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I have been asked before, “Do you work out or diet while on vacation”. The most accurate answer to that question is “sometimes”. There is a lot of factors and thought processes that go into a workout out on vacation and we will discuss some of them here.
Some of the pros to working out on vacation are likely obvious to everyone.
- You aren’t breaking your routine
- You will look and feel better on vacation
- You will burn off some of those extra calories you’re likely consuming
- Might be a good place to meet someone if your are single
- You may inspire family or friends to sneak in a workout
- Less guilt for enjoying yourself the rest of the day
Some of the cons to working out on vacation.
- Time away from family or loved ones (if they are awake)
- If you vacation like me, you might be too hungover
- You might not feel like you can truly relax if you have to workout
- You might be too busy to workout (doesn’t sound too relaxing to me)
- Maybe your resort or hotel doesn’t have accommodations/gym
- You might have to pay extra to use a facilities gym/pool/etc.
Some of the pros to dieting on vacation. Some are similar to working out.
- Less guilt
- No “catching up” to do when you get home
- You will likely be less bloated
- You may motivate your friends/family to make better choices
Some of the cons to dieting on vacation.
- Stressful, which is kind of NOT what you want on vacation
- You could be “that person” in the group that drags everyone down
- You don’t get to truly enjoy yourself and potentially experience the cuisine of another country (if out of country)
- Might be hard to find foods on your program/diet depending on where you are
It really comes down to how you feel about it personally. I personally don’t “diet” on vacation. I eat whatever the hell I want because that is part of the vacation experience to me. When not on vacation I am so controlled with my diet from week to week that I like to let go and eat guilt free while on vacation. Plus, as I have mentioned before, diet breaks can be beneficial for multiple reasons. They can help you break through a plateau and are simply good for your sanity. I generally try to squeeze a few workouts in while on vacation, but I don’t go crazy with structuring them like I do my normal workouts. I don’t plan them and I don’t plan on working out period because then you guilt yourself if you don’t make it to the gym. I will generally hit the gym in the morning when I happen to wake up early (I am an early riser so there isn’t much to do while waiting for people to wake up) on a day that I am not too hungover. I might hit each body part lightly a couple of times throughout a week or simply focus on the “beach muscles” while I am on vacation. However, similar to a diet break, a workout break can be beneficial as well. There is a theory in bodybuilding called “detraining” where you either do very light workouts or skip workouts for a week or more. This allows your muscles to let go of some of their muscle memory and get “shocked” all over again without losing much, or any, strength gains.
You can’t really go wrong either way with vacation dieting and workouts, it all comes down to personal preference. Are you going to feel super guilty if you don’t squeeze in a few workouts or make better choices while eating on vacation? If so, you may want to meet yourself half-way and try to limit yourself because you don’t want guilt to ruin your vacation either. I personally don’t feel super guilty about not dieting on vacation. I will feel a little “flat” if I don’t squeeze a few workouts in, but I have gone without hitting the gym during my vacations as well and feel just fine.
I just got back from a vacation in Mexico for a wedding and I managed to workout almost every morning (except the weekend per usual) and made healthy choices when eating more often than I thought I would. I still very much enjoyed my time, found plenty of time to unwind and relax and ate a lot of what I wanted, when I wanted it. The only workout equipment (besides clothes) that I packed were these simple slide pads for my ab workout. They pack really easy since they are flat and you can use them anywhere (carpet, tile, hardwood, etc) so you can workout in your room if you want! I think the best way to approach working out or dieting on vacation is to get some workouts in (many of my friends are runners and they ran on the beach) and try not to go too crazy with the diet, and enjoy yourself when it comes to what your eating while on vacation. My workouts were a little different than usual because the gym at the resort was much smaller so I made due with what they had. It was actually a good change of pace. After my vacation (currently) I am taking a detraining week (not working out) and a break from my diet entirely (Hello Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream!). I generally take a detraining week about 2-3 times per year. It’s good for the body and boosts your gains (theoretically) when you get back to it. I will be starting my “lean bulk” next week when I resume my workouts. I will make a post on my lean bulk plan next week most likely.