Holiday Protocol Plan – how to adapt a health protocol for a summer holiday

I don’t know about you, but I am looking forward to a break away from everything with a short summer holiday somewhere nice and warm.

I have been training hard and dieting well but we all need a break from time to time. However, I don’t want to completely stop everything and regress. If I can lose 2kg in a week, I certainly don’t want to gain it back in a week.

So how can I maintain some degree of consistency and discipline whilst still letting my hair down? Well, I would if I had enough, but I don’t.

For clarification you can see my 4-step programme which is explained in this previous blog here: My Health and Fitness Journey Wk1 - How I lost 2kg in a Week – Voyager Life Limited

The 4 steps are:

1. Exercise – going to the gym 5+ times a week
2. Intermittent Fasting – following a 16/8 fasting pattern
3. Diet – eating a healthy Mediterranean low carb, zero sugar and protein rich diet
4. Supplements – various supplements for health and longevity purposes

Here are my ideas and plans to keep all 4 on track as much as possible but still giving me and my body a rest.

Exercise:

This will be the hardest to maintain but I do plan to go to the hotel gym for some of the days when I am there. I can also do several exercises in my hotel room such as press ups, sit ups and work on my abs. There is a pool so I can swim a lot and is good overall exercise. Where possible I would try and walk but the place I’m going to won’t give much opportunity.

Other ideas for holiday exercise are walking/hiking wherever possible, playing ball and other sports with the kids and swimming where possible, either in a pool or the sea. There are also plenty of home workout videos on YouTube that can be followed.

Intermittent Fasting

This can be a difficult one, especially with breakfast included in most hotels but I plan to change my routine. I will probably have breakfast as late as possible, say 10am, I plan to skip lunch and will aim to eat my evening meal early say around 6pm.

That will then give a rough 16/8 or as close to it as possible. No doubt I’ll break it a few times, but the plan is workable.

Diet

Again, being in a different country and not always having access to prepare your own food comes with its challenges. I do have a small kitchen where I am staying so that will help but when eating out, I plan to select dishes that are mostly protein and vegetables and forego the carbs. I will have a few fries here or there and maybe a pizza or some pasta but not all the time.

Sugar, I can and will easily avoid and won’t be eating sweets or desserts except perhaps for some fruit.

Alcohol will be the main difference as I only now have a drink or two at a weekend but will also keep this under control. I really don’t like the effect alcohol has on my body and mind the day after. I can feel a huge difference.

If you are staying somewhere with a buffet, it is quite easy to select a plate of vegetables and protein and leave the carbs. Much harder if it’s a sit-down restaurant with set menu of dishes that usually come loaded with carbs.

Supplements

I am also very wary of the fact that a few of the supplements that I take on a regular basis just happen to be white powders. I can just see me stuck at customs and immigration trying to explain what NMN is when I can’t even pronounce Nicotinamide Mononucleotide.

I look dodgy enough without having a copious amount of different white powders in my possession. They may not check but if they did it would probably involve several hours’ wait whilst they tested and analysed the items and at least some level of embarrassment.

So, I plan to swap my NMN powder for NMN Capsules. I usually take 1g of NMN powder for 2 x 500mg capsules.

For Creatine I will swap my Creatine Monohydrate Powder for Creatine Monohydrate Tablets. I usually take 10-15g of Creatine Powder so I’ll probably reduce that to 5g which would be 5 tablets a day, possibly twice a day but I know that 5g of Creatine will keep my levels up and shouldn’t make a lot of difference for a week.

The other powder form I take is Collagen and I will swap my Collagen Powder Complex for Collagen Capsules. Again, I usually take 10g of Collagen so that would mean 17 capsules, but I’ll probably take 2 capsules as per the instructions after my last meal of the day.

In addition, I also take the following in capsule or tablet format so will just continue as before.  

Nitric Oxide (L-citrulline & L-arginine) – is reported to improve cardiovascular health and reduce blood pressure, as well as improving exercise performance and faster recovery times (available from various reputable health shops).

Magnesium – this helps with sleep and rest, but also with muscle relaxation, bone health, and cardiovascular & metabolic health. Magnesium Citrate 500mg 120 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited

Multivitamins – these cover almost everything and are the staple essential if adding supplements to your diet. Vegan Multivitamin & Minerals 60 Capsules – Voyager Life Limited

Vitamin D – helps with bone health, immune system support, muscle function, mental health, and energy. Vitamin D3 4,000iu 365 Tablets – Voyager Life Limited

Resveratrol - offers antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular, metabolic, and cognitive benefits, supporting overall health and potentially slowing age-related decline. https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/resveratrol-150mg-90-capsules

Vitamin K2 MK7 - offer significant benefits for bone health, cardiovascular health, and calcium metabolism, making them essential for overall wellness. https://voyagerlife.co.uk/products/vitamin-k2-mk7-100ug-120-capsules

I am going to give it a try and see how it goes and I will provide an update when I am back in a couple of weeks’ time.

Feel free to send in any suggestions for Holiday/Vacation protocols.

Don Marshall

Voyager Life