Today I had a client email me saying she just returned from vacation and wanted to know: what’s the quickest way to get off the extra weight?? She wondered whether more cardio would do the trick, or if she should be focusing on more strength training to shed the extra pounds. She is a fit and healthy woman who loves to run and kicked A$$ in my Bootcamp this past summer/fall! Check out the photo where she's KILLING that rope!
I realize that she’s probably not the only person wondering this, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas (aka the Holiday Season) upon us! So I decided to share the advice I gave to her with the hope of answering this question of “how to lose vacation or holiday weight” for more people!
[NOTE: This blog is written as I structured my advice to my client, who is already in a good routine. If you are not yet in a routine of healthy habits, its never too late to start. Behavior change can happen for anyone with the right guidance. My email is at the bottom of this blog, please reach out and contact me if you'd like some help!]
How to lose the extra weight gained over a vacation or holiday
In short: simply get back to your routine.
What I mean is, you are a healthy person who makes fitness a priority in everyday life. You commit time on a regular basis to running and exercise at the gym. You also pay attention to what you eat, and take extra steps to ensure that your food is prepared in a healthy manner. In short- you have healthy habits. YAY!!
That being said, don’t sweat the couple of extra pounds you gained during vacation/holiday. Vacation/holiday is a time for relaxation, a bit of indulgence and a way to unwind from the stresses of reality. The last thing you want to do to yourself when you get back is to then worry about the quickest and most effective way to shed all the weight you gained while you were away. This immediately brings back a certain level of stress (Which exercise is best? If I do it X way, will it take too long? If I do it Y way, will I lose weight faster?) which impedes the whole process.
Instead just get back to your regular routine of being a healthy person.Do cardio, lift weights, eat healthy home cooked meals. Whether or not you do 5 days running and 3 days weights, or 2 days running and 4 days weights is really parsing hairs at an unnecessary level.
Truly, the things that will make the most difference in the least amount of time is the nutrition piece.
Here are My Top 3 Tips for “detoxing” your system after indulging:1) Drink more water than usual… drink 2 liters a day of room temp water with fresh lemon in it.
2) Take a break from alcohol. Vacation is time to indulge, so when you get back, take a break from it. Of any type of calorie you consume, calories from alcohol are the worst. They are “empty calories”, meaning they have zero nutritional value. They also add up pretty quickly!
3) Eat lots of veggies and lean protein. If you’ve gotten into a groove of eating bread with each meal, or choosing high calorie dishes while on vacation, now is the time to get back to lean protein (fish, chicken, turkey, eggs) and veggies (leafy greens are awesome, but try to incorporate as many as possible). Avoid the habit of dessert with every meal. Be mindful of what you’re eating and the amounts.
Try not to feel any stress, guilt, or remorse for anything you did or didn’t do or eat while on vacation/holiday. It was a time to relax, and you enjoyed. Now, just do these 3 things, get back into your regular routine, and you’ll be back to “normal” in no time.
I realize that she’s probably not the only person wondering this, especially with Thanksgiving and Christmas (aka the Holiday Season) upon us! So I decided to share the advice I gave to her with the hope of answering this question of “how to lose vacation or holiday weight” for more people!
[NOTE: This blog is written as I structured my advice to my client, who is already in a good routine. If you are not yet in a routine of healthy habits, its never too late to start. Behavior change can happen for anyone with the right guidance. My email is at the bottom of this blog, please reach out and contact me if you'd like some help!]
How to lose the extra weight gained over a vacation or holiday
In short: simply get back to your routine.
What I mean is, you are a healthy person who makes fitness a priority in everyday life. You commit time on a regular basis to running and exercise at the gym. You also pay attention to what you eat, and take extra steps to ensure that your food is prepared in a healthy manner. In short- you have healthy habits. YAY!!
That being said, don’t sweat the couple of extra pounds you gained during vacation/holiday. Vacation/holiday is a time for relaxation, a bit of indulgence and a way to unwind from the stresses of reality. The last thing you want to do to yourself when you get back is to then worry about the quickest and most effective way to shed all the weight you gained while you were away. This immediately brings back a certain level of stress (Which exercise is best? If I do it X way, will it take too long? If I do it Y way, will I lose weight faster?) which impedes the whole process.
Instead just get back to your regular routine of being a healthy person.Do cardio, lift weights, eat healthy home cooked meals. Whether or not you do 5 days running and 3 days weights, or 2 days running and 4 days weights is really parsing hairs at an unnecessary level.
Truly, the things that will make the most difference in the least amount of time is the nutrition piece.
Here are My Top 3 Tips for “detoxing” your system after indulging:1) Drink more water than usual… drink 2 liters a day of room temp water with fresh lemon in it.
2) Take a break from alcohol. Vacation is time to indulge, so when you get back, take a break from it. Of any type of calorie you consume, calories from alcohol are the worst. They are “empty calories”, meaning they have zero nutritional value. They also add up pretty quickly!
3) Eat lots of veggies and lean protein. If you’ve gotten into a groove of eating bread with each meal, or choosing high calorie dishes while on vacation, now is the time to get back to lean protein (fish, chicken, turkey, eggs) and veggies (leafy greens are awesome, but try to incorporate as many as possible). Avoid the habit of dessert with every meal. Be mindful of what you’re eating and the amounts.
Try not to feel any stress, guilt, or remorse for anything you did or didn’t do or eat while on vacation/holiday. It was a time to relax, and you enjoyed. Now, just do these 3 things, get back into your regular routine, and you’ll be back to “normal” in no time.
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