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Exercise, Food Freedom, Intuitive Eating, Travel

Learning to Let Go of Rigid Food and Exercise Rules on Vacation

June 29, 2018 By Robyn 17 Comments

Hi friends! It’s Hannah, one of the RLRD interns. Happy Friday!! I hope your week has so far has been wonderful. A couple weekends ago, I took a mini trip to Colorado with my mom and sister. We had such a blast (well, I did once I got over some altitude sickness) hiking, exploring, trying new restaurants, and spending time with each other in the sunny outdoors. The weekend made me think about my past experiences with travel a lot, and how my previous, disordered eating habits changed and shaped the way I travelled for multiple years.

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As a kid, travelling was so easy and simple for me when it came to food + movement. I feel very lucky and privileged that my family and I were able to take trips together. We’d wake up early and eat something that we’d buy at the airport, and once we were at our destination, I’d just order whatever sounded good to me in the restaurants we’d find. Even if it was a warm, beach trip, I wouldn’t worry about how certain foods would make me “look” in a bathing suit — I was an intuitive eater (like many of us were) as a child, and selecting my meals wasn’t a big deal. If something sounded appetizing, that’s what I’d pick. As for exercise, it was never about going to the hotel gym on vacation or squeezing in time to work out when it really didn’t fit naturally into the day’s schedule — movement was naturally incorporated through playing and swimming in the pool, skiing, hiking, or walking through the town to explore. Travelling, like regular life, was intuitive for me as a child before I was roped, like you might’ve been too, into the world of diet culture.

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In the throes of my disordered eating period, I distinctly remember family and friend vacations feeling very different — because for me, they mentally were. I was stuck in the need to try to control my food and my exercise while in a new place or in the place of transit (airports were so stressful for me because I could never find food that fit within the way I was restrictively eating). I was quite distracted from the actual trip as well — the place, the people I was with, the culture, the new foods, because I was hyper-focused on keeping my rigid eating and exercising habits the same as the ones I more easily kept control over at home and at college. If right now you are in a similar situation as the one I used to be in, I feel you. I hear you. It’s tough; I totally get it, and you are not alone. What I can say now though, is that with time and a concerted effort on supported recovery, travel can and will get a whole lot better. And a ton more fun.

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I’ve been on a few trips here and there since feeling fully recovered from my disordered eating thoughts and habits, and I still feel just as lucky and privileged (if not even more!) to be able to travel – to see friends who live far away, to explore new places, and to afford flight and train costs. I am very thankful for these opportunities and adventures. I’m taking even more advantage of them now because I embrace vacations and travel experiences in ways that are very similar to how I enjoyed them as a child: intuitively. Naturally. Happily. I no longer get anxious about needing to keep up with an exercise routine while travelling; I now realize that airports and train stations have lots of food, and that I have permission to eat whatever I’d like — nothing is off limits anymore. It took a while to get to this point in recovery, but I can promise you that it is SO possible. It just takes a lot of time, discomfort, patience and grace with yourself. Being able to travel freely without a diet leash around my neck has been one of the best parts of recovery for me. It’s beyond liberating to be able to go to new places and not feel anxiety about keeping up with the mechanisms that I thought were helping me “control” my body, weight, and hunger.

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My family’s recent weekend adventure to Colorado inspired me to reflect on some tips that I have for you about traveling. Navigating the experience of travel, which involves leaving your physical (and probably mental as well) comfort zone, can be daunting for some of us, and these are some tips that I wish someone had told me a few years ago. I hope they are helpful for you.

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1.) Feed yourself on travel days

I don’t know about you, but I often find that travel days throw off my hunger, especially if flying into a different time zone, or if I’m waking up really early to get somewhere. It’s totally okay that travelling does this — travel days are weird! But, what I think is important is that we remember to care for ourselves in these times of transit and not judge ourselves if we’re hungry at weird hours and want to eat. Our bodies know what they’re doing.

With that being said, I think packing snacks for travel days is cool because you can save some money at the station/airport, or maybe you had some perishable snacks that were going to go bad at home if you didn’t eat them, so you bring them with you. However, I don’t think packing snacks and meals needs to be obsessive — if you forget snacks at home, it’s okay! You’ve got permission to get something in your place of transit. I used to be so scared to eat food at the airport because I thought it was all “junk” and didn’t fit within my eating plan.

