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This article is republished from our Summer 2000 issue of Vigor.
Elements of a Healthy Vacation
Vacation assumption: you’re supposed to come back feeling better than when you left. Vacation reality: sometimes you return to your regular life five pounds heavier, with peeling skin, more exhausted than invigorated. How do you avoid the vacation hang-over? Read these tips before your summer trip.
| | | | | | | • | Sunscreen, sunglasses, common sense. Pack the sunscreen before you go. Who wants to pay resort prices for SPF 30? Remember–the ozone has changed. You are more likely to burn in the year 2000 than when you were a kid. You are more likely to get skin cancer from exposure to the sun. And if you have kids, remember that they’re particularly vulnerable to harmful rays. Pack sunglasses, too. The sun’s rays can do permanent damage to the eyes, particularly those of children. Even if you take these precautions, limit your exposure to the sun. Heat exhaustion can sneak up on you.
| | | • | At least shoot for a good meal now and then. You don’t have to eat spa cuisine during your whole trip, but make sure to get in some of summer’s fruits and vegetables. If being on the go makes stopping for healthy meals a hassle, at least include some healthy snacks in your vacation diet. Stop at roadside stands for fruit or bring along a cooler full of carrot and celery sticks to quell the highway munchies. If you find it impossible to avoid fast food restaurants, remember that you can make healthy choices there, too. Compare McDonald’s Grilled Chicken Caesar salad (without dressing, 100 calories; 25 from fat) to the 810 calories (490 from fat) you’d get from their Big Xtra with Cheese. At Wendy’s, you can get a small chili for 210 calories (60 from fat) instead of the Chicken Club for 470 calories (180 from fat). And even at Pizza Hut, some choices are better than others. A slice of “Pan Pizza” has three times the calories of one slice of “The Edge,” even when both are “Veggie Lovers” style. Some fast food restaurants run healthy specials, too. McDonald’s restaurants in some areas currently carry a yogurt parfait with sliced strawberries and whole blueberries.
| | | • | Incorporate exercise into your trip–and not just hoisting margaritas. If you’re staying at a hotel, check out the pool. In the early morning, before the kids take over, you may be able to swim a few laps. Some hotels have weight rooms and other exercise facilities. If your vacation leads you to the out-of-doors, even better. Make a deal with yourself to hike, swim, bike, dance, run or engage in some other form of activity each day. Maybe engage in a game of tennis, golf or another sport you may not have tried before. Take advantage of your free time to start new good habits.
| | | • | Discuss safety issues with your children or other family members. What hazards might you face in the particular place you’ll visit? If you plan to engage in a particular form of activity–snorkeling, rapelling or even sightseeing–talk with your group about the risks you might face and what you will do if you find yourselves in danger. Bring along any safety equipment you might need. Advise children not to drink water from brooks or other natural bodies of water. Even apparently crystalline streams carry dangerous bacteria, like giardia. Also beware of biting insects. Vermont has a fortunately low incidence of Lyme disease and other similar illnesses, but folks in the area you’re visiting may not be so lucky. Check frequently for ticks and use bug sprays when applicable. (Check with experts in the area you visit for more specific information.)
| | | • | Get your health care ducks in a row before your leave. Do you have your (BCBSVT or TVHP) I.D. cards in case you need care? Have you brought along your primary care physician’s phone number? Remember that we cover only emergency care when you are out of the service area. TVHP only: A great resource for vacationers is the Your Health program. Take along the phone number for the nurse support line. Your Health nurses can answer your questions no matter where you are when you call. Even put the Your Health self-care book in the glove compartment.
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