Whether you’re traveling for work or for fun, this is one challenge we all face:
How do we NOT ruin our diet, and stay active while away from home?
You go to the gym regularly and maintain a healthy diet (well most of the time), but stepping out of your routine can lead to a road filled with temptations, poor diet choices and lack of physical activity. Breaking your routine does NOT mean you have to throw it all out the window!
If you want to remain in control, preparation is key. So don’t wing it, you need a plan and we’ve got some tips for you!
- Pack your own food: if you’re going on a road trip, bring a cooler with you and pack healthy meals and snacks.
- If you’re travelling by air, take some nutritious snacks with you, like bananas, nuts, protein bars, protein powder, beef jerky, etc..(airports are notorious for their lack of healthy options, so be ready!)
→If you can, make a trip to the grocery store when you land, to get fruits, raw veggies, steamable veggie bags, hard boiled eggs, and ingredients for sandwiches (and of course, water bottles!). - If you’re staying at a hotel, call ahead to request a mini fridge (and microwave if possible) in your room so you can stock your healthy options there. This could help you steer clear from temptations for 1-2 meals per day, and save you some of the cost of eating out, along with extra calories. → Try to eat in at least one meal per day!
- Be prepared for eating out. Dining out is part of the fun of discovering a new place and you should not relinquish that experience, BUT do your homework BEFORE you leave and check out the options! research restaurants that are located in the area you’re traveling to, this will help you narrow down the ones with healthy options, so you don’t pick at random when lunch time comes around.
- Stay hydrated! you might be out and about in the sun or running around for work, it’s important to stay hydrated, plus it will keep you from mistaking thirst for hunger, and overeating.
- Handling BUFFETS: It is easy to lose self-control when faced with an endless array of the most tempting foods imaginable, if you must attend a buffet, here are a few tips to help you resist the urge to binge:
→ Scout all the options first, then you won’t be tempted to go back for seconds when you realize you missed your favorite dish!
→ Fill your plate with greens and protein first → this should help you get full faster and avoid getting a second plate full of the things you know you shouldn’t eat.
→ Don’t get carried away with desserts → just pick one. I speak from experience when I say this: you’re just fooling yourself if you think that you will just “have a bite” of each of the 15 desserts you just put on your plate..chances are, you’ll consume more calories from that one plate than you should in one full meal!
Now, a couple of tips to help you stay active on the go!
Make time to exercise! Make a conscious effort to go on walks, walking tours, hikes, or even rent bikes to get around.- When you book your hotel, look for one that has a gym or pool, and then make it a point to go there!
- If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, no problem! there are endless body weight exercises you can do anywhere, try to dedicate 30 minutes a day to a workout.
- If you have a set of fitness resistance bands, bring them! You won’t get bored with these 33 resistance band exercises. Not sure how to do them properly? click on the name of the exercise and an instructional video will pop up. There’s also a 30-min band circuit at the bottom of the page, so check it out!
Make time to exercise! Make a conscious effort to go on walks, walking tours, hikes, or even rent bikes to get around.