What I wish I could tell this old self of mine is this: Hannah! pleaaase take care of yourself and feed yourself food while at the airport/on the plane or train. Don’t go hungry just because you forgot your ‘compliant’ snacks at home — you have permission to eat airport food. It’s not “bad”. It’s food, it macronutrients and energy and therefore your body knows how to use it. This is just food, and you deserve to be taken care of. You deserve to be well-fed.

2.) Strive to go with the flow while out to eat

Vacations often prompt more opportunity for going out to eat than regular life does. This can be stressful for some of us. I’ve completely been there; it was anxiety-inducing, especially if my meal came and it wasn’t exactly what I had expected or ordered. I’ve come to enjoy going out to eat a lot now, but of course there are still those times where the food that arrives isn’t what I’d been anticipating, and that’s where practicing going with the flow comes in handy. For example, this past weekend in Colorado, I ordered this tasty-sounding roasted chicken — it came and was slathered in some creamy and savory sage butter. It looked delicious, but I know that my GI system and dairy don’t always agree. I’m learning that sometimes dairy feels totally fine, and sometimes not so much — it really just depends.

In this type of situation, something that I’ve found to be helpful in ‘flowing’ is thinking about my options. I quickly thought about the choices in my head before making a decision — one option was to send it back and ask for the chicken without the sage butter. Another option was to try and enjoy the meal with my family, and see what happens (this is very individual, but for me I’ll either get a bad stomach-ache from dairy, or nothing at all). I went with the latter option because I was really hungry, wanted to eat a good meal eat after a long day of traveling, and was willing to risk the stomachache. Now, if you’re someone who has a severe allergic reaction to a food that your meal comes with, of course I wouldn’t recommend this to you! But for people like me, who in the past have been scared to eat any “off limits” foods, I’ve worked these past two years to truly, mindfully introduce all foods and get to a place where no food is considered fearful and scary. I’d rather not have a stomach-ache in an ideal world, but sometimes it happens and I’m learning that I’ll be okay, that the situation is totally fine, and that whatever is happening will pass. (As a side, so happy that I kept the meal at that restaurant because it was very good with that savory butter!)

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3.) Work to be adaptable with exercise

Travel doesn’t always lend itself to a rigid exercise routine. I used to try and “force” a strict exercise regimen onto vacations and while I studied abroad. Now,I’m learning it’s better and way easier to simply find ways to incorporate happy movement into the trip. If it feels constricting and not intuitive to be running on the treadmill at the hotel’s gym all the time, but you still would like to move while travelling, maybe explore other types of activities that involve getting your blood flowing. Kayaking, walking through the city, going for a hike or a sunset walk, swimming, snow-shoeing…what’s cool about travel is that you can experiment and find new ways to move, ones that you might not be able to do at home. If you can get outside, I recommend that! Fresh air and nature are things I’ve come to appreciate as much as possible since I reside in a city right now and don’t always have access to quiet, fresh outdoor spaces.

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4.) Use travel as an opportunity to try new foods

I studied abroad in Greece my freshman year of college and my friends and I were lucky that we got to travel to a few various countries in the EU while living in Greece. I was in the throes of disordered eating during my time abroad, and I didn’t try the fun or traditional foods in any of the places we visited. I never had a gyro in Greece, a Belgian waffle in Brussels, or pasta in Italy. I know, I know. I didn’t have pasta in Italy. I was scared of gluten at the time. It’s sad now to think about.

It’s because of this that now, when I go places, I make an effort to try new, fun foods – ones that I haven’t had before but, that sound delicious to me. I empower you to try doing this too. We can be in it together. Of course there will always be the days, even when traveling, that you just want to eat something familiar and comforting and classic, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But if I’m you’re traveling somewhere and something new on the menu sounds appetizing, why not go for that? When you look back on your travels, you don’t want to remember calories, you’ll want to remember the experience. 

One small example is that on a family trip last year, I experimented with peanut butter and honey on a blueberry bagel for breakfast at the buffet. I’d never mixed PB and honey before. This was a little, non climactic moment, but it was SO good and slightly transformative for my breakfast situations. Now, I love to drizzle honey on top of my PB-slathered bagels on a regular basis at home because of what I experienced on that particular vacation. I learned I really liked that!

