Core De Force | Country Heat | What is a Beachbody Coach | Where To Buy Shakeology | 21 Day Fix: Staying healthy while on vacation!

Happy Sunday! It's been a week since I've posted anything because I was on my family vacation! So, what better topic to blog about than my tips to staying healthy while traveling! This is a touchy subject because it truly is hard to stay on track. Yes, I had TONS of temptations and YES, I did given in to some ice cream and candy, but I did not over indulge, which is the most important part! Today I am going to share with you the way I prepared for my busy week and how I handled the temptations that came my way.

For starters, I completed a meal plan BEFORE we left for vacation. Since we were staying in a condo with a full kitchen, I knew I could stick to a similar schedule as if I were home. My big stipulation is I don't want to cook! Yes, we go out to dinner every night so it does make things a little more difficult when it comes to staying on track. Let's face it, some restaurants just don't always have the healthiest options! My family vacations at the same beach every year (because we love it so much!) so we have our favorite spots to eat, which makes meal planning a bit easier.

It takes about 5 1/2 to 6 hours to get to our destination, so, preparing on-the-go meals is essential. In the past, it was common to just stop at a convenience store or do a quick drive thru for something fast, but, NOT THIS YEAR! For myself, I made sure I had my breakfast shake before we left and took along an extra shake to have around lunch time. In addition, an apple and almonds are a go-to for me. And finally, the classic peanut butter banana roll up is a favorite! This was going to be more than enough food to last until we got to the grocery store so it worked out perfectly! I did the same thing while traveling home! As fort he rest of my family, I had snacks and yogurt packed for my girls and my hubby actually stuck with the same snacks as me!

I knew that I would be bringing along my blender and Shakeology so that I could stick with my normal routine of having a shake for breakfast. I also knew that I would be tempted quite a bit throughout the week, so, I did schedule to have 2 shakes on some days. As for my lunches and snacks, I stuck with what I felt was the easiest and also economical. I stuck with similar snacks each day because I didn't want to have to spend a fortune getting a variety of foods at the grocery store once we were there and end up coming home with a trunk full of leftovers! I also wanted to pick things that my entire family eats as well. Yogurt is a quick and easy lunch or snack, so, I made some homemade granola before vacation and took it along to mix with my yogurt and strawberries! As I made my meal plan, I made my grocery list too! Then, when we got to the beach, we stopped by a farmers market for some fresh fruit and then to a local grocery store to grab the rest of the stuff.

My husband and I sat down and figured out exactly where we were going to eat throughout the week and because I am very familiar with the menus, I was able to figure out ahead of time what I wanted to eat. I did Google each menu to make sure it did not change from the last time we were there. I have to say that although we switched up when we went to each restaurant, we did go to everywhere planned AND I stuck with my food choices!

So what happened as I walked past the delicious smelling boardwalk french fries, or had some yummy snacks for my girls that I knew I didn't want to indulge in? Well, I did a couple of things. One, I stretched that will power muscle! My husband knew that I didn't want to eat completely off track and unhealthy for the week, so he kept me in check :) As I said earlier, I did give in to a little ice cream, Gelato to be exact, and also had some of my favorite candy - coconut strips- from the candy store. What I DIDN'T do was over indulge to the point where I felt full and couldn't move. It was actually the opposite! I had small portion sizes of the cheats that I planned and didn't go back for more.

Because I didn't know if we would have a working DVD player, I did have my laptop as well as a little handheld video player so that I could play my PiYO workout. One of the great things about PiYO is that there is no equipment needed so all I had to bring along were the DVD's themselves.

Confession time....I did not stick with my PiYO workout every single day! Yes, it was on my schedule and yes, I was a little disappointed in myself on the days that I didn't squeeze it in, but other forms of exercise were definitely happening. We went biking one morning and there certainly wasn't a lack of walking throughout the week. We parked our car last Saturday and didn't get back in to it until the following Saturday when we left to go home. We walked EVERYWHERE! At the very least, I was able to add in a daily 10 minute ab workout from the 21 Day Fix workout program.

So, there you have it! That is how I planned for a week away from my kitchen! I used to have the mindset of "it's vacation, anything goes!" That mindset has definitely changed. I didn't like always coming home a pound or two heavier; but I did like stepping on the scale this morning and seeing that I didn't gain anything, not even an ounce! Living a healthy lifestyle can be challenging; however, being overweight and having health problems is no way to live. If you make your health a priority, you will have the time to plan and prep. Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. It's how you spend those 24 hours that matter.