How To Be Healthy On Your Summer Vacation

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that people start to seriously consider a summer vacation at this time of year. Whether it’s because they want to get away from the cold, dark days and would prefer to be somewhere hot and sunny, or it’s because they are stressed out and just need some time to relax, vacation planning has become tied in with the festive holidays.

This makes a lot of sense, and it’s fun too. Why not spend an hour or two imagining all the wonderful places you could visit and planning out a trip, even if you don’t know if you’re actually going to go? It’s relaxing and enjoyable. As part of this planning, you might want to consider a few additional ideas, one of which is how you can stay healthy when you’re on your summer vacation. Here are some tips to get you started.

Treat Yourself – In Moderation
Being on vacation is all about enjoying yourself, and it wouldn’t be much fun if you went away somewhere and then denied yourself all the great food and drink and relaxation opportunities you’ll find. You might as well be at home, and you might even come to regret going away at all.

So when you go on vacation, don’t deny yourself the treats that look so good. Enjoy the buffet, the bar and laze around on the beach or go for non-energetic strolls around the town. However, it’s crucial you do all of this in moderation. For example, at a buffet make it a rule that you only take one plate of food. Try using the 80:20 rule, which means that you make healthy choices 80 percent of the time and treat yourself for the other 20 percent.

Stay Active
As we’ve said, relaxing and not doing a lot are all part of a great vacation, but you do still need to be active at least some of the time. However, this doesn’t mean searching out a gym and getting in there for an early morning workout, unless that’s something you love to do, in which case you should certainly make it part of your vacation. What it really means is that you should try to include some activities into your vacation that will help your health.

One idea is swimming. If you’re somewhere on a beach, then spend some time reading or listening to music or even dozing, and then go for a short swim. If you prefer, you can go for a walk along the beach. Or why not sign yourself up for a hike somewhere close by or some other exciting activity? It doesn’t have to be all the time, but a few extras will be great and very healthy for you. Make sure you wear sun protection like sunscreen and UV protection contact lenses when you’re doing these activities; otherwise, you’ll be doing more harm than good.

Stay Hydrated
No matter how active you choose to be on your summer vacation, it’s crucial you stay hydrated at all times. This is true even if you’re not somewhere hot, but if you are in a country with a higher temperature than what you’re used to, it’s vital you keep drinking water all day long. Have a bottle with you all the time and sip from it regularly rather than having one big drink when you realize you are thirsty; by the time you feel that thirst, your body will already be suffering.