I recently went to Vegas to celebrate my 30th Birthday :-) We were there for 5 full days. This was the first time I’ve been on vacation since starting my healthy lifestyle. And it was definitely different.

I did not tell myself that I wasn’t going to eat certain foods or that I wasn’t going to drink at all. This was Vegas and my birthday celebration after all :-) But I didn’t want to throw away all the hard work I’ve done either. If you’ve been following my blog, you know that I did the Slim Down right before my trip. (Click Here for my results).

So… How did I have a Great Time And Stay Healthy? Well…. I did my best to Make Healthy Choices. What does that mean? It means, I made Staying Healthy a Priority. I planned on it.

Pack Healthy:
First, I made sure to pack my tennis shoes. That way I had no excuse to Not at least run. I planned on being active. (Other great things to pack are a jump rope and resistance bands. They don’t take up much room and you can do some great workouts.)

I also packed healthy snacks both in my purse and in my suitcase. This really helped me stay on track with eating 5 meals a day.

Set Alarm and Get Up!
I slept in but set my alarm for 8a. I got up and ran 3 miles every day (for the first 4 days). We were lucky enough to stay with a friend of mine for the first few days (Thanks Missy and Kendall), so I had a buddy to run with. Let me just say, running 3 miles on flat terrain is way easier than running 3 miles up and down steep hills. I didn’t worry about my time or pace, I just did 3 miles.

Don’t Stress!
Since the rest of the day would be spent running around doing activities, I did not stress myself out about getting more workouts in.

Eating Out…. It’s just one of those things that happens. Our meals tended to be later than usual and there were a couple nights where dinner was at 8p. This is where will power plays a big role. Every night, But One, I kept myself to two drinks. For my body size, this was perfect. For meals, I did my best to eat lean meats and veggies -especially if it was late at night. At the same time, I did not stop myself from having a bite or two of something tasty like the veggie fried rice from Tao.

My one downfall was that I did not stay hydrated :-( I fell back into my bad habit of forgetting to hydrate before leaving because I was so preoccupied with preparing for my trip. And when we got to Vegas, I just continued to forget. But I will definitely make sure not to do that again :-)

All in all, I think I did pretty well. Yes, I could have done better with some things but I know that before finding Tone It Up and changing my lifestyle, I would have done A LOT worse. The last time I was in Vegas I didn’t even think about being healthy at all. I drank myself drunk every night, ate maybe 2 meals a day, and would have laughed in your face if you suggested I go run.

When I look back at myself 3 years ago, I’ve come a long way – especially with how I view health and fitness. It is such a Big part of my life. My friend’s daughter asked me about eating fast food, soda, and candy. I told her I don’t eat or drink that stuff. She told me I was weird. Lol. I have no problem with that. I know that it probably seems weird or strange to some people that I’ve given up fast food, soda, and most sweets. Before it would have bothered me, but now it doesn’t. Peer pressure on vacation can be tough to deal with too. I just ask myself “how will I feel about this tomorrow?” If I am going to so disappointed than I won’t have it. You  have to be selfish with your health. I have gotten better at ignoring what others say and don’t care what they might think. I can be Healthy and have a Great Time!