You don’t need to earn your vacation, you just need habits you can take with you anywhere!

Chasing elevation, finding perspective. 🏔️✨Training pays off in moments like this, when your body carries you into the adventure, not away from it.

Last week, I took a break from the newsletter while traveling through Switzerland and Italy with my family. We packed light, just backpacks, and hopped trains, climbed mountain trails, explored lakeside towns, indulged in pasta and bold espresso, sipped wine in the shadow of ancient architecture, and stayed present for it all.

There were no structured workouts.
No strict food rules.
And yet…
I came home feeling strong, and not just emotionally.
I stepped on the InBody and found nothing had changed in my body composition. In fact, I’d lost half a pound.

Not that the scale matters here, what matters is what it reflects:
→ A healthy metabolism
→ Solid muscle mass
→ Strong habits that keep me grounded, even when life looks different

I brought my protein powder, creatine, and a couple of travel-friendly adaptogen blends because those habits are easy for me now. I used them some days. Skipped them others. Ate croissants and chocolate without guilt. Walked miles without even thinking about it. Did push ups in the hotel room or on an empty train once or twice, not because I “had to,” but because I wanted to move.

I didn’t “earn” this trip.
I didn’t “make up for it” after.
Because I’m not chasing perfection. I’m chasing presence and performance in real life.

• Foundational habits I’ve practiced for years
  I don’t stress about movement, hydration, or food quality because those habits are baked into my identity. Even if the setting changes, the standards don’t disappear.
• Planning with flexibility
  I had a few anchors in mind (like protein in the morning, movement each day, water first thing), but I wasn’t rigid. That freedom actually helped me stay consistent.
• Mindset over micromanagement
  Instead of obsessing over food labels or steps, I focused on how I felt. When I was hungry, I ate. When I was full, I stopped. When I had the energy, I moved. When I needed rest, I rested.

The truth is, healthy doesn’t have to mean rigid.
You can enjoy the pasta.
You can drink the wine.
You can live your life and still feel like yourself in your body.

That’s not just balance, it’s ownership.

And that ownership doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when you build a strong foundation of habits you can trust, even when the setting, the schedule, or the season changes.

I used to think that if I wasn’t training hard, tracking perfectly, and saying no to every indulgence, I’d slide backward. That mindset only led to guilt and burnout. Then for a while, I swung in the other direction, cutting everything out. That didn’t work either. It wasn’t sustainable, and it certainly wasn’t joyful.

Where I’ve landed now is somewhere much more nuanced, and much more empowering:
A place where habits are the structure, and freedom is the reward.

You don’t need to “earn” a vacation.
You don’t have to “get back on track.”
You just need to build habits that fit into your real life, not just your gym life.

Travel is an amazing test of what’s truly sustainable. It reveals whether your routine is built on external rules, or internal alignment.

If this feels out of reach for you, that’s OK. I didn’t build this overnight. And if you’re someone who struggles with all-or-nothing thinking when it comes to food, fitness, and travel, I see you.

It’s not about being perfect on vacation, it’s about being present.
It’s not about following a plan, it’s about knowing how to adjust.
It’s not about restriction, it’s about reconnection.

So here’s your permission slip:
Bring the protein powder if you want to.
Enjoy the gelato if it lights you up.
Move because it feels good, not because you think you have to.

And know that with the right habits in place, you can come home stronger, not despite the trip, but because of it.

Join me in the Azores this October for Power in Practice, a one-of-a-kind retreat designed to help you unplug from the grind and reconnect to your goals with intention. We’ll move, rest, reflect, and reset together on an island unlike any other, surrounded by nature, community, and the time + space to tune in.

You’ll leave with more than memories, you’ll leave with tools you can actually use.

Warmly,
Coach Christine