Things you shouldn’t worry about when planning a holiday

• How will I get all my work outs in? Will I even be able to find a good gym, should I try pick up some more bands?
• How will I stick to my macro split?
• How will I track my calories?
• How will I look when I come back?

I wish I hadn’t worried so much about these things when I use to plan holidays. I wish I had been able to free my mind a bit more and let go.

You can be disciplined and goal oriented without fearing a change of scene or routine. Sometimes a sense of control can give us comfort when we plan the future but often times only leads to more stress in the moment if we can’t control something.

Control is like a defence mechanism, a tool, don’t judge yourself for it, observe it as though you were listening to a friend talk about it and invest the time in discovering more about yourself through the realisation. If these thoughts cloud over being present and enjoying the experiences then the benefits of exercise and eating right in that they improve your quality of life are being over run by fear and obsession.

Time offers powerful perspective. Look back at your past holidays and think about the most important things you enjoyed. Time with friends, meeting new people, going on new trails/hikes and being immersed in the atmosphere at your favourite restaurant.

Recognise that the connections and experiences were more important than finding a gym or tracking the calories on menu items. It can feel hard to let go but the health of your mind depends on being able to adapt to your circumstance in a healthy and balanced manner as well as being able to enjoy the present. Be in the moment, sharing it with others or in your own peace.

Now, when planning a holiday I am far more concerned about

• Who will look after my plants.
• If the local bottle shop will stock my host’s favourite wines.
• If my favourite pie shop will be open.

I am confident that I will not loose habits I have established when I am out of my normal routine because I love these habits. Going to gym and eating well are not things I force myself to do, I have fallen in love with these things so I resettle myself back in. I miss them after the break.

I don’t over do it on alcohol and highly processed foods because I don’t want to harm my body but I don’t stress about tracking either and if I come back less lean it won’t bother me so long as I’m still in a healthy range and took opportunities to move while I was on holiday.

I feel grateful for the change of pace, time with friends and getting to eat new foods.