Managing your diet while away from your regular routine can be tricky, and many find themselves torn between sticking religiously to a plan or loosening the reigns.

The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

Here are some general guidelines to help you strike the balance while on vacation:

SET YOUR BOUNDARIES

Decide whether or not you’ll keep to plan or take a temporary break. There’s no right or wrong answer here, so long as it is a conscious choice in line with your goals and values.

BE FLEXIBLE

You won’t always be able to keep perfectly to plan, as choices may be limited. In these instances, aim for the “best choice”. This will help to prevent those f*ck it moments.

DON’T FEAR HUNGER

It’s ok to go hungry for a few hours if you don’t like your options available to you.

DECIDE ON YOUR “MINIMUMS”

That is, what are the bare minimum actions/behaviours you want to continue during your trip. It might be a daily walk, a serving of veggies with each meal or 2x workouts per week. These are your non-negotiables.

GET BACK TO BASICS

If all else fails, keep it simple. Eat slowly and mindfully until satisfied (80% full), drink plenty of water, relax and have fun. If you gain a few pounds, don’t sweat it, just get right back to routine once you’re home from your holiday.

By Anna Mcmanamey

Who is Anna:

Anna is an Australian certified personal trainer, sports nutritionist and physique coach, a WBFF Pro athlete, WBFF Judge and a published fitness model, who specialises in body transformations and empowering people to achieve their full potential.

She has more than 10 years of experience coaching men and women of all shapes and sizes, including multiple Overall Fitness Model Champions and Pro Card winners, and hundreds more everyday people to body transformation success.

Anna is a highly awarded professional athlete in the field of fitness, figure and bikini competitions, with several Australian titles, a world runner-up and multiple magazine covers and media features to her name.

She is fuelled by her passion for fitness and competing, and is inspired by the incredible transformations people can achieve when they dedicate themselves to accomplishing a goal. 

Follow her along her journey on Instagram @anna_mcmanamey