Holidays can be a funny thing in the crazy world of health and fitness. Like just about anything else in the life of a fitness enthusiast, they can carry a certain emotional charge. …And as ever in this industry, people tend to gravitate towards the extremes.
First there’s the build-up. The prep. Doing something dramatic to get in shape. The holiday is often a reference point. The goal. Outside of January, an approaching holiday is often the biggest signal for a health kick.
Then the holiday itself. One extreme is a complete release of diet inhibitions. The Binge. After being so “good” in the run-up, overindulging is irresistible. Oh, come on, you’re on holiday!
The other extreme is diligently staying on track. Better not indulge. Better get some runs in. Gaining weight would be a catastrophe.
This year I did something different…
Enjoying a dream trip to Rio de Janeiro.
I’ve been there before. The holiday binge. My friends still like to tease me about my vending machine habit in Barcelona during my clean eating, paleo days. “Another Twix, Mike? Really?!” I just couldn’t get enough of those foods that I’d normally considered forbidden. One slip and the floodgates were open.
This year saw no such binge. Having let go of my judgements of foods – those ‘good’ and ‘bad’, ‘healthy’ and ‘unhealthy’ labels that we assign to the stuff we eat – and become much more flexible in my approach, I found myself merely eating to appetite.
Sure the beer, pizza and caipirinhas aren’t the most nutritious choices. And the Brazilian pastels seem pretty energy-dense with their meat and cheese fillings. But food can only make you fat if you eat too many total calories. If I was hungry I ate something. If not, I didn’t. Having an ice-cream or a pastry didn’t mean my diet was broken. And I didn’t feel compelled to capitalise on the moment by consuming everything in the bakery. Flexible dieting has helped me immensely on that front.
Beer, moqueca (fish stew), and pastels with suco de melancia (watermelon juice).
“Will you work out on holiday?” some people asked me beforehand. “How will you stay in shape?”
I’ll work out if I feel like it. I’ll stay in shape by resuming my normal diet and exercise habits when I go home. Just as 10 days of exercising and eating well is unlikely to make an impact on person who is otherwise sedentary and who eats masses of junk food; 10 days of a poorer diet and no weight training are unlikely to be a disaster if you have helpful habits in place the majority of the time.
It’s not a big deal. Besides, the one thing that always seems to be forgotten in this industry is that life is for living. Your diet and exercise habits should make your life better. You shouldn’t be a prisoner to them or to your body image ideal. Everybody dies in the end anyway and the way I see it, holidays are a great chance to make some incredible memories. When I’m on my deathbed, I reckon I’ll look back more fondly on an incredible trip to Brazil than I will on whether or not I looked sufficiently ‘ripped’ on the beach.
The World Cup, Rio de Janiero, and hang gliding. Dreams that were a long time in the making.
Again it comes back to judgements. Judge foods as good and bad and you’ll be more likely to have problems around them. Judge your body and what you’re ‘supposed’ to look like and you’ll be more likely to suffer.
Accept yourself as you are. Accept that foods are not inherently fattening nor slimming. Eat to preference and eat to appetite. I did this and, as it turns out, I lost weight on holiday. The majority of weight loss was likely muscle (I only had one mini strength workout consisting of some pull-ups and push-ups) but I lost some fat too. Even though my diet wasn’t the most nutritious, it seems I subconsciously ate a little less than I expended with all the walking.
It doesn’t matter though. Because, for me, a healthy holiday means:
- Experiencing something different
- Spending time with good people
- Trying local foods
- Not binging
- Embracing local culture
- Chasing dreams down
- Having fun
- Creating memories
…And there’s plenty of time in the rest of the year for improving your body composition.
BIG IDEA: Holidays often mean a crazed attempt to get in shape followed by a holiday binge – or a holiday spent in fear of weight gain.
TAKEAWAY: A more moderate, longer-term approach to getting in shape will help you enjoy your holiday without fear of ruining your progress or losing control. And you don’t need to go running every day.
ACTION STEP: Begin the process of letting go of your emotions and judgements of certain foods. It’s just food! If you need some help, download my free guide, Fad Free Fat Loss.
Always Keep Reaching!
Mike
