Well, I am back…

We just returned from our 2 week fun-filled summer vacation in New Brunswick,Canada.

Even though we are currently up to our eyeballs in luggage and laundry we had a wonderful 2 weeks enjoying the hot record setting temperatures in eastern Canada. We never had a day of rain until the day we left to drive home!

I know our 2 year old daughter Matea was enjoying it as well when we were at the Canada Day celebrations in St. John and she looked up at me with her ketchup stained face and said “Daddy I am happy”…

We were so impressed with her behaviour after driving over 2000 kilometres! The in car DVD player was a big help as she watched some of her favourites like Barney and Toy Story or as she calls it “Buzz and Woody”.

Crystal Palace in Moncton is a great spot for families with everything under one room from a built in amusement park and the rooms over look the inside pool. The restaurant there has amazing food serving the largest portions I think I ever seen, and yes I tried it all from ribs,burgers, nachos  to pizza and a delicious angus beef dip sandwich. Hey, it’s vacation after all;-)

After 3 nights there we headed to the most beautiful seaside town with one of the best beaches in Canada, Parlee Beach in Shediac, New Brunswick.

We rented a cottage and were there during their annual Lobster festival and they get tourists from all over the world to come and crack open some of the supersize succulent lobsters…me included. 3 lobster dishes I had was Lobster with Thai Noodles, Lobster roll and 3 1/2 lb fresh Lobsters.

All the outdoor decks of the pubs and restaurants were a-buzz and are located on one main street leading to the ocean. It’s actually called Main Street!

After many fun-filled days at the beaches, waterparks, zoos, and amusements rides it was time to head back home and get back on track after a PERFECT family vacation.

I ate whatever I wanted when I wanted and didn’t workout while on vacation but the minute we got back in the door it was OVER.

Which means, back to eating real unprocessed food that I cook myself AND doing short intense Dad Fitness workouts.

Here is my 3 step quick start guide to getting back to clean living after your vacation.

1. Fitness

Workout, don’t wait! Get that fat burning furnace going again with your workouts. Even though we still weren’t unpacked, the next morning after we got home I pulled some workout clothes out of my luggage and hit the gym for a Dad Fitness workout. If you take up to 2 weeks off from training like I did for summer vacation, ease back into your workouts slowly. Cut your weight and reps in half for the first week or so to avoid debilitating soreness.

2. Food

Shop and Chop. Even before I hit the gym the next morning my wife and I hit the supermarket to restock our house with REAL food. I like to call it Easy Eating. 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and nothing out of a box or can except maybe beans and oatmeal. Lots of lean meats, nuts, fruits and veggies. I was so sick of restaurant food after vacation, so I use that extra motivation to get started right away and not only shop for lots of good healthy food, but chop it to make meals in minutes.

3. Fasting

Fast for Fat Loss. My good friend Brad Pilon and the author of the popular book Eat Stop Eat turned me on to the health benefits of intermittent fasting a few years ago. I was highly IMPRESSED with the physical and mental benefits of fasting for just 24 hours once a week or periodically like after letting your diet go during vacation. So after having my final vacation meal for lunch at a restaurant on the drive home I decided my stomach could use a break from food after the pounding it got on vacation. So I fasted for 24 hours, drank lots of cold clean water and broke the fast after my mid-morning workout starting with a Super Shake of whey protein, mixed berries,spinach, greens powder, plain yogurt, and a banana. Then had a veggie omelette with an orange shortly after.

Remember a weekly caloric reduction through diet and exercise, no matter how you do it is still the only proven way to lose fat.

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