Healthy Food Options When on Vacation!

So I just got back from a fun, crazy weekend trip to Las Vegas! However, after 4 days out on vacation, I definitely ate a TON of CRAP food. In N Out, BBQ, Taco Bell, AYCE Sushi... just to name a few. And my body took a toll, because by the last day I just felt disgusting. And I knew so many people out there are going through the same problems as me this summer. You want to enjoy your vacation and it's so hard to resist all those bad foods! That is why I decided to make this blog post about some healthy alternatives that you can bring along while you are on vacation to keep you on track for your goal towards health and fitness!

Before I give you some snack/food options, here are some suggestions I have for when you are on vacation:

Stay Somewhere with a Kitchen

Our group stayed at the Tahiti Village in Las Vegas and the coolest part about this hotel room was that it had a kitchen! It came with a fridge, stove and microwave. If there is a kitchen, you can bring your own food which not only can save you a ton of $$ but you can keep eating healthy too! Anything that might be perishable (i.e veggies, soy milk, fruits, yogurt etc.) you can just stick in the fridge! How awesome is that. And by having a stove top, you can control how much oil and sauces you use in your meals! You might not be cooking for every meal (because let's be real, you are on VACATION), but at least try to cook some meals!
This is the exact room I stayed at the Tahiti Village! Having a kitchen was great!


Bring a Cooler Bag! (If There is No Kitchen)

 Now most hotels you stay at are not going to have a kitchen. If you're lucky you MIGHT have a mini fridge if that. So if you know you are just going on a weekend trip, bring yourself a cooler bag. When you first leave, make sure you have some ice packs in there, and once you get to your hotel room, bring some plastic baggies that you can fill with ice from the ice machine to stick in the cooler bag. You can pack some pre-made snacks (I shall list out later) that you can snack between meals so you don't starve yourself at any point. 

Don't Forget to DRINK WATER!

I know we're on vacation, but we can't forget to keep at our routine of drinking water!! Stick to drinking 8 or more cups of water a day. If you are out in the sun all day, you'll want to drink more to keep hydrated! 

Stay Motivated, Try as HARD as You Can to Not Be Persuaded!

This is something I struggle with not just on vacation, but on an every day basis. Not everyone of your friends is going to be as health conscious as you. Especially on vacation they are just going to tell you to "pig out!" "don't worry you're on vacation!" "one time won't hurt!"... and it's so hard to say no. But just remember, when you come back home and you've eaten all those bad foods, your body is going to pay for it. It's okay to "live a little" and splurge sometimes, but just remember your future goal towards fitness!

All You Can Eat (AYCE), Maybe Just Once?

When you're in Vegas, it's realllllly hard to avoid the AYCE buffet. I just went to one! Makino's sushi buffet. nomnomnom... So I get it! But, what you can do is, especially if it's just a weekend vacation, just go ONCE to the buffet, and when you're there, still eat all the healthy stuff! Try to salad bar and stick to fish, avoid fried, saucy, foods. And for dessert, instead of the chocolate ice cream, go for the fruit!!

Alright so I hope those were some helpful tips, I know I will definitely be taking my own tips into consideration when I go to Vegas in November (for the Marine Corps Ball!). So as promised, here are some healthy snack options that you can bring on your trip!! 

Healthy Snacks to Bring

  • Brown Rice Cakes
  • Apple Sauce (the above two make a GREAT healthy snack)
  • Veggie Sticks (carrots, cucumbers, celery)
  • Peanut Butter Sandwiches on 100% whole wheat/multigrain bread
  • Fresh Fruit (apples, bananas, peaches, pineapples, strawberries... some of them you may have to keep in the fridge)
  • Oatmeal (GREAT for breakfast, and if you bring the instant one you can just mix it with some hot water!)
  • Pretzel Thins
  • Hardboiled Eggs (this is something you might have to finish on the road trip there...might spoil)
  • Canned Tuna (don't forget a can opener)
  • Canned Veggies (corn, green beans)
  • Cereal/Granola
  • Yogurt (make sure you have somewhere to store it)
  • Bottled Water!
  • String Cheese
  • Nuts/Trailmix (but make your own instead of buying the sugary ones)
I hope this helps! Comment below if you have anymore suggestions!

