days of 40 minutes each doing some form of a strength workout. Whether you prefer body weight, free weight, or machine exercises, strength training will help turn extra, unwanted fat into lean, toned muscle. This lean muscle mass also helps your body burn more calories throughout the day. A workout that you can reap the calorie-burning benefits from well after it’s over? Sounds good to us!
Go easy on yourself. Did you eat “too much” on vacation? Maybe. Did you have fun? Heck yes! Since stress triggers weight-welcoming hormones, stressing over your vacation flubs will take away the benefits of your carefree mood and cause you to actually gain more weight. Focus on the fun times you had and memories you made. Carry your carefree attitude into the “real world” and go with the flow. Your body will bounce back- you can’t do too much damage in that short period of time.
So relax, realize that the extra cookies after dinner are not the end of the world, and embrace the vacation version of yourself!
Manon McGovern, creator of The Traveling Trainer, is a fitness and weight management specialist who loves sharing her passion for a healthy lifestyle. She studied Exercise Science at The Ohio State University and started personal training and teaching group exercise classes to introduce herself into the fitness world. She enjoys personal training and teaching Yoga, Spinning, KickBoxing, and strength classes. Now working... Read More
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