Adina has been a long time client who is always watching her weight very carefully.\u00a0 Even during the Chagim, she holds her own and barely gains weight.\u00a0 But now it\u2019s summer and for Adina, this is the one time of year that is truly her downfall when it comes to keeping her weight in a normal range, it\u2019s summer vacation time.\u00a0 Every year, her family goes away for two and a half weeks and by the time their vacation is over, her clothes are very tight and the scale is up. Perhaps the worst part is that she gets depressed and has guilt feelings about it and it takes her an addition week to regain her focus and get back to her otherwise great habits regarding food and exercise. This summer, we have implemented some new strategies to try to head off problems before they happen.<\/p>\n
Although summer vacations provide us with a much needed get-away from the daily routine, there are also some potential hazards involved in regard to our health.\u00a0 Being out of our usual environment can mean many wild cards that we don\u2019t anticipate.\u00a0 Are we staying in a hotel where we don\u2019t have a lot of choices as far as the variety of food?\u00a0 Are we relying on eating in restaurants most days?\u00a0 Have we built in a lot of activity each day, such as hiking and swimming, or are we going to be sedentary?\u00a0 How much traveling time will there be and how do we prepare for that?<\/p>\n
Traveling<\/strong><\/p>\n At the airport. <\/em>Eat before you leave or pack food for the airport and journey. Although you can find dietetic options at the airport, there is still nothing better than home-made. Some airlines don\u2019t even let you board with drinks so find out in advance what you can and cannot take on the plane.<\/p>\n On the plane.<\/em> The food served on planes is high in fats (even trans fats) and sugars. It is usually very processed and generally not at all healthy. Think about bringing your own food and pre count portions. Sandwiches, rice cakes, unsalted nuts, raw cut up veggies, string cheese, fruit, dried fruit, yogurt, dried cereal in bag are all good options. Don\u2019t forget water as it is THE best aid for minimizing jet lag.<\/p>\n Hotel or Family<\/strong><\/p>\n Going away to kosher hotels has become more and more common.\u00a0 Most of these establishments have some if not all of their meals served buffet style.\u00a0 The disadvantage of a buffet is you can keep going back for more, but if you can control that, there are more advantages to buffet eating than disadvantages.\u00a0 First, there are usually some very good choices you can make.\u00a0 You determine your menu.\u00a0 You can take more vegetables, healthy lean proteins and you can always pick fruits and fruit salads for dessert.\u00a0 Second, don\u2019t attack the buffet.\u00a0 The food isn\u2019t going anywhere.\u00a0 Survey what food choices are available and then make a plan.\u00a0 Only take seconds on raw and cooked vegetable dishes.\u00a0 Avoid the mindset of \u201cgetting what you pay for\u201d, your health is more important!<\/p>\n Whether you are staying in a hotel or with family, you have to be extremely vigilant. In a different environment, people may be sleep deprived, might be stressed, and usually someone else is doing the cooking. \u00a0It is easy to see why you have to have your survival plan and a realistic goal vis-a-vis your weight loss.\u00a0 I advise most of my client to just try to maintain their weight while you they away as that is a more realistic goal. Follow all the regular guidelines one follows when eating out. In particular watch your portion sizes and avoiding fried, battered and pastried foods, creamy sauces or heavy dressings. Start each day with a nutritious breakfast, don\u2019t skip meals, stay hydrated and try and keep active.<\/p>\n Staying Active<\/strong><\/p>\n As you will undoubtedly be busy each day, keep in mind that you can include activities that will give you enough exercise and activity while still enjoying your vacation experience.\u00a0 For instance:<\/p>\n The BBQ!<\/strong><\/p>\n There is no question that one of the fun aspects of summer is barbequing.\u00a0 It is a great opportunity to be outdoors and to get together with your family and friends while doing something different in the way you prepare your food.\u00a0 It can be a big treat for your kids too.\u00a0 Not only can grilling be fun, it can be a very healthy and relatively low calorie experience also.\u00a0 Grill breast of chicken or fish for a good lean protein.\u00a0 Grill vegetables with anything else you are preparing.\u00a0 But at the same time, be careful how you grill.<\/p>\n While there is no firm evidence that grilling causes cancer, cooking meat at the high temperatures you use to grill\u2014as well as broil and fry\u2014creates heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), compounds linked with some cancers. Grilling fish, vegetables, or fruits doesn’t create substantial HCAs. For healthier meat and poultry grilling,\u00a0\u00a0 cook small, lean pieces of meat, which take less time on the grill and produce less smoke from dripping fat. If you use a charcoal grill, center the food on the grate but push the coals to one side. Remove visible fat to prevent flare-ups.<\/p>\n Exercise\u2014even on vacation!<\/strong><\/p>\n This is probably where most people have a downfall when away for the summer.\u00a0 Granted, it takes a lot of discipline but we need to look at it just like eating.\u00a0 You aren\u2019t trying to advance in anyway, you just want to exercise enough to maintain your strength and endurance, enough to help you not gain too much weight, and be content with doing a more minimal workout than you would at home.\u00a0 Make your 30-35 minute brisk walk mandatory on a daily basis, and try to just get in some pushups and abs every other day. The gym will be waiting for you when you get back from your vacation\u2014and it won\u2019t take you very long to be back to your normal level of exercise if you don\u2019t get into the all or nothing routine.\u00a0 Something is ALWAYS a lot better than nothing!<\/p>\n Taking a holiday is important for your mental health and if is a good way to reduce your stress.\u00a0 It is important to enjoy yourself and at the same time, not let it all go as far as your health goes.\u00a0 One piece of advice I gave Adina and I give to all of my travelers is this; you usually aren\u2019t in charge of your daily schedule when you are away visiting people or on an organized tour. Don\u2019t make any grand plans. Take everything one day at a time. Plan the next day, the prior night before you go to sleep.\u00a0 By that time, you know what the next day looks like and you can plan your meals, your snacks, and your exercise based on that days schedule.\u00a0 Remember to make the best of any situation and try to make good choices. \u00a0This year, Adina went away as usual, but when she came back, her weight gain was limited to one kilogram and she stayed active enough and exercised just enough, to stay in good shape.<\/p>\n Vacations don\u2019t have to be hazardous to your health\u2014the opposite is true.\u00a0 If you manage it properly, it can enhance your state of both physical and mental well-being.\u00a0 Taking care to plan your vacations is another way to \u201cadd hours to your day, days to your year, and years to your life.\u201d<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Alan Freishtat<\/strong> is an A.C.E. CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER and a CERTIFIED WELLNESS\u00a0COACH<\/strong> with over 19 years of professional experience. Alan is the creator and director of the \u201c10 Weeks to Health\u201d<\/strong> program for weight loss.\u00a0 He is available for private coaching sessions, consultations, assessments and personalized workout programs. Alan also lectures and gives\u00a0seminars and\u00a0workshops.\u00a0He can be reached at 02-651-8502 or 050-555-7175, or by email at alan@alanfitness.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Check out the his web site \u2013 www.alanfitness.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 US Line: 516-568-5027<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Adina has been a long time client who is always watching her weight very carefully.\u00a0 Even during the Chagim, she holds her own and barely gains weight.\u00a0 But now it\u2019s summer and for Adina, this is the one time of year that is truly her downfall when it comes to keeping her weight in a<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":469,"featured_media":60359,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-physical-health"],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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