Stressin’ about the holiday weekend coming up?
Fear not! Follow these steps to create a foolproof nutrition plan fit for a holiday weekend spent close to (or far from!) home:
1. Ask yourself how you want to feel while you travel. On one end of the spectrum is puffy, tired, hungover, don’t-ask-me-to-do-much, and on the other is lean, energized, fresh, let’s-do-all-the-things. There will be times when you can afford to skip the alarm and opt for late check-out – and times when you cannot.
2. Ask yourself how you want to feel after travel. Maybe you’ll be easing back into a chill week of work. Or, perhaps you have late nights ahead with several projects due. Can you afford to skip workouts, under/overeat your needs, or do you have time-dependent goals that require more adherence?
3. List the habits and behaviors that make you feel your best. These are the actions that make you feel like you’re crushing it! From eating a satiating breakfast, meditating, walking in nature, drinking XX ounces of H20, ordering salad over fries, vodka over beer, tracking food, getting to bed by XX time. List at least 10 food and non-food related items.
4. Think through the type of trip you’re taking and identify 3-5 actions that you can absolutely commit to. It’s probably gonna look different if you’re headed to your parent’s cabin with the whole fam vs a weekend mini vaca with your bestie. There’s no right answer here, just be honest about what you can do while leveraging how you want to feel during and after the trip (see step 1-3). Maybe some of your “crushing it” actions get revised slightly.
5. Prep to improve success. This is the time to Amazon any items that you need to put this plan into action – travel snacks, packable items, high protein “just-in-case” foods. It might be a good idea to check out menus, identify a grocery store, locate a gym, or communicate your wants to travel companions.
Congrats! You’ve just created a list of realistic, unique-to-you travel non-negotiables. The best part is, there’s no failing this plan because you wrote the rules.