In the past, a vacation was something I looked forward to and prepped for incessantly. I would worry about what I was going to look ilk eon the beach in a bikini and I would always set a weight loss goal centred on the day of my departure.

Usually, I didn’t lose any weight.

Often, I got more anxious about the pressure and ended up feeling fat. That means I missed out on the fun of the anticipation of a trip.

If you haven’t guessed, things have changed for me!

I’m heading to a resort in Virginia for a weeklong bike trip and I am feeling all kinds of excited. Even with my tumble earlier this week, I’m excited for some quality riding in the hills and to meet a lot of like-minded, energetic people!

Other notable things I’m excited for:

• drinking beer
• watching the tour
• playing golf
• swimming
• having some new tennis partners
• seeing the scenery
• sleeping in
• the road trip
• time to read books
• spotty wireless – aka even more time to read books

Really, I’m excited to get away and to step back from everything, even though everything is awesome. So awesome, in fact, that I feel a little sad leaving. So much positive stuff is going on right now and I’m having so much fun this summer that it’s almost bittersweet to go away. Enough complaining-I’m lucky to be going on this trip and I’m REALLY lucky to be in such a happy place right now.

That being said, I wanted to make a point about something health-related that I see and hear a lot of: like me, a lot of people go on extreme diets or try cleanses or at least work out harder in anticipation of a vacation. Fine, you want to look your best. But I also hear a lot of people saying that they’re going to totally let loose once they’re wherever they’re headed. While I’m all for lightening up and maybe enjoying some sleep ins and extra rest days and a few extra treats while you’re on vacation, when it comes to health, I have a couple of thoughts. List form seems appropriate:

• If you have to take a vacation from your “diet” — it’s just that, a diet. And diets are really stupid — why not just come up with an eating approach that isn’t restrictive but that makes you feel good and keeps your body healthy, based on where you are?
• If you feel guilty over missing your workouts, is that really a balanced and health-promoting thing. My thoughts are, as you know, that your exercise should be something you want to do. Not a requirement or something you force yourself into. i.e. if you’re on vacation and you don’t want to do it, why are you doing it? Why don’t you do something else — take a surfing lesson? Go for a hike? Explore a city by foot?

In short, if you feed yourself and move your body in a way that serves it to be healthy (not to look a certain way at all costs or because someone tells you to), a vacation doesn’t mean letting all of that go. There’s no “on” or “off” and there’s not really anything to be anxious for.

And I like this cuz maybe it’s why I feel kind of bittersweet about going:

The truth is all the awesome I’m enjoying right now is gonna be here when I get back. And no one said things have to stand still while I’m gone. All those things I’m looking forward to are just moving me towards an even better healthier happier spot. And one thing I’m adding into the mix is this promise: I’m going to chew no gum while I’m gone. 10 day kick start seems like a good way to kick my pack a day habit. I feel bloated and I don’t know if I’m chewing to keep myself occupied or to deal with nerves or to give myself a reason to feel like I have a problem (whoa, too much self analyzing here), but I do think I should just leave that habit in the dust. So there you have it: my pledge! If my breath stinks, hook me up with a mint and NOT a stick of gum, mmmkay?

How fitting is it that I just got this reminder in my inbox?:

Here we go! And don’t worry, my blog won’t be totally dead while I’m gone. Some great gals have helped me out already with guest posts, I think I’ve got some more on the way (?) and I intend to update periodically. Cuz I love blogging, in case you didn’t notice.

What do you think about my take on vacations?
What’s the last vacation you’ve taken?