Healthy Habits on Vacation: Come Home Without Starting Over

Meet Benedict (yes, like the breakfast food!), one of the many reasons this trip was an adventure of a lifetime.

Have you ever stepped on the scale after getting home from a long vacation and held your breath until the number popped up?

Standing there in your underwear, not only jet-lagged, but also feeling bloated and maybe even a little guilty about how you totally let yourself go. Then swearing you’ll get right back on track with a new diet now that you’re home.

That’s exactly what used to happen to me after a vacation. I used to come home and dread starting over with my healthy eating habits.

I’d ride this roller coaster of emotions: first excited and happy to be traveling and enjoying myself, and then immediately plunging into feelings of guilt and restriction when I got home.

And that ̶k̶i̶n̶d̶a̶ really sucked.

But now? I never worry about getting back on track after returning home from a vacation. I have healthy eating habits that work at home and while traveling. Now, the hardest part about coming home from traveling is the jet lag!

I just returned from the adventure of a lifetime, road-tripping along the coast of Australia. This was a trip my husband and I have been talking about since we got married 25 years ago. It was the perfect way to celebrate our milestone anniversary, and I did not hold back on enjoying it.

I got to pet koalas, hike through the rainforest, walk along beautiful beaches, snorkel for hours with turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, and shop all morning in Sydney. And on the afternoons we weren’t sightseeing? I’d enjoy a leisurely lunch that sometimes included a glass of crisp Sauvignon Blanc from the Southern Hemisphere that didn’t need to be imported!

Besides all the incredible adventures and lasting memories, one of the best parts about traveling now is how I feel when I get home.

After almost three weeks of eating in restaurants and being completely off my usual schedule, I knew stepping on the scale would simply reflect that my Anchor Actions worked while I got to play.

What are Anchor Actions?

Anchor Actions are small things you can actually stick with that make it easier to follow through on the choices you want to make. And the interesting thing is, my Anchor Actions on vacation look a whole lot like they do in real life.

This is something I coach my clients on because Anchor Actions don’t require you to be perfect. They’re things you can stick with that work in real life, especially when things aren’t going according to plan.

And “real life” can mean a lot of things. It can mean a busy week, a week you're feeling a little under the weather, a day when you seem to have all the energy in the world, or weeks spent traveling across the globe, or those times when you have to put everything on hold for a loved one who needs you. Sometimes life gets completely turned upside down and you barely recognize your normal routine anymore.

But real life is also just a regular Tuesday.

Many of my clients are women who are retired and get to travel more regularly now that they’re no longer tied to a 9-to-5 job. One of the biggest things we talk about before they head out on vacation is: What are your Anchor Actions?

Because whether you’re at home on a regular Tuesday or in a completely different time zone, having a few things you can rely on means you don’t have to worry that you’re going to completely go off the rails. Instead, you have the peace of mind that the habits you’ve built can support you wherever life takes you.

My 3 Anchor Actions That Carry Me Through Everyday Life…and Helped Me Feel Great on Vacation:

Both at home and while I was away for almost three weeks, these were the small habits that kept me anchored to my priorities for my health and well-being, so I can keep hiking, sightseeing, exploring, and saying YES to adventures for years to come.

1. Stretch and strengthen every morning for at least 10 minutes.

During our road trip, we stayed in seven different places; from hotels with gyms to apartments with nothing more than a small balcony or living room to work out in.

Before leaving, I wrote out several bodyweight circuits I could do in less than 15 minutes with very little space. I’d warm up with some dynamic stretches to wake up my joints, followed by simple strength exercises to wake up my muscles for the day. It helped me keep stiffness at bay and kept me in the habit of daily movement and strength.

It also helps that I’m at the age where I really don’t care if someone sees me doing air squats and push-ups on the balcony!

2. Start every day with a hearty, protein-based breakfast.

Most mornings that meant eggs, either from an omelet station or simply hard-boiled, or Greek yogurt. Then I’d add veggies and fruit to my meal.

And it didn’t stop with breakfast.

Starting my day this way not only provides me with the energy needed for high-activity days, it also tends to create a domino effect for the rest of my day. When eating at restaurants for lunch and dinner, I’d first look for a grilled protein like fish or chicken and build my meal from there, whether that meant steamed vegetables or a beautiful salad filled with local produce.

3. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate.

Water before coffee. Water to start each meal. And a water bottle with me throughout the day.

For me drinking enough water is so important to help stave off headaches, helps keep my digestion happy, and reduce bloating. That simple action of drinking water before each meal makes it pretty easy for me to get my water in every day, even when my normal schedule is nowhere to be found.

And you know what else I did?

I ate the gelato. I enjoyed the burger. I had the occasional glass of wine. And I didn’t stress about any of it.

Because the goal isn’t to create a way of eating that only works when you’re home, motivated, following your normal routine, and everything is going according to plan.

It’s to build habits that work in real life.

Your Anchor Actions may look completely different from mine, and that’s exactly the point. They need to fit your life, your priorities, and the things that help you feel your best.

This is one of the things I teach inside The Eat With Ease Method: how to create a way of eating that gives you enough structure to support your goals without feeling like you’re constantly dieting, starting over, or trying to be perfect.

Because taking care of yourself shouldn’t require putting your life on hold.

Want to learn more about The Eat With Ease Method and how I help women build healthy habits that work in real life?

Click here to learn more about → The Eat With Ease Method

Coach Jessica’s Consistency Tip

One of the biggest mindset shifts I encourage my clients to make is to stop building healthy habits around ideal circumstances and instead ask how those habits can work in real life.

Start by asking yourself: What is one healthy habit I’d like to become more consistent with?

Then identify a small Anchor Action that makes it easier to follow through. And here’s the important part: Make sure it’s something that can flex with your life.

Examples:

• If your goal is to move more, your Anchor Action might be 10 minutes of movement every morning, not a 60-minute workout five days a week.

• If you want to stay better hydrated, it might be drinking a glass of water before your morning coffee.

• If you want to eat a more nourishing breakfast, it might be making sure you include one protein-rich food each morning.

Then give your Anchor Action this test:

Could I do this on an ordinary Tuesday? On a low-energy day? When my schedule changes? While I’m traveling?

If the answer is yes, you’ve probably found an action that can actually become part of your life.

Remember: Consistency isn't doing the same thing perfectly every day. It's having something you can come back to, wherever real life takes you.

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