4 THINGS YOU MUST DO TO GET BACK ON TRACK AFTER TRAVEL

​Oh, summertime.  How I love thee.  But even with all the fun in the sun, vacations, and extra daylight, it seems like I always need a vacation from my vacation.  Can you relate?

This feeling undoubtedly stems from the anxiety that overcomes me when I feel rushed back into “reality” & unprepared for the coming week.  #Ugh.  Just ugh.

OK guys, but here’s the thing… we can change this dreaded feeling and situation!  No more measly meals of PB sandwiches (with the bread loaf butts), no more fried fast food at lunch and no more overpriced take-out for dinner.  Sounds pretty sweet, right?  Here’s just how you do it! ​

​1)  Count how many days there are in between the day you return from vacation and your next grocery trip.  Not only will this force you to look ahead at your calendar to see what’s coming up, but it will help you think through just how many meals & snacks you need to prepare for before you head out of town. 

2)  Decide on meals & snacks for these days.  Now that you’ve figured out exactly how many meals & snacks you need to plan for, you get to fill in the blanks!  Use our Printable Weekly Meal Planner to complete this step.  Focus on super simple meals and snacks you can throw together each day, for example:

• For breakfast…
  • Egg in a mug with toast or an English muffin and an apple**
  • Fruit smoothie with plain non-fat yogurt and your favorite shelf-stable milk or milk substitute
  • Oatmeal with raisins or frozen blueberries and unsalted nuts  
• For lunch…
  • Tuna and whole-grain crackers with a low-sodium vegetable soup
  • Low-sodium deli meat and low-fat sliced cheese in a whole-grain tortilla with an apple**
• For dinner…
  • Southwestern baked sweet potatoes with black beans, frozen fajita vegetables, low-fat cheese and salsa
  • Simple shrimp stir-fry with frozen stir-fry veggies, frozen cooked shrimp and microwaveable brown rice
  • Rotisserie chicken with microwaveable veggies or a bagged salad
• For snacks…
  • Unsalted nuts and unsweetened dried fruit
  • Nut butter and an apple**
  • Low-fat single serving cheese with whole-grain crackers
  • Air-popped popcorn a LARABAR

**NOTE: Here are some quick tips to prolong the life of your food products… store bread products in the fridge so they don’t mold, as well as apples so they don’t ripen as quick!

3)  Go grocery shopping!  Whether you pick-up your ingredients curbside or send your Shipt assistant out for the goods, make sure to designate a day & time before you leave to stock up on all your essentials.  You might also find it helpful to post your Weekly Meal Planner on your refrigerator door so you’ll remember all the meals and snacks you have.

4)  Commit to ending your vacation when your vacation ends.  While we all enjoy rest & relaxation, nothing will side track your healthy habits like dragging out your return to your regular routine.  Make getting back on the horse easier for yourself by putting your plan into action!

And even though it can be so difficult to think about what you’re eating when you return home (admittedly because we’re so consumed by what we want to eat while we’re away) taking just a little extra time & energy to set yourself up for success will be worth it. We promise! 

What are your tips & tricks to eating healthfully after vacation?  Tell is in the comments below!

lindsey
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P.S.  Interested in how to eat healthy while traveling.  Check out all of our tips here!