I returned from the Dominican Republic a little over a week ago. It was the first vacation I’ve ever taken that was all-inclusive. I was there 5 days 4 nights (insert happy jumping here).
It was an amazing opportunity for me to walk in the shoes of my clients. In my day-to-day life I don’t work in an office (in fact, I’ve never worked in an office) and I have the freedom to cook my meals and eat snacks that make me feel good. In January I launched my first online nutrition-coaching group. To say it was the right thing to do is an understatement. The sense of community in my small group sessions and classes is astounding! When it comes to taking the leap to work on your nutrition, accountability and having a safe space work hugely in your favor!
My mindset staying at an all-inclusive resort: I’m the same person on vacation as I am at home. This vacation was an opportunity for me to take a break from the cold to enjoy the sun, sand and water and it was awesome.
Two things I did to make my all-inclusive resort work FOR me and not AGAINST me:
1. I ATE AT THE BUFFET LIKE I WOULD EAT IN MY KITCHEN
I’m used to cooking my own food and snacks and I don’t go out to eat a ton.
Nothing bad happened having an all you-can-eat buffet available 24/7 thanks to the habits that I’ve committed to in my day-to-day life. I also followed my 80/20 rule.
Here’s what I did: I made protein and veggies (a whole variety) my focus, drank a shit ton of coffee and water, and didn’t binge on foods that I don’t eat on a typical day. I also made sure to bring my snacking staples – peanut butter and almond single serve packets.
Two of my go-to meals at the all-inclusive resort:
Meat (6-8oz) + a boatload of vegetables (2-3 cups)
An omelet stuffed to the gills with veggies.
The hotel had a wide variety of proteins at each of the 3 meals. To me, PROTEIN = FOOD. I stayed away from sauces and relied heavily on meat, chicken, fish and eggs. Vegetables were abundant so I ate a few huge servings of those as well, including eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, broccoli, you name it I ate it!
Since we made sure to bring some nuts, it was easy for us to grab an apple or a banana (to pair it with) if we wanted a snack!
My 80/20 rule: Besides the 4 drinks and 2 delicious desserts that I thoroughly enjoyed, I skipped the wheat, sugar + shit that I avoid at home… because I know those things make me feel like shit. Just because it’s there doesn’t mean I have to eat it.
2. I MADE MOVEMENT A PRIORITY
I woke early with the sun and enjoyed a cup of coffee and a walk to explore. I honestly LOVE my activity tracker and made it my goal to still get 10,000 steps even while relaxing and reading on the beach! At the resort we were given our own golf cart to get around the properties. We chose to walk…because as Anthony would say, “Stacey loves her steps!”
The first morning that we went to the gym we performed a 15-20-minute total body routine. Lucky for you we filmed it 🙂
https://youtu.be/-qCXF3S8Dg4?list=UULmB9DA7WZGCtUGHccIGwVA
Set your gymboss timer :30 work :15 sec rest and alternate between upper body and lower body exercises as follows:
- Alternating rotational dumbbell presses
- Stability ball hamstring curl/ bridges
- Alternating dumbbell renegade rows
- Rear foot elevated split squat L,R
Repeat 3-4 rounds and you are done in 15-20 minutes! This is more of a metabolic session so choose medium weights and get as many reps as possible in :30 sec. Work hard for 15-20 mins and you’re DONE!
I honestly LOVE my activity tracker and made it my goal to still get 10,000 steps even while relaxing and reading on the beach! At the resort we were given our own golf cart to get around the properties. We chose to walk…because as Anthony would say, “Stacey loves her steps!” This trip was a great reminder that short intense exercise sessions combined with walking are ideal for keeping exercise-related stress to a minimum.
Two observations from vacation with regards to exercise:
1. The majority of people still have no idea what it means to exercise efficiently. One morning when we arrived at the gym, a passerby told us the place was packed…which actually meant all the cardio equipment was taken. Well it’s a good thing we weren’t there for that! I haven’t been in a commercial gym in about 4 years, so to be exposed to it again was very eye opening for me.
When you’re on vacation I think it’s important to find a happy middle ground. I don’t recommend spending 1.5 hrs in the gym on cardio equipment, and I don’t think you have to skip the gym completely simply because you are on vacation!
2. Amazing tools like suspension trainers and sandbags are making their way around the world!
Going to a hotel gym in another country and finding things like these along with an ab wheel was just fucking awesome. Here’s another fun time under tension total body workout for you to enjoy!
https://youtu.be/K6TinecpQf0?list=UULmB9DA7WZGCtUGHccIGwVA
When we really break things down, health is just another choice. Choose to make good food decisions, choose to be prepared when you can, choose to go in with a plan, and choose to make exercise a part of your daily life. Simply amazing things will result from consistently making these small choices.
I enjoyed my vacation but the fact of the matter remains that I LOVE MY LIFE and I am always happy to come home! I’m excited to announce that I am taking applications for my next online group nutrition coaching program that will be starting Monday February 9th 2015!
Shoot me an email stacey@staceyschaedler.com for more details.
xoxo
Stacey
