Vacations!

With the July 4th holiday approaching this week, I am reminded by Facebook memories that this is a time of year that I have gone on many vacations.  So naturally, it feels like a good time to discuss how I approach fitness during my holiday travels.   

Vacations come in many forms, and each deserves its own level of planning.  Some are very active (like many of mine tend to be) while others are pure relaxation.  Most fit somewhere in between.

As many of you prepare for your vacations either this week or at some other point this year, here are a few tips that I find helpful for making sure that I get the most out of my time away.

Define your objectives . . .

First, for many of us, vacation is a good time to give the body and mind what it needs after working a grueling schedule in our daily lives, and each of us needs something different.  The origin of “vacation” comes from the word “vacate” for good reason.  For better or worse, our lives become the comfort zones in which we live.  While I often say it is good to get out of your comfort zone as often as possible, the reality is that it can be difficult to see how to do that during the daily grind.  Whether you travel or not for your vacation, it is still a time to get away.  Defining what that means can be key to accomplishing your objectives. 

I often find it useful to think about the need to use my vacation to empty the tanks that I have filled up and fill up the ones that have become empty.  Winning the day during a vacation is not the same as winning it during your daily life.  It might be that you lead a disciplined life at home, and you need to let loose when you’re away. It could be that you need activity that you lack in your daily life.  Whatever it is, figure out what you need out of your vacation so that you can set out to achieve it – both mentally and physically.

Mental

The idea of disconnecting from the many distractions that preoccupy us during our daily lives to be left alone with our thoughts can be intimidating.  A 2014 study in Science found that most people do not enjoy being left alone in a room for even 6 to 15 minutes with nothing to do but think, and most would prefer to be doing something over nothing, even if that something is negative.  This even included a preference for self-inflicted electric shocks rather than being left to one’s own thoughts.  As hard as it may be to accept, doing less is good for you! 

Thankfully, I was trained by a great boss who always understood the importance of setting aside your vacations.  As a younger associate planning my first big vacation since starting my career, I remember asking my boss, “What happens if we end up getting a trial scheduled after I book my vacation?”  You may find this odd, but I thought her reaction was so sweet when she said, “If you got hit by a bus tomorrow, I’d have to move on, so you take your vacation.” 

Perhaps with a slightly different approach than my boss’s, I often provide young associates with similar advice today.  In fact, there are several that I must tell not to respond to emails or join zoom meetings when they are away.  But the key is understanding that the reason for this is that it is better for both them and me.  When they heed my advice (as I did my boss’s), they (like I) usually come back appearing more refreshed and focused.  That’s productive for all of us.

Physical

Personally, I love to make my vacations very physical.  You may have seen last week’s post where I included spreadsheets tracking my daily workouts.  I exercise most days, but many of my workouts are shorter because I am fitting them into my daily work schedule.  Vacations provide me the rare opportunity to spend most of my day doing something physical when my usual daily routine involves sitting at a desk.

But each of us is different.  It may be that you struggle to find the time each day to incorporate any type of fitness, so this might be a good time to get in even a little (and perhaps set yourself up to incorporate it more into your typical day).  Or it may be that your day is active throughout, and this is a time to purely rest your body so that it is ready to take on the strain again when you return.  The key is to know what you need from the time away and plan for it accordingly.

July 4th vacation in Alaska.

Eating

Vacations often come with a step outside of our typical eating habits – and let’s be honest, it usually involves eating more.

I’ve gone into many vacations at periods in my life where I was working on developing better eating habits.  As I will discuss in a later post, my eating lifestyle was the hardest for me to change, but I did so little by little by making small changes over many years.  It was always important when going on a vacation to have this in mind – whether it meant doing something about it while away or not.  In 2018, I went to Italy, and there was no way that I was going to miss out on the great pasta, gelato, and wine that the country had to offer – especially on the first trip I ever took there.  Nor would I have benefitted from missing out on the social aspect of enjoying these great meals with great friends.  On the other hand, last year I went on a cruise to Alaska, and while I enjoyed some nice dinners on the trip, I also knew there was no earthly reason to eat everything they fed us on the ship.

For me, one key is to make sure to put any trip into a box and simply not let myself come back to a world where I continued eating what I do when I am away.  This can be easier said than done for many who have trouble getting back on the wagon after letting loose, and I have most certainly been there myself.  Some keys to doing so include, making a plan, acknowledging the consequences of your actions, not beating yourself up, and finding ways to benefit from accountability whether by holding yourself accountable or using others to do so – or both.

Going out at home is different from going out on vacation.  When I go out in my daily life which is common, I stay within my normal eating habits.  Doing otherwise would cheat my lifestyle.  When away, I believe winning the day is often defined by doing things differently, and I leave room to indulge.  I train my mind to see the difference in these situations.  Of course, I also do my best to earn my calories when away by staying active throughout the day – but it’s ok even if you don’t do so because vacations are short and temporary in the scheme of things.  Vacations do not define your lifestyle, but they can give you the strength and focus to live it when you are back.

July 4th vacation in Italy.

Social

Finally, vacations often provide an opportunity to replenish social aspects that can be lacking during the grind.  I mentioned that I try to keep my vacations physical, but it can be important not to allow that to sacrifice the healthy aspects that come from having good times with friends and family.  I’ve been on trips where I admittedly missed out on later nights at pubs in Ireland so that I could be more primed for a round of golf the next day by getting to bed earlier.  This could be the right decision at times, but it may also be the wrong one.  When the journey of life is over, it is hard to see regret coming from having a bad round of golf because I had a great time out with close friends the night before.  The regret is more likely to follow when you look back and wish you had spent more time with loved ones.  Also, with my golf game over the years, it’s not likely that I would have had a good round anyway. 

July 4th vacations to Abbey Road, London with my dad (top left), Alaska with my parents (bottom left), and Italy seeing Pearl Jam with friends (right).

Have fun!

All of this is to say that there might only be one way to best define winning the day on vacation – have fun!  A vacation is a blip in the long game, but it can be the foundation for achieving success in it.

While my big vacation this year is not for another couple weeks – as I will be going on my 50th birthday golf trip – I will be spending some time away over the weekend visiting my parents for a pre-birthday celebration.  I’m going to use the time to recharge a bit and will be taking next week off from writing the blog.  The past eight weeks writing for you has been enlightening, inspiring, and a truly amazing experience.  Now, it’s time to heed my own advice about the benefits of taking a break.

Happy Independence Day, everyone!

July 4th in Alaska

Aaron