We Ran Right By Here
This post is being written from a hotel room in Hilton Head Island. Julie and I are on vacation this week spending time in Charleston, Hilton Head and Savannah. We’ve been having an incredible time so far (Charleston is an absolutely beautiful city) and we’ve also been staying pretty healthy.
Getting Exercise
- Running – Every other day we get up a bit earlier and go for a run. We pick out our course the day before and try to find something that will be interesting and fun to run. For example, in Charleston we found a great run along the waterfront and through some historic districts. The houses were incredible and we found ourselves chatting about which one we’d like to live in as we ran. Today we ran on the beach in Hilton Head, something I’d never done before. It was absolutely beautiful and we kept spotting dolphins in the surf as we ran. Both times the run felt like a natural part of the vacation instead of an interruption of it.
- Walking tours – We walk everywhere. We spend hours and hours walking every day and it helps. I think we spent at least four hours walking each day that we were in Charleston. We walked through the historic neighborhoods, we walked through the market district, we walked through Folly beach and we even did a walking ghost tour of Charleston which was a bit lame, but still took 90 minutes. Sure, it’s not a fast walk but 4 hours will add up!
- Activities – We’re picking out a good mix of relaxing and active things to do. For example, here in Hilton Head we’re going for a two hour Dolphin cruise but we’re also going on a 4 hour kayak trip. Tomorrow we plan on biking through the island.
Overall, I think we’re actually getting more exercise than when we were at home, but it’s something we have to consciously choose. It doesn’t just happen on its own. It’s easy to get lazy and just take the trolley tours, the boat excursions or sit on the beach, and while those may be fun, more physical activities can also be enjoyable. I have to tell you, there’s nothing like walking through a city to really get to know it.
Eating
This is the problem area. Vacation means eating out and eating out means eating too much. Dessert with every meal, fried sea food at every restaurant, steaks for lunch and buffets for breakfast. How the heck do we not gain 20lbs like this?
Well, nothing to do here but have a bit of discipline.
- Don’t tell yourself that vacation is a reason to eat like a pig but do relax and enjoy life a bit. Eating dessert is ok (I’m waiting for my ice cream sundea as I type this) but a buffet every night might be overdoing it.
- Limit yourself to one or two big meals a day. That means if you ate a big breakfast and a big lunch, you don’t get to have a big dinner. That usually keeps me from overeating and feeling too bloated to do anything fun.
- Speaking of which, remind yourself that there are vacation activities you won’t enjoy as much if you overeat, like hiking, biking and so on. Even better, have a significant other who reminds you of this
Relax
Do you know why I save money? It’s so I’ll have it to spend on the things that matter, like vacation. Think of food the same way. I live healthy all my life so that I don’t have to worry about missing out on South Carolina’s world famous She-Crab soup when I’m here on vacation. If I happen to eat a few calories more than I usually do, that’s fine. Those calories will melt right off when I get back home.