the travel edit: the build up

The Travel Edit #1.

Welcome to ‘The Travel Edit’.

As I embark on a few weeks of overseas travel, I think it’s important to look into how diet culture and disordered eating can show up when we travel, go on holiday and in the summer months. I want to welcome and embrace food freedom with intuitive eating and movement, so you can ditch the diet culture, be fully present and enjoy your rich, full life while traveling.

This is a four-part series, highlighting the buildup to travel, food and exercise while traveling and that post-vacay icky period.

If you are just sick of seeing your friends sipping Aperol somewhere in Europe, maybe save this series until the NZ summer, or the next time you are travelling or on holiday.

Does this story sound familiar to you? It’s six to eight weeks before your summer holiday. The sinking feeling kicks in, I need to ‘GTSB’ (get that summer body) says the ‘mean girl’. Cue weeks of detoxing, diets, restriction and ‘bikini body’ workouts so you can have a ‘hot girl summer’.

For many years in my twenties this was a viscous cycle I found myself in. The words “summer bodies are made in winter'“, still haunt me. For weeks before traveling I would be consumed with unhealthy and restrictive eating and exercise patterns.

The conception of an upcoming holiday, travel or summer can invoke the temptation to diet, restrict, over-exercise etc…

This temptation is strongly confirmed and supported by diet culture, media and society. The media and wellness industry are loaded with ‘how to’ diets, detox’s, fitness programs, shreds, cuts…

I’m here to remind you, that you don’t need to do this.

Here are a few friendly reminders for you to ponder:

-Just Notice. What ‘mean girl’ thoughts are coming up for you? Remeber, you can have a thought and not act on it. Create some distance from these ‘mean girl’ thoughts by this practice. “I notice I’m having a thought…”

-Aim for Consistency. It is what we do most of the time that matters the most. Several weeks of restrictive diets and detox’s don’t equate to health.

-Do you need a summer body to enjoy your holiday? What really matters to you the most? Connect to your values, let these guide and influence your actions. Let your values be > the need to have a perfect ‘bikini’ body.

-Does a ‘bikini body’ expand the memories and enjoyment of travel? Allow yourself to be fully present and connect to the moment. This is what is truly meaningful. Is the need/desire for a bikini body getting in the way of you being fully present and enjoying those meaningful moments?

-Are your actions helpful or harmful? Gentle Nutrition and Intuitive Movement can be valuable and important to many of us. Check in with yourself if you're eating and exercise patterns are helpful or harmful.

-Are these patterns sustainable? If you are putting a lot of time, energy and resources into your ‘bikini body’, this tells us this isn’t healthy, balanced or sustainable.

-Have these patterns worked for you before? Does a pre-travel shred ever really boost your self-esteem or enjoyment of travel?

-Show yourself compassion and respect in these moments.

M x