Anxiously anticipating my upcoming vacation I checked off the items on my packing list. There is still a question-mark by gym shoes, as I am nervous about gaining weight, but still wanting to enjoy my vacation, and I haven’t quite decided what to do. The last time I went to Barbados I gained ten pounds and I hope it does not happen again. Now, I am not a gym junkie but I try to go to the gym at least three times a week to stay in shape.

I will be staying at a villa with three of my closest friends and only one of them actually works out, so I might not even be motivated to exercise. I am not sure if the villa has a gym facility but I will pack my running shoes just in case.

Barbados was everything I remembered it to be, peaceful, bright and warm. The first night we were there we dined at restaurant and I enjoyed a bowl of pasta and warm bread pudding with ice cream for dessert. Clearly I was already going down the wrong path. Now, I am not going to stick to my usual diet, but I cannot splurge too much. I need to decide from now what I am going to splurge on so I can have a bit of control.

As I previously thought, the villa did not have a gym facility, but I was determined to get in some type of exercise. I spoke to the housekeeper about whether it was safe to go running, and she reassured me that it was a safe neighbourhood,  plus it was gated so I would be fine. She also recommended a pilates instructor who comes to the villas and conducts private sessions.  I plugged in my earphones and I hit the road. I thoroughly enjoyed my run, it was so much better than running on the treadmill in the gym, and it was a little more challenging, which I enjoyed.

That night after dinner, I went out to the popular nightclub Priva and enjoyed a couple of drinks while we danced the night away. The following day my legs felt like I was doing squats all night, and that’s when I realized I had a cardio session last night dancing.

For the remainder of my vacation I enjoyed walks on the beach, an intense pilates class, paddle boarding, of course more dancing and bread pudding too. I went running two more mornings, not so much for the workout, but to enjoy the fresh air and the peace to clear my mind. I actually lost 2 lbs on my vacation.  Who does that?  I felt like I had a wonderful workout every day.