If you are getting ready to take a trip, either for business or pleasure, you are probably busy packing the critical items you need to take with you, reserving your hotel accommodations, purchasing travel insurance, and planning your exploration of your destination. All of these steps are an important part of insuring your trip goes smoothly, but they are not the only concerns you should have.
Maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle, even while travelling should be a top priority in your mind. It can be difficult, but it is not impossible. The following are just a few tips to help you avoid putting on those extra pounds while you are on your trip.
Ways to Stay Healthy While Travelling
If you have ever watched The Biggest Loser, you know how hard it can be to maintain a healthy lifestyle while on vacation. The contestants on this show struggle with this reality almost every season. With the right tips though, you can ensure that your New Year’s resolutions aren’t squandered by your travel.
- Pack a Snack – These days, travelling is almost a synonym for waiting. You wait because of delays. You wait because of cancellations. You wait because of long flights. The stress of all this waiting is not only aggravating, but it can trigger your body’s stress hormones and make you crave sugar and high calorie food. It is easy in these moments to walk over to the food court at the airport and grab a cinnamon roll, a cheeseburger, or a muffin, or to ask for an additional bag of peanuts while you are in the air. However, these types of foods can trigger a spike in your blood sugar and insulin levels, stimulating your body to store fat.
In these situations, your best option is to have healthy and travel-friendly foods packed and ready in your carry-on. Some crackers and tuna, beef jerky, a bag of almonds, or even a sandwich can prevent you from eating those high calorie snacks sugary and salty snacks at the airport.
- Drink Water – Many individuals don’t realize that the air inside of an airplane is extremely dry and can lead to dehydration. However, with less than 10% humidity, the air you are breathing is drier than the Sahara Desert. This causes fatigue, which in turn causes you to want to eat. To prevent dehydration and ensure that you don’t have to use your travel insurance health coverage as soon as you land, begin drinking as soon as you get on the plane. Skip the soda and alcohol, though, and stick to either water or 1% milk. This will keep you fuller and keep you from becoming dehydrated.
- Working Out – Exercising is hard to do on a vacation or business trip, but it is an important part of staying healthy. For convenience, make sure the hotel you are staying in has a gym. Schedule work-out sessions every day, and if you want a little extra push, hire a personal trainer. You will be less likely to blow off the workout and will learn new ways to exercise. If you want to spend less time in the gym and more time with your co-workers or family, consider skipping the taxi or bus and walking to every destination.
- Swim – If you forgot to see if the hotel has a gym, or their “state-of-the-art gym” is really just a tiny room with one treadmill, take the time to jump in the pool. Even if it isn’t really big enough for you to swim laps, you can still tread water. Just 15 minutes of this exercise is enough to burn 200 calories from a 180 pound man.
- Alcohol – Your plan for this year was to lose weight, not stop drinking right? What if I told you that those four or five drinks you normally have on a Friday night might be the equivalent of the calories in an 8 ounce steak and a slice of cheesecake? Depending on what you are drinking, this may be true. If you are going to drink, watch how much and what you are drinking. Light beers, a Tom Collins, and a Bloody Mary are excellent choices, which less than 130 calories a piece. However, the amount you drink is still important. Not only will you be adding on additional empty calories, but your will power will be compromised and you may just order that cheesecake.
- Room Service – Room service is so convenient, right? But what do you do when you are staring at a mountain of exotic food choices? You are more than likely going to pick something that is bad for you. The best way to use room service is to never look at the menu at all. Call and order meals that you would normally eat at home, like grilled salmon or chicken breast, grilled shrimp, steamed veggies, and salads. Chances are the hotel will have no problem making these items for you and you won’t have to worry about feeling guilty for breaking your diet.
- Shop For Your Own Food – Let’s face it, the mini-bar in your hotel room is tempting, but extremely expensive. It is also filled with high calorie snacks. Create your own mini-bar by shopping at local food markets and farmers markets. Not only will you be able to experience some of the culture of your destination, but you will be able to obtain healthy choices for those midnight cravings.
Finding a hotel and obtaining travel insurance are not the only factors you should consider while travelling if you are trying to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle. Make sure you follow these tips to avoid some of the common pitfalls travelers make.
Hammersley, M. (2012, January 11). 7 Ways to Stay Healthy and Fit While Travelling. Retrieved June 13, 2023, from http://ezinearticles.com/?7-Ways-to-Stay-Healthy-and-Fit-While-Travelling&id=6811498