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Those are some small tips about travel based on my experience in the past and present. Hopefully they help! I hope you have a lovely week and holiday and if you’re traveling anywhere in the near future, I want to hear about your experience — safe travels! 


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Filed Under: Exercise, Food Freedom, Intuitive Eating, Travel

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Comments

  1. emily vardy says

    June 29, 2018 at 6:31 am

    Ugh, I’ve spent too many vacations uber obsessed with food! These days I try to relax a bit (/a lot more) about it all….especially since getting to try the local cuisine is one of the best parts of travel!

    Reply
    • Carly Thunberg says

      June 29, 2018 at 2:17 pm

      Exactly! Looking back at past vacations and realizing how limiting it was to restrict food is saddening for me. Crazy how much impact the diet mentality has on us :/ even on a vacation.

      Reply
  2. Ashley V says

    June 29, 2018 at 6:58 am

    I have definitely wasted time and energy worrying about how vacation would affect my food/exercise choices. Ugh! Several years ago, I was going on vacation with two close friends, and the night before I left I found myself sitting on the floor crying because I wouldn’t have “my” food, and I wouldn’t be able to run everyday. Now I’m much more relaxed and really only have to be a little careful about fried food which usually gives me a stomachache and isn’t always worth it.

    Reply
  3. Bre says

    June 29, 2018 at 8:08 am

    Great tips, Hannah! Spending a vacation worrying about food/exercise is such a bummer. Whenever I do get to travel, I try to just let go of those thoughts and enjoy being in the moment. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth it. And I’ve been eating peanut butter and honey sandwiches since I was a kid – it’s one of my favorite flavor combinations! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Miley says

    June 29, 2018 at 8:28 am

    This resonates with me so much, Hannah! I can remember so many stressful eating situations on trips during my eating disorder. Travel is one of my favorite things now, but that wasn’t true until breaking free from my eating disorder and rigid exercise habits. I took a trip to NYC with one of my best friends last year and it was the first trip where I truly felt “free.” It was AMAZING. I got to eat pizza, cookie dough, and doughnuts without stress, moral attachment, or judgement! 🙂

    Reply
  5. Hillary says

    June 29, 2018 at 8:53 am

    I ruined so many family vacations because of my eating disorder. We had to stay in places with a gym and I would refuse to do anything until I was finished exercising. Food would also cause so much distress. It makes me sad, but it was all a part of my journey. Here’s to embracing flexibility and new experiences!

    Reply
  6. Carly Thunberg says

    June 29, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    Hannah! Great post. This reasonates with me quite a bit. I just got back from a huge study abroad where it was impossible to incorporate the strict food and exercise rules that I have been slave to. It takes SO much work to get to that point of being able to fully embrace vacations and eat intuively again but im getting there. Best, Carly

    Reply
  7. Joyce says

    June 29, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    I think this is something a lot of us with histories of disordered eating struggle with–I know I’ve made huge progress in terms of food and exercise freedom on vacation, but I’ve got a long ways still to go. Hope you had a wonderful time here in Colorado! And hope you missed some of the absurdly hot weather we’ve been having here.

    Reply
  8. Abigail says

    June 29, 2018 at 8:27 pm

    This post really resonates with me since I have an upcoming trip planned with friends. When they asked how many days I wanted to go, I chose the shorter length just because I was worried about my diet! It makes me sad that I am this way. I just worry too much that when I let go and eat freely I’ll gain a lot of weight. Last time I did that on a two week trip I gained 8 lbs! I think that experience scared me a bit. Anyway, thanks for the encouragement and reminder everyone!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      June 30, 2018 at 2:28 pm

      If you were coming from a place of restriction and feeling like you would never be able to have the “vacation” foods again until maybe your next vacation, that sets you up for primally overeating those foods and having a negative experience. It takes time and practice to adopt intuitive eating habits so you don’t have the all or nothing approach. Try it out in a neutral environment at home and then vacation won’t feel like it’s such a huge deal.

      Reply
  9. Megan @ A Continual Feast says

    June 30, 2018 at 9:40 am

    Thanks for sharing this! I totally agree that travel is WAY more fun when you can go with the flow and just enjoy the food and experiences 🙂

    Reply
  10. Brittany Audra @ Audra's Appetite says

    June 30, 2018 at 12:05 pm

    This recipe comes at a perfect time as I’m traveling in Europe in July!! Going to be SO MANY different cuisines and new foods in all the different countries we’ll be visiting!

