How to Get Through Any Break and Get Back on Track with Your Health or Weight Loss

In this article: 

• Spring break and other breaks can be welcome mentally and physically, but a few easy tips can help you keep from straying far off course with your health and wellness plan.
• Plan ahead and redefine goals before a vacation or any change in routine.
• Pack smart and check facilities and menus ahead of time to plan your healthy eating and activity intentions during your break.
• Enjoy planned, controlled indulgences.
• Journal or log to stay mindful, motivated, and aware.
• After a break, establish a baseline and go back to your regular healthy routine. To get started, pick an anchor habit that you can establish and work around as you add other healthy habits. 
• Lark can help you establish healthy habits on regular days and during vacation with 24/7 coaching towards your health and weight loss goals.

If you want to lose weight or manage health, healthy choices may be a way of life. Smart eating choices, regular physical activity, and a consistent sleep schedule may be part of your daily routine. But what happens if you’re going on vacation or your schedule is disrupted for other reasons? Don’t worry!

Everyone needs a break sometimes. According to Harvard Business Review, time away from your regular routine can improve well-being and reduce negative effects of stress. Planning for a vacation can reduce boredom and improve mood. A study published in Scandinavian Journal of Work and Environmental Health found that employees who had more paid vacation time had a lower risk for depression. 

A break from your regular schedule can feel scary if you’ve been in a routine with plenty of healthy choices, but what if you change your mindset to a positive one? Think of your upcoming vacation or break as an opportunity. Just like a break lets you recharge so you can get back to work and daily tasks, plan your break so it renews your energy for healthy living. Here’s how you can take a physical or mental break while maintaining health gains that you’ve made, and how to get back to your regular routine once your break is over.

Before the Break: Redefine Your Health Goals and Plan Ahead to Stay on Track

It can be nerve wracking to worry about how you’ll be able to maintain all of the same diet, exercise, and other habits you’ve worked hard to establish. So don’t! Instead of thinking of your upcoming break or schedule shift as an obstacle to your weight loss or health goals, consider it an opportunity to spur motivation and inject joy into your choices. 

Here are some positive things about a vacation or change in schedule.

• It’s a mental and physical break from routine
• You may have chances to try new foods
• Physical activity opportunities can come in fun ways

Plan ahead to lay the groundwork to build momentum for healthy choices without stress. Here are some things to consider. 

• Pack what you’ll need. Walking shoes are a must. Depending on where you’re going, consider packing a water bottle if the tap water is safe to drink at your destination, packets of oatmeal if you’ll be eating breakfast at the hotel, ear plugs if noise bothers you at night, and a step counter for motivation while you’re out during the day. Here are more tips for packing for a healthy vacation. 
• Research your destination. Explore possible walking paths or places you can walk, such as on city sidewalks or alongside a river or canal. Check for local grocery stores so you can easily purchase produce or other healthy items. Look at local restaurant menus if possible, and learn which traditional dishes are healthiest for you to order. 
• Identify indulgences that are too good to pass up. There may be local delicacies that aren’t the healthiest, but are a main attraction at your destination. Or, part of your mental vacation may include having indulgences that you don’t choose at home all the time, like a plate of French fries. Choose a few that are most important to you, and plan to avoid the rest. 

During the Break: Maintain Healthy Habits and Enjoy Yourself Without Losing Progress

Once you’re on vacation or off schedule, focus on healthier choices, not about perfection. The goal is to enjoy yourself and get a mental break while staying anchored in your healthy lifestyle. 

Here are some tips. 

• Have an “addition” mindset. Think about what you can have, not what you shouldn’t. Focus on things like drinking more fluids, finding new ways to eat more fruits and vegetables, and discovering interesting walking routes to destinations. Also think about “adding” sleep - it’s one of the most productive things you can do while you’re on break!
• Share your intentions for accountability. Invite others to join you whenever possible. Ask them to walk with you, split a meal to keep portions smaller, or explore markets or grocery stores with you. Even telling them about your intentions, like taking a walk before breakfast or only having one dessert each day, can help you follow through.
• Think about one healthy decision at a time. Every healthy choice you make counts. Thinking about a whole vacation at once can be daunting, but it’s motivating to think about this moment and what healthy choice you can make to improve health right now.
• Enjoy indulgences. Whichever treats and indulgences you identified as “must-haves,” be sure to take full advantage of the experience. Savor them, notice each part of them, and feel good about them. They’re important for satisfaction and for feeling like you have the ability to make choices for yourself. 
• Log food and activity. You don’t have to log all of the details like you might at home, but even spending a few minutes a day on this can keep you grounded and focused. You might add a note or two on food or activity choices, along with bedtime and wake time, to your daily travel diary if you keep one.

After the Break: Reset Your Routine and Get Back on Track with Healthy Living

Be patient with yourself when you’re back home or back to your normal routine. It can be hard to transition back to real life after a vacation or break. If you feel good about how well you maintained some healthy habits while on break, take note of those so you can do it again next time. 

If you didn’t quite make the diet, exercise, or sleep decisions that you had intended to make, that’s okay, too. You can get back on track gradually, and see progress again soon.

Here are some steps you can take to get back on track. 

• Establish a new baseline. Don’t worry about what you weighed before vacation, or what kind of fitness you had a few weeks ago. Focus on where you are now. Weigh yourself and check any other health markers that are important to you like blood sugar or blood pressure. 
• Add activity. Note your activity levels, such as the number of steps per day or how much exercise you’ve been doing. Once you’re consistent at your current level and you feel ready, step it up gradually.
• Choose an anchor habit. Pick one thing you want to start up again, like eating a side of vegetables for dinner, or packing your lunch. Keep it doable. Once it’s easy for you, add another habit. Keep adding in habits until you’re back on track.
• Log regularly. It’ll keep you aware and improve motivation.

Here are some steps you can take to get back on track. 

• Establish a new baseline. Don’t worry about what you weighed before vacation, or what kind of fitness you had a few weeks ago. Focus on where you are now. Weigh yourself and check any other health markers that are important to you like blood sugar or blood pressure. 
• Add activity. Note your activity levels, such as the number of steps per day or how much exercise you’ve been doing. Once you’re consistent at your current level and you feel ready, step it up gradually.
• Choose an anchor habit. Pick one thing you want to start up again, like eating a side of vegetables for dinner, or packing your lunch. Keep it doable. Once it’s easy for you, add another habit. Keep adding in habits until you’re back on track.
• Log regularly. It’ll keep you aware and improve motivation. 

How Lark Can Help

Making healthy choices while on break can help you stay on track, and it’s easier to get back your typical schedule when you’re ready. Lark is available 24/7 for encouragement, nutrition and physical activity coaching, and habit tracking. Lark can help you make healthy choices and establish habits that fit into your lifestyle so you can lose weight and keep it off with or without GLP-1 medications. 

Click here to see if you may be eligible to join Lark today!