There are people who are natural runners and regardless of where they are in the world, they will wake up, strap on their sneakers and run.  I am not that person.  I love dessert, and I love to eat carbs.  I’m going to Italy in a few months and my mouth has been watering at the very thought of gelato and pizza. Real, full blown Neapolitan style pizza. Also, full disclosure, I am not a thin person.  I’m currently 15 pounds overweight (working on it), so staying fit on vacation is not something that comes naturally for me.  Staying fit in general is a chore, so when I sat down to write this post I wanted to be as transparent as possible.  This post is not going to include instructions or maps of great running routes all over Europe, or a great playlist you can listen to, it’s going to be simple and honest. On every single vacation I’ve gone on with the exception of one (and I only gained .2 pounds (that’s 2 tenths of a pound)), I have managed to lose weight. My secret?  Enjoying every single last moment of my trip with zero regrets. It sounds simple enough, because it is.  Think about when we take vacations.  If you live in the Northeast like I do, vacations are often taken in the winter.  We escape the cold to either go enjoy the sun, or we escape to go skiing.  In both instances, we’re outdoors and active.  Being active is key – even if it means just a walk along the beach.  Whenever I’m on vacation I rarely stop moving.  My husband, a human fish, has me in the water constantly snorkeling and exploring its depths.  Or if we’re exploring the wild west – while we may be in a car for part of the road trip, the rest of the time we’re out hiking.  When you’re constantly moving instead of sitting at a desk or bundled up in sweats due to the weather, it’s easy to see how just a one week change in lifestyle makes a difference and revs your body up. We also take vacations in the summer time, and the same rules apply.  When you’re on vacation you’re not chained to a desk, you’re enjoying life and the outdoors.  If that’s not a recipe for success and/or a treatise to quit your job, I don’t know what is. To the people who are able to take advantage of their surroundings and live their fullest life every single day, I truly tip my hat to you.  I always come up with excuses not to go for a walk or a run or whatever the case might be, except on vacation.  If I started to live my vacation life daily, perhaps things would be different. When I think about my upcoming trip to Italy, gelato is 100% on the itinerary multiple times.  However, I’m not worried.  I’m going to indulge and enjoy all the wonderful food that country has to offer because I know I’ll be walking around, hiking, swimming, and sightseeing. And even better, I know in my itinerary I’ve carved out time to just lay on the beach and relax.  When in Rome, right?