    Reply
  11. Emily Swanson says

    June 30, 2018 at 6:49 pm

    Can’t tell you how much I love this Hannah. The encouragement to just go with the flow is one I need to hear over and over again, especially because my gut ‘fear’ reaction is to NOT want to go with the flow and just make the travel experience rougher and not more fun more me and the other loved ones with me. It is so sweet to me to see how you are learning to be flexible Hannah and how you’ve grown so much. The opportunity to try new foods while traveling is SO incredible. I love how you talked about Greece because it makes me think about the spanakopita that we had when we were there last year. It was DELICIOUS, and it was so worth the food freedom. All of these tips are so good, and I think I really need to keep in mind especially the fact of still nourishing on travel days especially when my appetite is just off but its still so important.

    Reply
  12. Lauren says

    July 1, 2018 at 2:52 pm

    LOVE!!! Two years ago I went to Eastern Europe with my family for three weeks. I was so scared of the foods I was eating and scared of gaining weight from them. It took away from my time for sure (and I knew it!!). This past May, we traveled to Spain, and I noticed my mindset towards food had changed. I followed my internal hunger cues, ate what sounded good, and moved in a way that didn’t disrupt my day (I think I only went to the hotel gym once… oh well). Food and exercise freedom is huge. I pray that other women that struggle like I did all find peace and truly enjoy connecting with others and places through food 🙂

    Reply
  13. Nicole @ Laughing My Abs Off says

    July 1, 2018 at 6:36 pm

    Aww Hannah, I love this post so much! Like you, travel used to be such a huge source of anxiety in my life, even though I LOVE going new places and having adventures. But back then, I could never relax or fully let loose because I was feeling so worried or guilty about all the food and lack of exercise. *Sigh* my poor younger self. Thankfully, now I understand that this is just a tiny chunk of my life, a week or so of doing something that is not perhaps what I would do at home to feel my best, but that won’t hurt me in the long run. Travel is ultimately about doing something out of routine and trying new things, and remembering how fortunate we are to even have these experiences is also so important to put it in perspective. Thank you 🙂

    Reply
  14. Jojo says

    July 2, 2018 at 4:59 pm

    Thank you for this post, Hannah! I can relate so much about everything you said here, including the whole dairy thing. I’ve noticed that my body can tolerate higher-fat dairy (e.g. butter) better than lower-fat dairy (e.g. skim milk, nonfat milk powder, etc.), so maybe you can experiment with that, too. 🙂

    Reply
  15. emma says

    November 20, 2023 at 9:49 am

    This year I spent my vacation in Sydney with friends. We spent a really cool couple of weeks there. We didn’t just relax in the city, we rented a 9-seater car on Rental24.co.uk and went on a small 3-day road trip to see the sights near Sydney

