Happy Friday, friends! I’m actually on a plane while posting this blog, so I couldn’t be more inspired to discuss this topic with you all. Summer is right around the corner, which means that one day soon many of you will be hitting the road for some fun adventures! Whether it’s a family vacation or a business trip, there are simple steps that you can take to stay fit and healthy while traveling. In today’s blog, I’ll cover some tips on how to maintain healthy nutrition, physical activity, and sleep while you’re away from home.

What to pack

Half of the battle is planning ahead before you even step foot outside of your home. Here are some things to think about as you’re planning for your trip:

Nutrition:

1. Are you able to take food with you on the road? If it’s a road trip in a vehicle, it might be easy enough to pack a cooler with fresh, healthy food so that you don’t get stuck with whatever you can find on the road. If you’re flying or you’ll be gone for a long period of time, think about non-perishables that you can bring along to help you get some extra nutrients. Some of my favorites to bring along with me are:

Portable protein: tuna, Epic bars, jerkey, Rx bars

Healthy fats: avocado (travels well and most hotels have a mini-fridge to store the portion you don’t eat), raw mixed nuts, unsweetened coconut

Veggies and fruit: Sturdy fresh fruit like apples, bell pepper (again, store unused portion in the mini fridge if available), baby food (veggies in a pouch! Search for the flavors with mostly veggies).

Water: Don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle with you. Having a portable bottle is great to take with you on excursions or you can always have water waiting for you back at your hotel room.

2. Check out restaurants ahead of time. I always search for “healthy restaurants near [blank]” when I travel to see what local options might have healthy menu items. Scope out the menus and map out your meals ahead of time for less stress when you’re on the road.

Physical Activity:

1. Add workout clothes to your packing list or at least bring comfortable walking shoes so that you can get moving while you’re traveling.

2. If you have light exercise equipment, like resistance bands or a TRX, pack that as well for a quick hotel workout!

Sleep:

1. Plan to pack your sleep essentials like an eye mask, or that lotion that you love to put on before bed because its lavender scent relaxes you.

While you’re on the road

Now that you’re on vacation, here are some tips for staying healthy while still having fun!

Nutrition:

Enjoy the local cuisine, but only when it’s worth it. When I travel, I have certain meals that I plan to choose healthy items, and planned indulgences. When I know that I’m going to a local place that’s famous for a certain type of food that I wouldn’t be able to get elsewhere (a special dish in a foreign country, for example), I’m likely to plan for a splurge meal so that I can enjoy some local flavor. When you balance these culinary experiences with some healthy choices in between, you’ll feel better physically, and you’ll also avoid feeling deprived during your trip.

Physical Activity:

Vacations are a great time to get out and explore new environments. If you’re in a location that has gorgeous weather, maybe even some fun new hiking trails or walking paths, take advantage and get out there! Walking is a great way to explore a new city because it allows you to really take things in visually and interact with the locals along the way.

Scope out a new gym or a new type of workout class that you don’t have at home. Do a little google search ahead of time to see what fitness craze has landed in the city where you’ll be staying. This will be a fun way to mix up your workout routine and try something new! Plus, you’ll likely never see these people again so you don’t have to worry about embarrassing yourself when trying something new!

If you’re visiting a destination with poor weather, or exercising outside isn’t your thing, you can try a fun hotel room workout for some down time, or scope out the hotel gym for a change of scenery.

Make your workout a fun experience and try new activities that you wouldn’t normally do at home. That’s an easy way to make working out feel less like…well, working out!

Sleep:

While you’re on the road, sleep can be challenging. You’re not in your normal bed time environment, so it’s a good idea to keep your bedtime routine as similar as possible to help keep your sleep on track. If you normally shower, brush your teeth, and then read before bed, try to follow the same routine while you travel to signal to your body that it’s time to wind down. Another tip to try is to try to stay on your home time zone if possible, especially if you’ll only be gone for a couple of days.

When you get back home

This part often gets forgotten about, but planning ahead can help ease the transition back home! When you’re planning for your trip, think about what you will have going on when you get back home. You might even stock your freezer with some protein and vegetable options that will be easy to thaw out and prepare for a healthy meal when you get back. You can also just make a plan for what you’ll pick up on your way home from the airport if you don’t want to mess with cooking.

If you have some extra planning time, you might even consider making your grocery list ahead of time or even putting in your Curbside order for grocery pick-up when you return (this can be a life saver!!). Think about what you can do to make your life easier when you get back home.

To help you get back into workouts, schedule a workout within a few days of getting home to help you get back into your normal workout routine. The sooner you can get back into it, the better you’ll feel!

It’s your turn: Apply what you’ve learned!

  1. Read through the tips listed above and think about which ones resonate with you the most.
  2. The next time you travel, use these tips for guidance to make a plan so that you can stay healthy while you’re on the road.