Camping: Conducive to Weight Loss?

It’s camping season again, and that, to me, means both good and bad things…all wrapped up into one messy package! Here’s how it shakes out:

One of the best plusses of camping is all the outdoor activity. As a family we definitely get our full share of fresh air and exercise when we go camping. Whether it’s a fossil safari in Dinosaur Provincial Park or an alpine hike in Jasper National Park, we always spend hours and hours outdoors when we go camping. And that’s a plus on so many levels!

Dinosaur Provincial Park Fossil Safari                Jasper National Park Geraldine Lakes Hike

First, the kids benefit from the fresh air, sunshine, proximity to nature and abundant learning experiences we encounter on camping trips.

Look at our finds at Dinosaur Provincial Park’s Fossil Safari! A Gorgosaurus tooth and a Hadrosaur legbone!

Learning about "Horns & Antlers" and how to identify bear tracks (yes, that really is a bear track and yes, we really did see that exact one on our hike) at Jasper National Park.

Second, Mom and Dad get lots of exercise (both on our activities and chasing after the kiddies) without feeling like we’re putting out a big effort to get it.

Camp food, on the other hand, means one of two things:

1. Delicious food prepared over an open grill with ingredients brought from home.
2. Convenience food boiled in a bag or scooped from a can.

Now, on the face of it, #1 seems like the better option, right? You bet it does! Of course, there’s just the small problem of clean-up. In a rubbermaid basin. With cold water and biodegradable low-sudsing soap. And of course, just like at home, most of the burden of "housework" falls on mom’s shoulders. I’ve often been heard to say that going camping for mothers is like having all the work of staying home with none of the modern conveniences.

Sausage on a bun is sooo easy to make and super easy to clean up – but go for lean weiners!

That’s why after our first family camping trip last year I put my foot down and decided all future trips would involve meal option number two. It’s a bit of a challenge when you’re working to maintain and/or lose weight — cans of ready-made chili aren’t exactly low in calories or fat — but I apply my newly acquired skills of moderation and portion control, and bring along lots of fruit (instead of candy or chips) for snacks and I do okay.

I’ll tell you what the most challenging part of it all is – the driving! You know how it is…you’re sitting there in the car for several hours, just watching the scenery go by, and your fingers are just itching for something…smarties, licorice, chips…it’s a real toughie! And that’s where I’ve had to get a bit more creative…this last trip (to Jasper National Park) I brought bunches of grapes (red and green) for sweet and trail mix for salty. I won’t lie to you – there were some candies and chips involved in the two five-hour drives – but the supplies were limited and so was the damage.

Actual photo I took out the window of the van in Jasper…that is SOME scenery!

All-in-all…on balance…a weekend camping doesn’t have to mean a weekend gaining weight. I just have to remember all the skills I learned last summer – make wiser choices, control the portions, and forgive myself for my mistakes.