Watch the full video here: Stay Fit on Vacation – Kevin’s Tips for Maintaining Your Progress

Video Transcript:

Stay Fit on Vacation – Kevin’s Tips for Maintaining Your Progress

So in this video, I’m talking about how to maintain your progress as you go on vacation. 

And a lot of people are filled with dread when they go on vacation because they feel in the back of their hearts that they’re going to lose all those gains that they were making because when they go on vacation, they’re going to eat the wrong foods and they’re not going to work out and I have a very different way of looking at going on vacation and in fact, when I go on vacation, I actually come back as a rule in slightly better shape than I was before I went on vacation.

Sounds a little crazy but it’s actually not that hard at all.

And in this video, I’m going to tell you exactly what I do when I’m on vacation and how I have a fantastic time but at the same time, still keep on making progress.

So stay tuned. I’ll talk a little more about this.

So in this video, we’re talking about how to maintain your progress while on vacation and the fact that when I go on vacation I actually make a little bit more progress. And before I go any further, I thank everyone for tuning in and especially those who say this should be a one stop place for anyone considering training naturally.

I really appreciate the tremendous support and do be sure to like, subscribe and hit that bell so you’re first in line to get the new content as it comes out.

Now, vacation, like I said before a lot of people are terrified about the fact that when they go on vacation that they’re going to lose all their gains but personally, when I go on vacation, I always make it a rule that I’m going to come back one or two pounds lighter than I was when I left.

Never Miss a Workout On Vacation

So let’s start with the mindset. When I train, I always talk about the idea of it being an ecstatic moment and the word ecstatic comes from the Greek word ectasis which means stepping up from that which is ordinary, transcending that cycle of doing the same thing over and over.

And so as hard as my high intensity training can be, it truly is an enjoyable experience that makes me feel at one with everything. 

And so when I go on vacation, there’s no reason why I would not want to continue having those fantastic experiences I have from my workouts and so I always make sure that I train whenever I go on vacation.

Now, today, almost every single reputable hotel you go to has some form of a gym.

It may not be the best gym on the planet. Sometimes only a couple dumbbells and a treadmill but it’s at least something you can do something with.

Now, if there isn’t a gym around, I just do bodyweight training three times a week with the same trainings that I would do if I had access to my regular equipment.

Click here for Kevin’s video: Jump Squats: The Ultimate Leg and Glute Exercise

Vacation Food Planning Ideas

Tip number two, always make sure you carry some nonperishable food items with you at all times.

Now, most of us when we go on vacation will take an aircraft to get to where we’re going and in a modern commercial airliner, there’s a lot of thought that goes into the fuel required for the plane.

There is the taxi fuel required for taxiing to and from the runways pre and post-flight. There’s the trip fuel, the actual fuel actually burned from wheels up to wheels down.

There’s contingency fuel which by law all aircraft must have enough fuel to account for any unforeseen delays, unforecasted weather or time due with an emergency.

Then there’s diversion fuel which is required in case there needs to be a diversion to another airport.

Then there’s final reserve fuel which is fuel you must have in your tanks at all times.

Final reserve fuel has to be in the aircraft when it lands meaning that you must always have some extra and the way I look at my diet is the same way an air crew looks at fueling an aircraft.

Airports are notoriously horrible for having bad food and so wherever I’m going, I always do some research to see if there’s something I can eat when I get there.

Now, because you’re not allowed to bring food through security checkouts, I’ll usually eat beforehand if there’s absolutely nothing there at the airport I can eat. That’s kind of like my taxi fuel.

Then there’s the trip fuel. 

I will always do my research to make sure I know exactly what type of food is going to be available to me wherever I’m going on vacation and sometimes especially when busy with family or going somewhere really different, you don’t always know what you’re going to get which is why I always have my reserve fuel which is with me at all times and I bring more in for multiple occasions just in case I run out and that for me will usually be something like unsalted peanut butter, peanuts and salt-free Tongol tuna.

Every single trip I’ve ever been on has always had those items with me at all times in whatever bag I was carrying.

So if I ever got into a jam and there really wasn’t that much in the way of food, I’d have something to get me through and that’s really important to have that reserve which leads to my next tip which is try to eat less when on vacation.

The Best Way to Eat Healthy On Vacation: Eat Less

I know it sounds crazy but here’s the problem.

When you go on vacation, you’re going to be getting a lot of different foods, sometimes foods you’ve never really encountered before and the ability to overeat and overdo it is extremely easy.

Now, for me personally, I eat the way I eat because I love how I feel when I eat the way I eat. I feel energized and I feel good in every single way possible and so I don’t want to be on vacation where I’m supposed to be enjoying myself and be in a place where I don’t feel my best and so my food choices are based on the idea of not overdoing it.

Too many people think about vacation as the time when you just kind of let everything go.

Now, I know a lot of people do it and people will say things like, “well, how do you travel to somewhere like France for example and not drink the wine, not eat the cheese?”

Simple.

If I drink wine, I don’t feel good.

If I eat cheese, I don’t feel good.

I like feeling good so I don’t drink the wine, I don’t eat the cheese.

And here’s the thing, no matter where you go, there are always going to be protein sources available to you and you want to focus on trying to get your protein in.

As far as carbs are concerned, you always want to make sure your carbs are completely unprocessed.

And if the foods being served happen to be processed carbs then you stock up by eating fruit while you’re on vacation which isn’t bad at all.

Now, one thing you never have control of is sodium levels.

Usually, when I’m going on vacation especially if I have to eat out a lot, there’s going to be a lot more sodium in my foods than I’m accustomed to because during my regular diet, I don’t add salt to any of my foods and now because the foods I’m eating there have a lot more sodium than normally would have and the fact that they’re probably a lot more higher in calories ’cause it may have some sauces or whatever else, I just eat a little bit less.

Eating Less Won’t Affect Muscle Gains

Now, you’re not going to lose muscle gains by eating slightly less over the course of a week or two.

Trust me, you won’t.

And again, I’m someone who put most of my size on eating 120 grams of protein per day on average.

And holding onto the muscle you already have is a lot easier than building it up.

So you don’t need tremendous amount protein to maintain your size but having a predominantly high protein diet while you’re on vacation is going to go a long way to help you maintain your muscle mass if you’re eating slightly less.

And so for me, as I said in a vacation, I usually come down to be about at least one or two pounds lighter than I was when I left and I also have no regrets.

I’m not easily influenced by what other people think I should or should not be doing but that being said, it doesn’t mean everyone around me should eat the way I do or do what I do.

Absolutely not.

This is my path and my path is my sacred path and something very important when you’re on vacation as well is respecting the path that others are taking.

If someone else wants to indulge in something, it’s really important for your peace of mind that that be okay and I’m so content being where I am, I don’t feel any desire whatsoever to tell anybody else what they should or shouldn’t be doing.

Now, keep in mind, I’ve been doing this for well over 30 years.

It wasn’t easy to start off.

It was something I had to kind of ease myself into but remember, as I said before, there’s nothing superhuman about me and if I can do it, I believe you can do it too.

So enjoy your vacation.

Enjoy your time with your family and your friends.

Enjoy those new places you’re going to.

Thanks so much for tuning in and as always, Excelsior!

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Featured everywhere from the Wall Street Journal to CBS News, Kevin Richardson’s Naturally Intense High Intensity Training have helped hundreds lose weight and transform their bodies with his 10 Minute Workouts. One of the top natural bodybuilders of his time, Kevin is also the international fitness consultant for UNICEF and one of the top personal trainers in New York City.