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A long time ago, before I was ever in the fitness business, I was lamenting to one of my good friends (who also happens to be a personal trainer) about my body. “I’ll never be a thin person – it’s just not my body type”, I told her.

And this is true. I will never be a waif. My legs will never be skinny. I’m an athletic and muscular person and when I am exercising and properly nourishing my body, I have the body of an athlete.

But when this conversation was going on with my friend, I had so many failed diets under my belt that the only way to make me feel better was to tell myself that it simply wasn’t possible to change. I hadn’t failed – this was just who I was.

But thanks to my good friend, I didn’t just throw in the towel and resign myself to a certain body type in order to justify being overweight for the rest of my life.

My friend did what any good coach would do. She shared her vision of me – a vision that she saw for me that I couldn’t yet see for myself. And thank God I believed her because she was right. It was shortly after that conversation that I began strength training for the first time and finally got my nutrition in check.

I was petrified of bulking up with weight training, and the idea of changing my diet was scary. But I allowed myself to trust in the process.

I’m so glad I did. I no longer identify as “overweight”, “big boned” or “chunky”, but as “athletic, strong, lean and healthy.” This change in identification set off a chain reaction of beliefs that have had a serious impact on my quality of life.

Body transformations are bigger than vanity. They can have a profound impact on your mindset, confidence and happiness. Achieving something that you thought wasn’t possible can make you more courageous in all other walks of life. A physical transformation can be the start of a life that that is bigger, braver and bolder than you ever thought possible.

If this is resonating with you, I invite you to join me in my 28-Day Transformation Challenge that begins on Monday, October 1st. In this challenge, I’ll take you through the same changes I made to my exercise and nutrition so that you can live your absolute best life.

Your 28-Day Challenge includes:

• 4-Weeks of Dietician-Approved Meal Plans: You’ll get 4 weeks of done-for-you meal plans that are 100% Dietician Approved and designed to get you results
• 4 Weekly Print-n-Go Grocery Lists: Each week will come with a complete grocery list – all you have to do is print the list and head to the store or order your groceries online!
• Complete Success Manual: You’ll get a 17-page success manual that will educate you about nutrition and how to live a healthy lifestyle. It is loaded with success tips and strategies to help you get the best results possible.
• 67 Delicious & Easy-to-Make Recipes: Complete Recipe Manual filled with whole-foods based, incredible recipes like Butternut Squash Soup, Citrus Fish Tacos, Award-Winning Chili, Cilantro Lime Chicken, and a Chocolate Avocado Smoothie.
• 28 Daily Motivational & Inspirational Emails: You’ll get 28 daily emails from me to keep you motivated and on track with your goals.
• Dining Out Swap Guide: Your dining out swap guide will show you how to turn any restaurant menu item into a delicious, healthy, and challenge-friendly alternative
• In-Person Workouts: For the duration of the challenge, you’ll get unlimited calorie-torching high-intensity workouts for ALL ability levels.

You can join the challenge by clicking here. Registration closes this Friday, September 28th and the challenge begins on Monday October 1st.

My husband and I recently returned from a two week trip to Italy to celebrate our 5^th wedding anniversary and the fact that we both just turned 40.  It was truly the trip of a lifetime and we were so blessed to have had this experience.

Our goals for this vacation were to relax and unwind, but also be active and explore parts of the world that were unknown to us.  We also wanted to get some stamps on our passport and travel outside of the US.  So we settled on a little conglomerate of towns in Southern Italy on the Northern coast of the Salerno Gulf known as the Amalfi Coast.  We also love experimenting with different cuisines and knew the food and wine in Italy would be exceptional.

I know that many of us struggle when it comes to “how to eat” on vacation.  We want to enjoy ourselves and not feel rigid or deprived, but at the same time, we don’t want to go completely off the rails.

I can relate to this feeling with first hand experience.   I recall many times when I’ve gone completely off the rails with my food on vacation.   After all, a holiday is a time to take a break from life at home.  It’s a time to treat yourself to meals and experiences to which you would otherwise not.  And we are only here for a limited time, so we want to take full advantage of the experience.

BUT believe me when I tell you that this can be done without binge eating; without going off the rails; without feeling bloated when you come home; and without feeling deprived.

Here are the strategies I used on vacation that allowed me to completely enjoy two weeks in Italy and still comfortably fit into the clothes I left in.

1.  I went in with a plan.  I knew I wanted to stay active on this trip, and be cognizant of my portions.   I am also running a weight loss challenge with my clients right now, so I definitely wanted to lead by example.

2.  I used sightseeing as my exercise.  There wasn’t really much of a need to even hit the gym on this vacation, as we walked a ton.  In Capri, we made it a point to walk everywhere.  We hiked to the top of Mt. Solero, even though most tourists take a chair lift up the mountain.  In Positano, we hiked the path of the Gods, and instead of taking a bus to the path, we walked there from town, including the 900 steps up to the start of the path!

3.  I tracked my activity.  I don’t normally track my activity too closely on my apple watch at home because I know my normal workout routine, activity levels and eating habits work for me.  But being completely off my routine, it was reassuring to track my miles, steps and calories burned.  One day I looked down at my watch and realized we had walked 10 miles!  I didn’t use this to justify eating a gigantic meal, but instead felt proud of the fact that we had walked so much and that my shorts were even feeling a little looser!

4.  I was mindful at buffets.  For a good portion of the trip we were staying in places that had breakfast buffets.  In the past, buffets were a real trigger for overeating for me, but I told myself I could try anything I wanted, as long as I honored my body and stopped eating when I was satisfied – not stuffed.  The breakfast buffets in Italy were incredible.  The Italians are big on their pastries and even cakes at breakfast.  I would typically scoop some eggs on my plate for protein and a bit of fruit or salad.  Then I’d pick out a few cakes or pastries that looked tasty.  I’d have small bites of everything and maybe a couple more bites of the ones that I liked the most.  I was not afraid to leave food on my plate!

5.  We split our food.  Georg and I like to try a lot of different things, so we’d order a starter a pasta, a main course and a dessert, but share everything.  I also stopped eating when I felt like the food just wasn’t pleasurable anymore.  Have you ever noticed that the first few bites of food are always the best?  On our last night, we ordered some fried calamari that was absolutely incredible.  I had no problem leaving the last few bites on the plate because I noticed that the more I ate, the less I was enjoying it.

6.  I ate slowly.  I really made sure to slow down and savor each and every bite.  This is definitely a big part of European culture, so it was easy to do.  When you do this, you not only enjoy your bites more, but you end up eating less because you become full (or your date eats a little more!)

7.  If I didn’t love it, I didn’t eat it.  I know we were raised to be in the clean plate club, but that club has a lot of overweight members with Diabetes, Heart Disease and other health conditions.  If you don’t like something, don’t eat it, just to eat it.  Calories add up, so don’t waste them on food you don’t enjoy when you’re on vacation.  I give you permission to leave food on your plate!

I am feeling pretty good coming back from this vacation.  I may be a few pounds heavier than when I started – I’m honestly not sure because I’m typing this from the airplane on the way home right now!  But the key is, by staying active and being mindful of my eating, I’m returning home feeling good about myself and good in my clothes.  Any weight I may have gained should come off fairly quickly just by returning to my normal routine at home.

I hope these strategies are helpful to you the next time you go on vacation.  As always, hit reply with any questions or to set up a time to talk.

Xo
Alison