For the recent long weekend I visited my good friend from high school, Hannah, in sunny Florida! If Diddy can jet set why can’t I? Well, for obvious reasons- I lack the multi-millions that come with having the pseudonyms Puffy, Sean Combs, Puff Daddy or whatever his latest name change may be (he lost me after Sean PDiddy Combs). While the comparison between me and Puffy is a stretch, I did reason with myself that due to the fact that I have NEVER had a spring break in my 4 years here at UMass I deserved a 4 day break from the Iceland that is currently Amherst.

Why have I never had a spring break you ask? My sport (rowing) requires we spend the week training….in Amherst. For all of you who have ever wondered what UMass looks like sans all college students, let me reassure you that you made the right choice going anywhere but here, because it resembles a ghost town.

So after taking all of these factors into consideration, I sold myself on this getaway to Florida.

The weather was absolutely perfect- 80s and sunny! Naturally this meant Hannah and I were obligated to lay out on the beach and get our tan on. Between beaching it, drinking pina coladas and enjoying the Florida night life, days in Florida are pretty full.

While I didn’t want to interrupt all my fun and relaxation with a silly little thing called exercise, I also didn’t want to come back from vacation with a souvenir that could be measured in pounds. It’s important to keep up a healthy training regimen wherever you are.

So, I followed what I refer to as my “summer diet.” Walk to destinations when ever feasible, take the stairs and do my favorite activity of people watching while walking along the beach. In addition I also decreased my caloric intake, especially after going out at night. You all know what this means…no drunk eating, my friends! Please take note that I do not recommend this as a lifestyle diet- but when on vacation, choose your calories with care, particularly if you plan on consuming excessive liquid calories, they’re sneaky and they add up quickly. These tips can be pretty useful during the multitude of upcoming Spring Break trips.

 Now that I’m back at home, I have returned to my regular exercise routine and balanced nutritional diet. As long as it’s temporary, I see nothing wrong with being a little creative with diet and exercise in order to maximize our fun while on vacation!