It's the "Mark & Kim Show"!

Do you plan your vacations based on eating large quantities of food?   I mean, it’s a vacation right? You can eat whatever you want and it doesn’t matter.   Or does it?  It’s this way of thinking that causes you to return from your vacation NEEDING a brand new vacation because you feel bloated, depressed, angry, and tired and somehow discover that you’ve mysteriously gained anywhere from 3 – 10 pounds.  Sound familiar?   Now you’re back to “square one” and it takes MONTHS to lose the weight you gained from just one vacation.  What a nightmare!

I don’t plan MY vacation based on how much food I can consume, I plan it around all of the activities I’ll be engaging in and how I can stay healthy so I’ll feel refreshed and energetic when I return to “NORMAL” life.   I’m pretty sure people find me quite annoying because I stick to my healthy guns and don’t jump on the “All you can eat BUFFET” band wagon AND I STILL HAVE A FANTASTIC TIME!

How do I manage to stay fit on vacation? Read my 6 secrets:

1. Exercise EVERY day. When weather allows me to do so, I love to trail bike ride and play tennis.  In doing so, I burn a lot of calories!
2. Assemble most of your meals ahead of time and make them portable. I always make sure to have oatmeal, yogurt pudding, a PBJ Wrap, and other healthy meals on hand every day.  See my TASTY TREATS blog posting for recipes.  If I’m out for the day, my tasty treats travel with me in an ice chest. In hotels, I ALWAYS request a microwave and frig to transfer my tasty treats.
3. Be creative in Restaurants. I don’t order meals that contain unhealthy fat.  At the Fall City Roadhouse (our fav) I have ordered 2 poached eggs and a Belgium waffle.  Put a little jelly on the waffle and place the eggs on top, DELICIOUS!
4. Eat BEFORE you go out. Sometimes I eat dinner beforehand so I’m not tempted.  PLUS it’s less expensive.
5. Don’t drink alcohol. I usually order Pellegrino and it usually lasts me for hours because it’s bubbly.   It’s fun to catch up with friends and listen to music.   If you have never tried “NOT” drinking, I HIGHLY recommend it.  Your liver will thank you and “NO HANGOVER”.
6. Drink LOTS of Water. On a typical day, I drink 64 – 96 oz of water.

Here are the activities we enjoyed during our latest “Stay-Cation”, all “without” pigging out:

Sang Karaoke
Visited RiverBend Café, Fall City Roadhouse, Pogacha, and Starbucks
Played Tennis, Went Bike Riding, and Walked
On rainy days, used the Rower, Elliptical, Spinning Bike and Treadmill
Visited The Museum of Flight, Argosy Locks Cruise, Blue Angels, and Snoqualmie Falls
Watched Movies – The Hangover, Amelia, It’s Complicated, Dan in Real Life, and A Mighty Wind
Watched Music Videos – Harry Belafonte, Paul Simon, and James Taylor
Had a BBQ in the backyard almost every night (I ate chicken that I baked in advance, it was delicious!)
Ordered Pizza (I didn’t have any, nor did I want any)
Had a BLAST creating some fabulous “How-to” videos which you will be able to view on upcoming blog postings and on our YouTube channel.

Like I always say “Keep Your Eye on the Prize”.  THE PRIZE is feeling healthy, happy and energetic.  NOTHING tastes as good as being healthy feels!

If you have some “vacation” fitness tips,  please send a comment.  We are always looking for new ideas!