Tips for Healthy Eating While Traveling
On the road to Florida this week, so I am using this opportunity to try a few things that will help me eat healthy, and keep my workout routine while on the road.
In the past, I used to do a lot of business travel, and it was challenging to keep a fitness regimen and a diet regimen while on the road. Unless you are very familiar with the area that you are traveling to, most of the time you would end up relying on restaurants and fast foods for your meals and hotels for your fitness facilities.
Restaurants and hotels don't always serve healthy meals, and I have YET to find a hotel that has a decent gym facility for you to use (some where so scary I was AFRAID for my health and sanity).
So we are driving down to Florida from Connecticut (24 hour car ride) and staying at rest stops to save cash. And these are the things we did to stay healthy on our drive down to the sunshine state and things that we learned on this trip.
- Plan ahead! Because you are trying to eating healthy, it is a great idea to not only plan your menu for the drive/flight/ride there but to do research about healthy options along the way. In our case, because we are also trying to save money, we decided to plan a healthy menu of easy to prepare on our drive down to Florida.
- As part of your planning stages, spend a little extra on a really good cooler if you don't have one. Buying cheap in this case will cost you because your food will go bad faster if it isn't kept cold, like lettuce, vegetables, meats, etc.
- Try to buy foods that aren't dependent on temperature to snack on. These include nuts, nut butters, granola, dried cereals, water, etc. That way you aren't opening and closing your cooler and your fresh produce that requires to stay cold will stay cold longer.
- Buy your groceries on your way out at the beginning of your trip so you can also pick up the ice and you can have the freshest foods possible.
- Buy enough food! When we eat healthy, we tend to THINK that we really don't eat much, but remember that you are buying low caloric high nutrients foods. You will eat more than what you think!
- When you get there, do indulge in good foods a little. That means you make your main meal a healthy and well balanced meal but have a little treat on the side. Be disciplined about this. This way you don't feel like you are missing much and you will stay to healthy eating better.
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| Grilled Fish Tacos (good and healthy) + locally made potato chips (not so healthy) = Yummy |
- Drink a lot of water, especially if you are experiencing drastic weather changes (in our case, coming from cold dry weather to hot humid weather). This will not only keep you hydrated but it will help you get acclimated to the weather faster.
- No matter how tired you are, work out! Especially after a long drive or a long day. You WILL feel better after. Even take a break if possible and work out! This is THE BEST and most effective way to become alert and stay awake on long drives or to wake up in the morning before starting your day.
- Be aware of the environment and weather. Changes in weather can wreak havoc with your body. We just went from dry weather and worked out in humid weather. Took it easy, drank lots of water, and listened to our bodies.
- It takes about 2 weeks for your body to acclimate to new weather conditions so don't expect to be able to do the same level of intensity as back home.
- When you get there, plan to work out and stick with it! Be disciplined and stick to it. You won't regret it and you will feel so much better because you continued to work out even when away from home. It helps if you plan ahead and have a workout regiment that requires minimal to no equipment. In my case, I brought along my rubber bands as well as my Beachbody T25 work out DVDs, my workout sneakers, sport bras, workout clothes that are appropriate for the weather in Florida, and my running sneakers. This way, I am not dependent on hotel facilities or other local gym facilities and can still get a good workout.
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| Working out at the rest stop with T25 |
So in conclusion... with a little planning, a little forethought, some imagination, and the courage to try something new and different you can travel away from home and still keep a healthy lifestyle and an awesome fitness program.