Control what you EAT!

If you look through a lot of health and fitness blogs, they will tell you, if you are trying to lose weight, it's 20% fitness 80% diet! So it really matters what you are putting in your body! Even if you are lifting those weights and running all those miles, if you are eating JUNK, then you will get no where. Also, it's all about portion control. It's great if you choose to replace white rice with brown rice, or start eating more fruit. But, if you are eating TOO much of it, then you are probably going to be taking in more calories than you are burning, and you'll hit a plateau. The best way to get over this, is controlling the sizes of your meals.

This is something I found on Pinterest and I think this is GENIUS! So I decided to get something similar for my lunches.

I got my lunch organizer at Rite-Aid for less than $7.00. When i saw it, I knew this was something that would become very useful for me and my new diet plans! The way its set up, you can put 3 little "appetizers" or salad toppings and because each section is smaller, you don't have to worry about over eating!
It comes with a container you can put dressing in, and it won't spill!

So I decided to take this to work for my lunch. I decided to make a salad. I absolutely LOVE salads because there are so many options in what you can have in it! But beware, not all salads are healthy!
Regular romaine mix from Trader Joe's and some grape tomatoes peeking through!

Cucumbers, Chicken, and Carrot Sticks. With a touch of Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing


And it was delicious! Just the right amount I needed for a lunch. And if you feel that you get a little more hungrier after that meal, try having some yogurt, or maybe a few hours later, grab a granola bar to fuel your energy. It's important to not starve yourself at any point of the day, and try to eat small snacks through out your day to keep your metabolism up!

Try something new for lunch today, maybe skip out on that pizza? Or that hamburger? Try something refreshing! Keep checking back for more new posts!

Medicine ball Workout

Sunday, July 22, 2012


Well, it took me long enough to finally start this fitness blog! I've been wanting to start this blog for a while now, and I finally found some time in my schedule to start it. There are so many things I want to say/cover in my blog, but I guess I will keep it short and sweet for each post, so I have something good and useful to say for every post!

I'll begin with what my workout regiment was today. I am well aware that a majority of us LOVE Pinterest and it's actually really useful when you want to find a new workout routine. It's always good to try new things so you're muscles in your body are constantly working. I decided to try out this medicine ball workout I found.


If you can't see the photo (the photos aren't me! for those of you who are my friend's it's pretty obvious though haha) this is what the medicine ball workout consists of:
- Medicine Ball Burpee
- Sit N' Reach
- Russian Twist
- Basketball Jump Squats
- Medicine Ball Plank
- Toe Tap Soccer Drill. 

So for my workout today, I started off with 18 minutes of warm up on the eliptical ( I sometimes do a 15x4 workout routine, where I do 15 minutes each on the eliptical, treadmill, stair master, and bike, but I am trying to up it to 18 minutes now!) and 18 minutes running on the treadmill. Then I started my medicine ball workout. I did 3 sets of the whole work out with 10-30 reps of each. I'll break it down for you so it's easier to see visually. 
  1. 18 minutes elipitical
  2. 18 minutes treadmill
  3. Medicine Ball workout (3 sets)
    • (10) Medicine Ball Burpees
    • (15) Sit N Reach
    • (30) Russian Twists
    • (15) Basketball Jump Squats
    • (30-45 sec) Medicine Ball Plant
    • (20 each) Toe Tap Soccer Drill
  4. Mountain Climbers (4 sets, 25 each leg)
Needless to say, after that, I was drenched in sweat! Came home, had a nice bowl of "Life" cereal mixed with some granola with soy milk (lactose-problems), and a glass of water. I absolutely love having a great work out and then coming home and eating something healthy. I've been trying to cut out fried foods out of my diet lately, and it's gotten to the point that if I eat any sort of fried food, my body just starts going out of wack. My face starts effusing oils and my stomach just feels DISGUSTING. It's true when they say, "You Are What You Eat." 

I'll try to post pictures of my meals and maybe when I get confident enough, some pictures of myself working out! Well I hope you guys enjoyed my first post, keep following for more! 

"Don't let one bad day kill your confidence and progress."