149 – Enjoying your holiday without sabotaging your health goals.

We all want to enjoy ourselves on holiday, but if that means feeling bloated and uncomfortable and coming home 10Lb heavier, is that really fun? This week I share some tips that mean you can still have a great time, but you’ll come home feeling refreshed and revitalised

What do you go on holiday for?

For me a holiday is about taking time away from the normal, having the opportunity to visit new places, and often relaxing and recuperating from the daily stresses of life and work. I want to return feeling better than when I left.

Previously holidays often left me feeling a bit urggh, yes there was the relaxation, but I didn’t always feel 100% when I was there. And came home feeling that I needed a bit of a detox. Whereas now I come home feeling properly refreshed and ready for the next chapter.

What are your non-negotiables?

I’ve realised that working out regularly is a non-negotiable for me. I need to do it in the morning or it won’t happen, so that gets me up and out of bed!

I also want a good breakfast/brunch as it sets me up for the day. Getting plenty of vegetables in is another one for me. So I’ll order lots of salads, that’s not to say that I don’t like ice-cream and chips occasionally but I’ll make sure I get lots of colour in every day.

I know that I can’t drink too much any more, so will confine it to maybe 1 glass at lunchtime (but often not) and I’ll stop if I feel that I’ve had too much. I do invariably drink considerably more when on holiday than when I’m home, but whereas I used to find that my digestion would suffer, it happens rarely now.

What to pack?

There are also things in my case that I always pack now to support my holiday health

Suncream – I used to get prickly heat, now I only use natural suncream. My preferred brand is Tropic
OnGuard spray – even before COVID I used this santising spray to protect against germs on the plane and buses etc.
Probiotics – particularly useful if you are travelling to a country that you are worried might cause digestive issues. My favourites are by Biocare and Invivo
Sports bra – all my gym kit really, to make sure I have the tools I need to have a good workout.
Digestive Enzymes – to support my digestion as I know I’m going to be eating richer foods. My favourites are by BioCare and NutriAdvanced
Milk Thistle – simple herb to support your liver function. My favourite is by Fushi.

When you get home

Now that I do all these things I come home from my holidays feeling great. I can wear the same clothes at the end of the holiday that I did at the beginning.

I also make sure that I have a food delivery arriving the day we return. So that I can get ‘back to normal’ as quick as possible. I’ll often order ingredients so I can recreate some of the fabulous food that we have had on our travels.