I was very fortunate to go on a big March Break trip this year to Korea & Japan. As always, and even when I'm on vacation, I'm always thinking about health. I don't make the same choices when I'm on vacation as I do when I'm at home (everything in moderation!), but I'm still conscious and thinking about health. I also like to learn and compare cultures and habits when I get the opportunity to explore a new country. So, here's what I learned when I was on vacation...
1. It's impossible to do intermittent fasting when you're dealing with jet lag. My body was so hungry and craving sugar because it was tired and wanted energy! I gave in and gave it the fuel (i.e. sugar) that it needed to deal with our jam-packed days.
2. Korea & Japan would be perfect places to practice intermittent fasting if I wasn't so jet lagged. It's hard to find a breakfast restaurant or bakery in either country that opens before 11am, so if I wasn't jet lagged it would have been easy & natural to just skip breakfast. That being said, my husband & son don't fast so we'd still have to figure something out for them.
3. It is so hard to eat adequate amounts of fruit & veggies while on holiday. I went out of my way to find fruit to keep on hand so that we'd have something healthy to eat with our sugary yogurt in the morning and often I couldn't find anything! Whenever I saw vegetables on a menu, I ordered them - but it wasn't often and they were often covered in tempura. I'm back at home and back to eating lots of fruits & veggies - I know that a couple of weeks off of healthy eating doesn't make a long term difference in my health but it does make a difference in how my body feels day to day.
4. Movement makes my body feel good! My family & I were walking about 15km each day on vacation, we'd avoid the subway whenever possible so that we could see more. It was great to get so much movement into my day, and my body really missed it when I came home and got back into my far more sedentary routine! It's now my goal to increase my steps on a daily basis. Don't get me wrong, I still ski and run and swim and do pilates on a regular basis - but the day to day movement is definitely not at 15km/day and my body really being at that level.
5. My yoga tune up balls are on my vacation packing list. I use them to massage out my body after a long flight, and to massage out my feet after a long day of exploring. I don't know what I'd do without them!
6. Exploration nourishes my soul. I love exploring new places. Whether it's new areas of Toronto that I haven't seen before or new countries and new cultures, it makes my brain work and my heart soar.
It's great to be out of my routine to be able to assess my day to day activities and think about my body and health in new ways. I hope you're thinking about your health too!
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