Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you should throw your healthy lifestyle by the wayside. Sure, you may indulge in a few more treats than usual, but do you really want to spend your first week back home punishing yourself at the gym because of your vacation food? Trust us, you don’t! A few simple strategies can help you maintain your healthy lifestyle, while still enjoy your Ontario vacations this summer.
Hydrate Instead of Just Snacking On Vacation Food!
Staying hydrated is important any day of the week, not just on vacation, but when we are on vacation, we can easily become happily preoccupied and forget to drink water. In fact, we are also far more likely to indulge in our favorite alcoholic beverages and long periods in the sunshine when we’re on vacation, so drinking water becomes even more vital. Drinking water will also help you combat “fake hunger” – this is the feeling of hunger we may experience even after we have just eaten. Often, people can confuse hunger with thirst. If you are hungry, and you don’t think you should be, down a nice tall glass of water and wait 20 minutes. You’ll probably find you’re not hungry anymore. However, if you still feel hungry, by all means, pick a healthy snack from the vacation food you brought along.
Pack Healthy Snacks as Part of Your Vacation Food!
The tedium of a long drive in the car is a veritable breeding ground for snacking – and often the rest stops along the way don’t lend themselves to healthy options. If you have a favorite burger joint in a little town you love to stop by, by all means, enjoy! But for the most part, try to stay on track with your vacation food. Think of the 80/20 rule: Do what you know you should do to maintain your healthy lifestyle 80% of the time, and treat yourself the other 20%. This will do wonders to keep you on track – and trust us, your Ontario vacations will not suffer from a little touch of self-control. In fact, coming home and still fitting into your jeans will be the perfect end to your trip!
Some of our favourite vacation food healthy snacks include homemade beef/turkey jerky, fruit, raw nuts/seeds, homemade granola bars, pre-cut veggies, brown rice crackers and kale chips. Check out Canada’s Food Guide for other options.
Rest!
Making healthy choices is hard to do when you’re tired. You’re on vacation, so if you stay up late, try to sleep in! Nap on the beach, in a hammock – take advantage of your break from routine.
Move!
You don’t have to get up at the break of dawn and swim the lake or run 10kms, but do try to stay active. Take a walk, play in the water with your kids, go for a canoe or kayak. There are no shortages of fun ways to keep active on Ontario vacations. This beautiful province has no shortages of attractions to explore.
Stay at Loughborough Inn and Let Us Take Care of the Food!
All of our cottage and cabin rentals are all inclusive, so you can stop worrying about food and let us take care of you while you relax. Check out our Cottage Rentals page.