"What Are Your Tips for Eating and Moving Mindfully on Summer Vacation?"
Can you stay healthy and strong on vacation — without skipping the gelato or the wine?
Ciao from Italy! I’m writing to you from the Amalfi Coast, where I’m on vacation with friends and family. While I obsessed over the usual pre-trip questions (“What do I pack?” “Am I bringing enough flat sandals and sunscreen?”), I was also thinking: “How do I keep my fitness intact?”
Because if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I worked my tail off last year to get in the best shape of my life. Now I’m on vacation surrounded by prosciutto, gelato, and Aperol spritzes.
Most people’s advice goes something like, “Don’t. Just enjoy yourself.” Respectfully, I disagree with this all-or-nothing mindset. You shouldn't have to choose between the body you've worked for and the trip you've earned.
Here’s how I’m making both work (so you can too):
- Hydrate Like It’s Your Job
Between flights, sun, salt, and those “just one more” cocktails, dehydration creeps in fast.
Personally, I’m not great with hydration when I travel. I think I get so excited about where I’m visiting that drinking water becomes an afterthought. So I set iPhone reminders to drink water throughout the day.
- “Will Future Me Thank Me?”
While we’re on a trip, we tend to default to the most indulgent option. We say yes to the third glass of wine, the midday nap, the chocolate ice cream because “we’re on vacation.”
When I catch myself in this autopilot mode, I ask myself: Will future me thank me for this? It’s not about being militant but pausing long enough to notice whether you’re nourishing yourself or just numbing out.
Having an Aperol spritz with friends at sunset? Future me is grateful for that memory. But ordering dessert even though I’m full? Future me won’t be on board.
- Incorporate Movement
Walk everywhere. And no, you don’t have to speed-walk for this to be effective! Research has found that slower walking for longer periods can be more effective for weight loss than shorter, faster walks.
- Pro Tip: Use your phone’s step counter to gamify your walking (I aim for 10,000 steps a day). There are even apps that pay you to walk. Not joking!
If you want a more formal gym session, go to hotels with gyms or fitness centers. Many gyms abroad also offer day passes for tourists.
- Pack Your Wellness Non-Negotiables
Decide on 2-3 health habits you’ll continue on vacation. Maybe it’s getting 50g of protein daily, 8 hours of sleep, or eating one colorful plate (read: veggies and fruit) a day.
Bottom Line
A two-week vacation is just 3.8% of your year. The other 96.2% is what truly determines your progress (not just a few days of gnocchi or sauvignon blanc).
And once you get home, don’t step on the scale right away. Travel can cause water retention, digestion issues, and bloat, so the scale might not give you the right number.
Even if the scale does go up a few pounds? Don’t let it cancel out the joy of your trip. The wonderful food you ate and the memories you made are part of wellness, too. And hey, many people actually come home from Italy down a few pounds, thanks to all the walking, the fresh (not processed) pasta, and possibly because the food is so delicious that we end up eating less, not more.
