3 Essential Steps to Getting Back Into Shape After a Vacation

I love to travel and so do many of my clients. In fact, to ensure proper balance in one’s life I strongly encourage it! However, if done frequently or for extended periods of time it can significantly push back the timeline you had originally set to accomplish your fitness goals. Here are my 3 suggestions on how to transition back into workout mode as smoothly as possible when returning from a vacation...

1. Make Lifestyle Adjustments

• Time change/jet lag is no joke. Bite the bullet the first day back to your original time zone and force yourself to stay awake if necessary. The key is to return to your normal sleeping pattern as soon as possible in order to reset your body clock.
• Overhydrate. Odds are you weren’t drinking enough water while on vacation and the quicker you can return to a hydrated state the more energy you and your muscles (which are 75% water) will have.
• Prepare your food. Your meal frequency and food selections were most likely abysmal while on vacation so it’s appropriate to ditch restaurant food for a few weeks and get back to controlling what food you put into your body. The grocery store should be one of your first stops after your plane touches down.
• Address any musculoskeletal imbalances. Sitting in an airplane or car for hours on end and sleeping in a different bed is terrible for spinal alignment. Stiff necks and tight low backs are the norm after a vacation. Get a good massage, hit the Jacuzzi, visit your chiropractor, and stretch/foam roll out any tight areas.

2. Have a Pragmatic Mindset

• Deconditioning happens at an alarmingly fast rate. In as little as 5-7 days without exercise our bodies start to regress. The best case scenario is you “stay active” while on vacation by going for walks/hikes but it’s still not the same as training intensely in a gym. 
• Acknowledge that you’re not going to be as fit when returning from vacation as before and be sensible when returning to exercise. Thinking you’re super human and diving in head first will most likely lead to an injury and a setback at this time is the last thing you need. 
• Do not get discouraged when your first workout back feels like satan threw the gauntlet at you. Be proud of yourself for taking the first step to getting you back into the shape that you so desire.  You’ve done it before and you will do it again.
• Focus on what is in front of you and put small goals in the forefront of your mind. Try and get better in each successive workout and you will be back to your prior fitness level in no time!

3. Change the Way you Workout

• Instead of a 1 or 2 muscle group training split, such as doing just arms or chest and triceps switch to a full-body or half-body workout regimen for the first few weeks.  Still get in 3-4 days of strength training but refrain from annihilating only one or two muscle groups like you normally would in an ultra-specific muscle group training split.
• Scale back the volume (number of sets) for muscle groups.  If you haven’t touched a weight in over a week it certainly isn’t going to take much to fatigue the muscle and induce soreness.  DO NOT try and pick up exactly where you left off.  The result will be an uncomfortable amount of muscular soreness in the upcoming days which could discourage you from even going to the gym.  If you’re going with a half-body split, select 3-4 exercises for legs and perform 3-4 sets on each exercise.  For your upper-body day, select one exercise for each muscle group and hit 3 sets of it.
• Lengthen rest intervals between sets.  Since your muscles have had no reason to store nutrients and stay volumized, you are not going to recover as quickly between sets.  Instead of 60 seconds, you may need up to 2 minutes to feel recovered for the next set.  Think of the muscle as a sponge.  When you return from vacation it is in a dry, light state.  Once you resume weight training and proper hydration/nutrition the muscle will soak up nutrients much like a sponge soaks up water, thus becoming fuller and heavier.
• Be sure to get in your cardio.  Cardio is not just a tool to drop bodyfat.  It also is a tool for recovery.  When your muscles are very sore and the thought of strength training sounds terrifying, go knock out some low-moderate intensity cardio instead.  This will increase circulation and help with recovery while also boosting endorphins.