Three months ago my wife and I went on our last vacation.

Last vacation without a child that is.

Shortly after returning home we had our daughter and now future trips out of town will probably be a little different.

So we had to make this one count.

How did we do that?

By going all out on everything that we did.

We flew to South Carolina in first class.

When we got there we rented a Corvette. They didn’t have any exotic cars at the Savannah Airport unfortunately.

We stayed in a 5,000 sq. ft. house on an ocean inlet inside a gated community.

We had dinner out every night at the club restaurant. The kind of dinner where you get drinks, an appetizer, an entree, dessert, coffee, etc. Hundreds of dollars a night.

We rented a boat twice while we were there as well as went on a fishing charter.

Then at night we hopped on the sunset wine cruise.

Played a couple rounds of golf, bought a bunch of clothes from the stores, rented a golf cart, rented bicycles, and usually went out for a high end breakfast that had a full spread of anything you could ask for.

We sprung for anything and everything that we felt like. It didn’t matter the price, we just did it.

After all, have fun in the moment and worry about the consequences later, right?

Wrong.

None of that actually happened.

Well, mostly.

We did go to South Carolina, however we flew coach, rented a compact, stayed at a friends house and used their golf cart, didn’t pay for any toys, amenities, or excursions, and only dined out a couple times.

Vacations are supposed to be fun, a time to relax, unwind, and recharge. Ideally, you come back ready to take on life’s challenges better than when you left.

Sure, spending as much as we wanted for the best of everything would have been fun for the time being, but after the trip was over it would’ve been regretful.

But this isn’t an article about financial responsibility while on vacation. It’s about you and your fitness, which can similarly be regretful upon returning home if you aren’t careful.

Have you ever came home from a vacation and regretted how you treated your body?

Particularly if you had been working hard nutritionally and in your training program up until your trip.

Maybe you busted your butt for six months to fit into that swimsuit and got into the best shape of your life for it.

Then over the course of the trip, you ate and drank your way to gluttony only to feel bloated and gross every night.

Upon arriving home it felt like you lost months of progress in a matter of days.

For most, it wouldn’t be worth it.

The good news is, there is an alternative that allows you to go on vacation, have fun, and not blow up like a balloon.

The best part is that the answer is NOT to count your macros each day and hit the gym each morning.

But rather— Be reasonable.

Pretty simple, right?

That means, push the norm of what you would do back home both in your eating and activity. That doesn’t mean eat like a slob and sit on your butt all day, but have some fun and enjoy things that you wouldn’t if you weren’t on vacation.

Enjoy a couple drinks by the pool.

Have the dinner you want when out to eat.

Order dessert if you so desire.

Most importantly, do not worry about working out. You are likely walking, bicycling, golfing, swimming, snorkeling, hang gliding, surfing, or doing some other sort of physical activity anyways.

If you have ever been on a training and nutrition program you know how much work and consistency it takes each and every day to get results. Getting a break from that to recharge is no different than why you take a vacation in the first place.

It gets your mind right, it refocuses you, and it positions you to work even harder when you get home.

This is why I like when my clients take a little dietary break and ease back on their workouts while away.

Sure, there is nothing wrong with making smart choices at the beach side restaurant or hitting the gym a couple times during your stay, but you shouldn’t feel obligated.

Vacations are about a lack of obligations.

Anyone who tells you to go on vacation and stay 100% on plan in both your diet and exercise is setting you up for long term failure.

So, go on that vacation and have a good time. You don’t need to have a blowout of booze and appetizers from dawn until dusk, but allow yourself a break from what normal usually is.

You will come back more compliant and excited to hit it hard more than ever before.

If my wife and I had gone as spend crazy on our trip as I initially described, it would have been regretful. However, pushing the norm just enough to have a great time and come back refreshed allowed for nothing but great memories.

Do you need some more tips on how to stay relatively on plan while traveling or perhaps to get started on that vacation body for this coming summer?

Email me at: JwaltersPT@gmail.com

IG: JonWalters15

Website: JonWalters.co