It seems like everyone is concerned about putting on the pounds over the annual holiday season, but what about summer vacations? We spend the greater part of the new year trying to shed the weight gained from an over-indulgence of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pies and various other sweets in order to slip into that new bikini or eliminate the gut before shedding the shirt at the beach. What happens when you reach your destination of summer frolicking? Toss your diet out the window and reward yourself with excess? Stay loyal to your eating and exercise plan? Somehow manage to find a happy medium? I was faced with these questions when I embarked on a weeklong excursion of bliss to Kona Village on the Big Island of Hawaii.

My parents wanted to take the family on vacation to celebrate their 40th anniversary, as well as the birthdays of my nephew (10th) and myself (36th, ahem). They decided on Kona Village because we had celebrated Christmas there back in 2002 and had a wonderful time (though I had experienced periods of boredom due to the fact that the accommodations have no TV, computer or phone). If you want a site to get away from it all, and be pampered in the quintessential locale of relaxation, this is the place to go.

Over the holidays I had fallen victim to the two-headed monster known as Sloth and Gluttony, so I put in plenty of effort to get back in shape. As a competitive open water swimmer, I was focusing more on getting prepared for the spring/summer race season than achieving the perfect beach body, but I won