Yesterday, one of my good friends mentioned that I should write to you on spring break vacation and how it is important towards personal health and wellness. This time of year many individuals trade in their snow boots for sandals and jackets for swimsuits. I personally know that Scooby (scoobysworkshop.com) is down south right now finding the Zen of life. I even have a close friend; a dietician, who is down south basking in the sun and enjoying much needed time away. The truth is that taking time to “go away” is extremely important for your emotional, mental and physical wellness. I personally hate the cold and I love the warm weather, so my vacation breaks often involve summer and/or trips down south. We get so tied up with our personal and professional lives (even as students) and we often need to escape those stressors or put them on the back burner for some personal vacation time. I am not sure if you know this or not, but there is no magic formula for wellness. Wellness is something we work at each day and I am sure that Scooby is achieving his Zen and wellness with his swimming goggles in the Caribbean.
Now, for those of you reading this who cannot afford to travel down south and bask in the sun, do not worry! Traveling can be close to home as well. Even if it is a cold, low key spot in the back woods of Cape Breton or a weekend trip to Montreal, we need to reward ourselves with vacation time. Many people believe that we need to “treat” ourselves by going out for dinner or eating chocolate, but in reality (I am a realist) try to save your money all year to reward yourself with a joyful vacation. Time for yourself is an amazing reward for all your hard work!
When asking one of my friends who is a Nutritionist from New Brunswick, she offered up these tips for enjoying a healthy vacation!
1. "Its ok to indulge on good food and desserts, just be mindful of portion sizes..just have a little bit then be done and youll be satisfied and not feel like you are torturing yourself!"
2. "Be active..there is lots to do down south to stay active besides being in the gym, like walks on the beach, swims, beach volleyball, even pool and water aerobics which are usually offered everyday are so much fun and geared towards every fitness level! "
3. "Take advantage of all the fresh, delicious fruits! Theres always so much fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, papaye etc and usually great smoothies!"
4. "Be aware of fruity sounding cocktails.."bahama mamas" and "strawberry daquiris" dont actually have fruit in them haha and are actually very high in simple sugars! these are just empty calorie drinks."
5. "I cant stress this one enough..drink LOTS of water!!! Its so easy to get dehydrated on vacation with the heat, activity, drinking etc. Our tour guide told us drink AT LEAST 4 bottles of water per day, and I would say even more!"
6. "Relax and enjoy the sun, read and do things you dont always get to do at home!"
Finally, if you are venturing to a warmer climate, do your homework. Many places are wonderful to travel to, while others can cause you many headaches when you return. Talk to someone who has traveled “down south” before and seek out information online. Travel smart and don’t over indulge in Alcohol and try to eat fairly close to the foods you would consume at your home. Often times, resorts have a wide variety of food to sustain variable diets, so choose wisely. If you are staying close to home and vacationing, those tips remain the same.
When asking one of my friends who is a Nutritionist from New Brunswick, she offered up these tips for enjoying a healthy vacation!
1. "Its ok to indulge on good food and desserts, just be mindful of portion sizes..just have a little bit then be done and youll be satisfied and not feel like you are torturing yourself!"
2. "Be active..there is lots to do down south to stay active besides being in the gym, like walks on the beach, swims, beach volleyball, even pool and water aerobics which are usually offered everyday are so much fun and geared towards every fitness level! "
3. "Take advantage of all the fresh, delicious fruits! Theres always so much fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, papaye etc and usually great smoothies!"
4. "Be aware of fruity sounding cocktails.."bahama mamas" and "strawberry daquiris" dont actually have fruit in them haha and are actually very high in simple sugars! these are just empty calorie drinks."
5. "I cant stress this one enough..drink LOTS of water!!! Its so easy to get dehydrated on vacation with the heat, activity, drinking etc. Our tour guide told us drink AT LEAST 4 bottles of water per day, and I would say even more!"
6. "Relax and enjoy the sun, read and do things you dont always get to do at home!"
Finally, if you are venturing to a warmer climate, do your homework. Many places are wonderful to travel to, while others can cause you many headaches when you return. Talk to someone who has traveled “down south” before and seek out information online. Travel smart and don’t over indulge in Alcohol and try to eat fairly close to the foods you would consume at your home. Often times, resorts have a wide variety of food to sustain variable diets, so choose wisely. If you are staying close to home and vacationing, those tips remain the same.
Take some time for yourself today folks and plan your next vacation. Be educated. Read my blogs.
Ryan Fahey
B.A Human Kinetics
CPTN Canada
Canfitpro
NCCP Canada
I write and maintain a spiritual blog which I have titled “AccordingtotheBook” and I’d like to invite you to follow it.
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