Hello, summer!
Are you a fan of summer?
I LOVE summer! I love the warmth (though not too hot, please!). I love the laid back feeling, I love the social calendar filling up. And I love going on trips (big or small) and adventures, even if they’re not long.
I know not everyone takes a vacation or travels during the summer (or at all for that matter), but for those that do, summer plans can mean all those healthy intentions get thrown off course. And that often means that sleep (and energy) is impacted.
But if you feel like you’re on a really great track with your habits, and you’d like to make sure you keep up with some of them while you’re on vacation, here are my top five tips.
Make the grocery store your go-to restaurant
Do you know what the best fast food place is? The grocery store! Almost every community has one, and you can stock up on any of your favorite foods while you’re there. Grab veggie trays for easy to access veggies, hummus, guacamole, apples, bananas, or other fruit for healthy lunches and snacks. Peanut butter, nuts and seeds, eggs that you can hard boil (if you have access to boiling water), all make great additions to meals or snacks. The last trip we went on I bought a small cooler bag, which helped keep the groceries cool when we were traveling between locations.
Keep your sleep and wake times consistent
If you keep your sleep and wake time the same as you do regularly, that will help keep your sleep consistent. It’s entirely possible (likely?) that you’ll have nights where you want to stay up later than usual and mornings where you’ll want to sleep in a little bit, and that is fine! But on the nights/mornings when you have the option, head to bed at your normal time.
Get daylight in your eyes when you wake up
Just like I often mention to keep your circadian rhythm consistent, getting daylight in your eyes in the morning can help improve your sleep. This is especially helpful if you’ve changed time zones. Exposing yourself to morning sunlight can help reset your internal clock, which can help you get over jet lag sooner.
Keep as many parts of your sleep routine as you can
Just like you’ll want to keep the same sleep and wake times, keeping your sleep routine consistent when you travel can help you fall asleep more easily. If you’re used to watching TV before bed, then do that. If you normally read a book before you go to bed, make sure you’ve packed a great book with you to read before bed. Whatever your routine is, keep the parts of it that you can to ensure you have an easier time falling asleep at night.
Walk to explore
If you have the luxury of going somewhere new, exploring is one of the most exciting aspects of vacation. And what better way to explore than on foot. It’s on of my favorite ways to explore a new place, and while it obviously can take a long time, you can see so many little details that you might not see otherwise. But walking is fantastic for your energy, your stress, and your sleep.
But here’s an incredibly important thing to consider.
If you don’t feel like following any of your healthy habits while you’re on vacation, then don’t! It’s your vacation, it’s entirely up to you.
Vacation is actually a great time to step out of your habits for a bit. While we tend to do really well on routines, sometimes getting out of routine can feel incredible (and freeing) too.
In fact, I might even recommend you purposefully avoid some of your habits for a day or two. I promise that taking a day or two away from your normal routine will not break the habit. You’ll be able to get back into it with ease.
But if you have a hard time stepping away from your habits for a day or two, it might mean that the habit is taking up too much space in your brain. If this is the case, you don’t need to force yourself to take a day off from your habit(s), just be aware about how you feel.
What are your top recommendations for staying on track while you’re out of town or away from your house? What do you find works for you?
Let me know!