    Reply

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years o A little way I’m learning to enjoy these years of getting to spend so much time with my kids: aka another way I’m discovering some pockets of peace so my heart & mind & soul don’t crumble under the reality of dependent & emotionally dysregulated tiny humans.  About once a week we go somewhere for baked goods. We drive or walk, buy something buttery & then find a beautiful, relatively quiet outdoor spot where the boys can romp and I can sit and think my thoughts while I watch them play. This past week we were found ourselves at the Wool Factory where the boys threw rocks & whatever else off the bridge while I ate 90% of this almond 🥐 from @coucourachou that will blow your mind. Boys ate the other 10% bc they were busy playing and didn’t ask for more quickly enough 😜  I’m finding *for me* playgrounds have a time & place but they aren’t where I enjoy motherhood & my two toddlers the most. Baked goods & a pretty outdoor spot without high drops my 15 month old could launch himself off of…I’m here for it.
I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the I brought this bag of snacks along when I took the boys to hike out at one of our favorite spots last week and when I ripped it open I was regretting my choice to share them with my kids. @baresnacks randomly sent me a box of snacks and I usually eat free food we receive or give it to a friend/neighbor and move on. But I felt it my duty to tell you about these bc they are THAT GOOD. I’m not getting paid and this isn’t sponsored - I was just shocked at how tasty these were and felt you needed to know. We ate them with some buttery roasted nuts and the combo was 👌🏻 but they are good just on their own.  The boys climbed rocks and swam in the reservoir - leave it to my almost 3 year old to want to strip down naked and fully submerge himself in chilly water on a sixty degree morning. “Mama can I get super nakey?” Sure baby. Sure. This is your childhood.
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a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face a girlfriend brought me a 🍪 the size of my face from @mariebettecafe this morning when she came to get her toddler who played with us all morning and it is v good. even better when paired with an iced latte 😍
#AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing a #AlignPartner I left off a few weeks ago sharing about how taking @alignprobiotic regularly has improved my digestive regularity.  And I’m still taking them! I’ve permanently added Align 24/7 Digestive Support* into the roundup of supplements I take before bed (prenatal, vitamin D, choline & DHA - all which help keep me healthy while breastfeeding) so I can keep seeing the benefits.  Just because you see benefits, doesn’t mean you should stop taking your probiotic. Keep taking Align daily (under the supervision and recommendation of your health care provider of course) to keep seeing the benefits!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - one of my favorite parts of Align probiotics is that they don’t need refrigeration AND they come in a convenient little blister pack that has the days labeled. It’s the little things people! #MyAlignGuutJourney #guthealth  *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoo I realized it was going to be a long, hot afternoon (91 and muggy in MAY 🤯) when a toddler nap was refused and a baby nap was cut wildly short ....so my tired mom brain pulled out two plastic storage bins, filled them up with soap & hose water and striped ‘em down naked in the yard. Two hours later, it was almost time for an early dinner and I had magically been able to sit for most of that time and we already had baths checked off the list. 👍🏻 I’m archiving this idea for my future self, hope it helps another tired mama out.
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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care f We had an AFTERNOON today. Toddler didn’t care for a nap. Putting baby down was harder than I wanted it to be. Miraculously, I had a moment of clarity as I was covered in tiny humans and decided I wasn’t doing the nap battle thing a on 60 degree, gorgeous, sunny spring day 🙅🏻‍♀️ so I piled both babies into the car half naked, opened the sun roof, put on white noise for them and an audio book for me and drank a kombucha as I drove a meal to a postpartum mama. Thirty five minutes later we had a sleeping baby and a toddler who at least had a rest. Baby transferred without waking HALLELUJAH and although my toddler didn’t nap today (lord help) at least we got soaked in breezy sunshine 😎🤘🏻💆🏻‍♀️
We veered from our usual Friday night homemade piz We veered from our usual Friday night homemade pizza (minus the dough, we leave that to @albemarlebakingco) because we are eating pizza tomorrow with some friends - instead I called my mom and asked her how she makes her chicken fingers and we fried up a big ole batch of chicken nugs 🙌🏻🤤 along with a sheet pan full of sweet potato fries and a simple arugula salad dressed with parmesean, olive oil and s&p. Oh and my moms honey mustard recipe for dipping. It’s SO DANG GOOD.  Over the past 6ish months we’ve been practicing (and practicing and practicing bc it doesn’t come naturally) unplugging from technology and slowing down and resting and just being for one day a week. Some call it Shabbat. Some call it Sabbath. Maybe you call it something different. All I know is IT IS SO GOOD FOR MY WEARY SOUL and the day I look forward to ALL WEEK. Sundown on Friday to sundown Saturday. Nothing but rest. For us that means hiking (or something outside) and napping and reading and being with friends and eating really good food. And drinking some really good wine or craft beer. Sometimes whiskey. 😛  And because I know I’ll get asked about the chicken finger recipe and also because it’s too good not to share and Momma Coale said I could, here ya go:  Cut chicken breast into thin strips or small pieces (I prefer nug size bc the breading to chicken ratio is perfection). Salt and pepper those babies really well. Then dredge them in all purpose flour, then egg, then panko - just like you would bread anything else. Then fry them up in a light oil - I use avocado oil because that’s our everyday oil. You could also use canola or peanut oil. Just fill a pan with an inch or so of oil on medium high heat. They only take 2-3 minutes per side. You can always temp them to make sure they are at least 165 degrees F to really make sure they are done. Dunk in all the sauces and enjoy!  Happy weekend!

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