How to Balance Vacation Fun with a Healthy Lifestyle

If you knew there was a way to lower your blood pressure, improve your overall emotional state and reduce stress, would you try it? The magic solution to what ails your mind and body is not found in a medicine bottle or with a quick-fix product marketed in the wee hours of the night on TV. All you need is a healthy 7-day vacation once or twice a year.

How to Balance Vacation Fun with a Healthy Lifestyle

1. Enjoy, Don't Overindulge

Explore local cuisines, try new entrees bu stick to healthy and nutritious choices. Your vacation will be more enjoyable and healthy when you don't treat everyday you're away from home like Thanksgiving. An occasional treat or fat-laden meal on vacation is expected, but your vacation is not a ticket to derail your regular healthy eating habits.

2. Relax, Don't Vegetate

A day or two spend digging your toes in the sand while doing nothing more than reading a book or enjoying your family's company is a must for any beach vacation. After a couple days of this, you will feel relaxed and ready to engage in more active leisure activities. Balance your vacation between time to unwind and recreational pursuits including swimming, canoeing or playing tennis.

3. Go for Green

It's likely your vacation will take you out of the city, away from the concrete and nearer to nature. Go camping for a couple of days. Or plan a couple of different two-hour walks or hides in the woods, as plants and trees will boost your immune system.

4. Enjoy the Sun, In Moderation

You may want to bounce back into office with a dark tan and a smile. It takes only 30 minutes of time in the sun to produce the Vitamin D your body needs, and any time beyond that should be enjoyed with plenty of sunblock.

5. Don't Stress About Vacation, De-Stress

If you stress about taking time off because you're worried that the job won't get done, let it go. You will do a better job when you return, reinvigorated and refreshed and you will be healthier for it. Not only will week-long vacations reduce cortisol levels and stress, they can also reduce the risk of heart disease in men by 30 percent according to the Framingham Heart Study. Women who don't take vacations need to find a balance between work, home and vacations. Without vacations, women are eight times more likely to to suffer from heart disease.