Let’s face it…..as American’s we are an EXTREMELY food driven culture. We associate holidays, family gatherings, and vacations with food. Unfortunately it’s not healthy foods either. Fat and carb rich pies, pastas, cookies, and all assorted dishes that taste amazing and give us instant gratification. But these choices can wreak havoc on our bodies!

That instant gratification is quickly followed by bloat, sluggishness, lack of motivation to do anything, and even worse…..a greater desire to eat more enticing foods!

How can we enjoy life, but still stay on track with physique and more importantly YOUR HEALTH!!

So for me, I just truly enjoy eating healthy these days. But don’t get me wrong…..I LOVE ME SOME GOOD EATS. I grew up in a family that had Saturday bean lunch at my grandmothers and Sunday dinner at my aunts. It was cakes, pies, everything you could imagine to pig out on. I survived off “shit” food growing up. Always on the go with friends riding our bikes and eating Wendy’s, Burger King, subs, and pizza at least twice a day.

I am a huge fan of fasting for many health purposes but it can be extreme for some. So just eat clean through out the day in a bit of a caloric deficit. Protein and veggies and keep your carbs and fats low, or do a true fast. Get in some activity through out the day even if it’s a walk or playing with your dog/kids/or significant others. On vacation, walking around and exploring places, walk on the beach, or just get in a full body circuit workout in your room or hotel gym.

Then have 1 meal at night. Enjoy but don’t binge to a point that you feel nauseous. Have a bite of everything you need, but create the willpower to walk away content but not stuffed. I also highly suggest that you do this as your last meal of the night. As mentioned before, once you have something delicious, it’s hard to go back to clean eating. You are more likely to make poor choices.

We all need to enjoy life a bit and it can be achievable by just making some smarter choices to allow for a little freedom. I always come back from vacations in just as good shape as I do before I leave and I am not dedicating hours in the gym and stressing about not being able to eat what I want. I just set myself up to be successful and FEEL good. I honestly wouldn’t even enjoy a trip of doing nothing but eating crap and drinking.

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