Receta Staying on Track during Summer Travel
I am SO happy our beloved Trainer Jani wrote this post for us. I hope you guys all read every word! A couple of summers ago I had a few months FULL of travel. I had fun and enjoyed myself and halfway through the summer I realized I had gained 10lbs! I very much had an attitude of “I’ll just have fun and enjoy myself and after this one last trip I’ll just hit it hard and everything will be great.” I was working with a great trainer at the time and he wasn’t putting up with any of that. I was about to leave on one last trip that involved over 4 straight days in a car and a long vacation. He challenged me to ditch the attitude I had and instead, commit to eating healthy, keeping an eye on my calories, and exercising every day on my trip. I begrudgingly agreed, thinking it would completely ruin my vacation and I was so wrong. It wasn’t hard to make a few little changes, and it helped me stay focused and make good choices. I had a great trip and came home 2lbs lighter! It was a great reminder to me that travel and fun don’t have to totally derail the good habits you’re building now, OR make your vay-cay a total bummer. So read this post of Jani’s and leave a comment with your best travel tip in the comment section!
Summer is nearly here, kids are almost out of school and it’s time to play!!! Get ready for backyard BBQ’s, camping, picnics at the park, trips to the pool or the beach, 4th of July celebrations, family reunions, vacations, road trips, etc! But hold on. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. You’ve made it a priority to get in regular exercise. You have cleaned up your diet and your healthier choices have been paying off. You feel better, you are healthier, and hopefully the inches are slowly but surely coming off. Don’t let summer be a time to just undue all that you have accomplished! With a little planning and a few simple strategies in place, you CAN stay on track while on vacation or on that family road trip.
First of all, pack a small cooler for the car filled with healthy snacks such as, fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese sticks, yogurt, individual peanut butter packets, nuts, trail mix, granola bars (homemade are best), beef jerky, protein bars, dried fruit, etc. If you are travelling via airplane, stash some of these non-perishables in your suitcase and a few in your purse to have on hand while on the plane. If you bring along nuts, granola, or trail mix, be careful of mindless eating while bored driving in the car. Pack them in individual snack size bags so you don’t consume too much, as these snacks are healthy but not low calorie.
Keep a water bottle with you filled with ice water to prevent dehydration. Pack along some flavor packets to pour in if you have a hard time drinking plain water. While in flight, avoid alcohol and soft drinks — both can dehydrate you. Water is always your best bet for staying hydrated and sticking to your diet.
Try to eat every 2 to 3 hours so you don’t get so famished and opt for that gas station hot dog, or an entire bag of chips. Keep those healthy snacks handy!
If you’re going to be in the car all day, stop every couple hours to get out and stretch and move around a bit. You can also use the Around Me app to locate local parks. Let the kids out to play and don’t forget to play with them!
Continental breakfasts are definitely a bonus when you have the kids to feed. Your healthiest option will most likely be the eggs, fresh fruit, and whole wheat toast. And while you’re there, snag some apples, oranges, and bananas for snacking throughout the day. Or you might consider staying at a condo with a kitchenette or rent a house so you can make your own meals, which will not only save on calories, but money too! When my husband and I went to Hawaii a couple years ago, we only ate out once a day for dinner. We packed our suit cases with many of the items listed above and when we got there we went to the famers market and picked up lots of fresh fruit and veggies. We made our breakfast every morning, and would pack a lunch to go with us during the day.
It doesn’t take much effort to implement a few of these ideas, and certainly it will make getting back into a routine easier if you didn’t completely let yourself go. Save a few calories here and there by skipping out on the fried foods, sugary drinks, and vending machine snacks. Stay active wherever you can, and go ahead and indulge on the things you really want and when you do, savor it, eat slow, and enjoy every bite. If you have any good tips or ideas to make staying on track while traveling easier, please share by commenting below!
Jani has over 20 years of experience working in the fitness industry. She has a BS in Health Promotion and is certified in many disciplines including personal training, group exercise, yoga, Pilates, TRX suspension training, Insanity®, Zumba®, and water fitness. She currently teaches a variety of group exercise classes for the Treasure Valley West YMCA in Boise, ID and also owns her own personal training business, Body Balance Training. As a busy mom of five kids she understands the challenge of finding a balance between family , church, work, maintaining a home, and taking care of ourselves. She believes that if we can make our own health and well-being a priority, we will be better equipped to handle the demands of a busy lifestyle and enjoy a better quality of life.