Why Travel Makes Me Wiser

My husband and I returned from our vacation yesterday. We went from 80F to 34F in less than three hours and I'm still reeling. I'm listening to the wind whip as I type this, and find myself staring longingly at the picture to the left, which was taken on Grand Cayman, one of the stops on our cruise. *sigh*

Overall, we had a wonderful time. This was my first experience traveling the western Caribbean by sea, and we made stops in Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Costa Maya, and Roatan. The weather was cooperative for the most part (raining only in the morning and evening of our day in Costa Maya) and the snorkeling was fabulous (something we did everywhere except Costa Maya, where we chose to visit the Mayan ruins, instead).

One of the things that always strikes me when traveling is how much I learn about myself. This is partially because one of my favorite aspects of travel is the opportunity to meet new people. Cruising is especially wonderful for this because it gives me the chance to converse with the natives of the countries we visit, as well as those who are cruising with us. This trip was, as usual, a global cornucopia. We shared our dinner table with a couple from Argentina, toured with a couple from Germany and another from Canada, and met others still from the UK, China, and France.

Learning about others and their values and customs has a way of forcing us to reflect upon ourselves. And reflect I did. In fact, I could probably fill a notebook with the myriad thoughts I had throughout the duration of my travels. But because this is a blog that centers on weight loss and maintenance, as well as general health and well-being, I'm going to try to limit my observations from here on out to those areas.

Firstly, I will admit that I gained weight while on vacation this past week and a half. I know because of the way my body feels and how my clothes fit. I don't even need to stand on a scale to confirm this. And, if I had to guess, I'd say that I'm up about 10 pounds. Though this may sound like a lot of weight to put on in nine days time, I'm finding that it's pretty normal for folks who maintain a strict, lower carbohydrate diet 95% of the time. Water weight, especially, comes piling on the minute we introduce foods we normally don't eat into our bodies...even the "healthy" ones. Long-term maintainers will also know that this 10 pounds will likely come off in a matter of days, once I resume my normal way of doing things.

So, what did I learn on this trip?

1) Even though there is no scientific evidence to back it up, my body feels and operates better when I get about 100 ounces of water a day. Besides the fact that it helps keep me feeling fuller, it also tends to help me digest food better and, as a result, helps keep things "moving." It keeps my skin feeling and looking healthier, and it keeps me well-hydrated during workouts and the many outdoor activities I enjoy. Unfortunately, it also keeps me in the bathroom regularly. And, when traveling, you never know when you'll find the next clean/usable bathroom. So I tend not to drink much when we travel. The trouble is, while limiting my water intake keeps me from having to run to the potty every 20 minutes, it also hinders my body's ability to do all of the things I mentioned above. I let my husband talk me out of bringing my trusty water bottle on this trip, too, and I will never leave home without it again. For me, having it by my side all day helps me remember to drink, and helps me keep track of how much I've consumed--all good things.

2) My body loves fresh fruits and vegetables and, typically, the more I consume, the better I feel. Oddly, it is not very easy to find good fresh fruit and vegetables on a cruise ship, never mind, while traveling. Sure, there is almost always melon around, but it doesn't necessarily taste good, nor is it always the best quality. After all, cruise ships purchase their food in bulk knowing they'll need what's on board to last for a set number of days. So while there maybe copious amounts of cantaloupe available, it's often tasteless and its texture is less than palatable. As for vegetables, there's always a fantastic salad bar available at lunch. Unfortunately, we're usually not on the ship for lunch (since we're out exploring the port of the day), and at dinner, vegetables serve as mere garnish for most meals. Needless to say, I was severely deficient in fruits and veggies this week, and my body let me know this in more ways than one.

3) The next time I cruise, I need to meet with the maitre'd and let him/her know my dinner meal preferences so they can work with me to ensure I get grilled (and plain) meats and fish, large servings of steamed or grilled vegetables (preferably not the same ones every night), and fresh fruit (also of differing varieties) each evening. I learned this when, one of my table mates, who is vegetarian, finally complained about the lack of selection available to her, and was told that the maitre'd would work with her every night to have one of the chefs make whatever she wanted (including any special recipe she may have with her!) for the following evening. Lesson learned. I will be much more vocal next time so that I have a better chance of getting what I need.

4) My body needs far less food than it used to. And since I don't eat socially at home any longer, I shouldn't expect it to be able to account for social eating and drinking done on vacation. There were a couple of days, looking back, when I probably ate three times as much food as I would at home on any given day. No wonder I returned home feeling bloated and yucky. And no wonder I had to buy a bottle of Tums at one of the ports we visited. Suffice it to say, I now know how to ask a pharmacist for antacids in Spanish. Huge lesson for me here: if I need antacids, I'm engaging in behavior that's unfriendly to my body!

5) Exercise when traveling, but especially on a cruise, is a cinch. I wear a pedometer regularly, and was shocked to discover how many steps I'd taken each morning before even departing the ship for any excursions we had planned. Between taking the stairs up and down the ship's 15 floors, and regularly shunning the elevators, walking back and forth between the theater, the restaurants, the pool, the gym, and the shops, it wasn't unusual for me to accumulate 10,000 steps a day just getting around. The same was true in the airport, where my husband got a kick out of watching me climb the stairs, while snubbing the escalators and "people-movers." I tallied thousands of extra steps while always arriving at our destination ahead of him, and all while carrying a 10+ pound backpack. Talk about exhilarating!

All in all, it was a great last week and a half. I enjoyed the sunshine and the people and learned a lot about myself. Now it's back to reality. I'll be sticking to meal replacements and supplements for the next few days, while downing my 100 oz. of water, and giving my body a chance to recover and resume my pre-cruise weight. I have at least eight loads of laundry to do in the next couple of days, too, so I'll be logging my steps by climbing the stairs between the laundry room in the basement, and our closets and dressers on the second floor. Lucky for me, there's a clean and welcoming bathroom on each and every level.