Blog

By Jules Francis

It’s that time of year where you are thinking of sun, sea and snorkelling and the excitement levels are rising as the departure date draws nearer.

But judging by your previous holidays you are also aware that all your hard work throughout the year to stay in shape, eat well and drink to a minimum might be about to all be forgotten during take-off? Or was it even there in the first place?

Through 3 decades of helping people with their relationship with food, eating and making healthy lifestyle choices, I know how hard it is to keep that up when the buffet is all laid out, when the drinks are free flowing and when you are surrounded by other people all letting themselves go.

Most people think saying no to something is a matter of will power and they feel they therefore that they don’t have any. 

However in reality, it is more about tuning in to your body’s needs and listening to the signs instead of ignoring them.

Listening to your body is like learning a new language – you wouldn’t learn a phrase in Spanish, ignore it and then communicate the sentence in Mandarin to a Spanish speaker and expect them to respond, would you? 

Your body is much the same. When you eat without listening to the signs, it’s like driving through a red traffic light during rush hour and not expecting there to be consequences.  

Just because food and drink is staring you in the face, it doesn’t need to be eaten or drunk by you!  Holidays are no exception; you are the same person with the same body and so the same consequences will happen whether you are on home soil or foreign lands.

So here are my top 5 tips to looking after yourself whilst away from home:

1.    Take a smaller plate at a buffet and put on the plate only what you want to eat. Pause and breathe a few times before asking yourself a question: “Do I really need to eat more right now”? Then drink a full glass of water and ask yourself the same question again.

2.    Alternate between having a drink one night and not having one the next or having a pudding one night and not the next – keep it varied so your body won’t suffer.
Just because you’re on holiday doesn’t mean you stop caring about yourself.

3.    When you choose to consume something, notice the emotions that happen afterwards – do you feel guilt, shame, resentment, frustration – if not, then great! If yes, then what might your body be trying to communicate?

4.    Amongst your swimmers and sun-cream, pack a healthy dose of self-love, kindness and self-respect in your suitcase. Carry these things with you at all times and check in with whether you are ignoring them or honouring them whilst on holiday.

5.    Let go of FOMO (fear of missing out) and recognise it for what it is. If the people around you are doing their thing, you don’t need to do the same to have fun. Do what’s right for you so you can have even more fun at a higher frequency and believe me, they will come along for the ride.

January is usually a time for reflection on many things, but for most they look at being a better version of themselves compared with the year before.

If this is you and you’re keen to improve the way you listen to your body, get healthier in mind and body and no matter where you are in the world, you trust yourself to do the right thing, then join my community of like-minded people and receive many more tips on how to do this. As a welcome gift, you’ll also receive a fabulous free recipe e-book.

Join me here! www.julesfrancis.com/newsletter

Bio:
Jules Francis is the go-to-expert for career-driven women who are looking to transform their relationship with food. She has helped hundreds of people from all walks of life to help them understand the underlying causes of why they have unhealthy eating behaviours.  
With three decades of experience, Jules has the insight and experience to see what truly underpins low confidence and how people often choose compensating behaviours to deal with it. 
Jules is a multi-award-winning health coach, co-author of 2 best-selling books and creator of 2 online courses, The Food Breakthrough Academy and The Reset Button.

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