Staying consistently healthy while traveling can be hard. While I do not travel a lot for work, I have many friends that do. My Boo JW and I, regularly discuss tips to stay healthy when he is on the road. A few weeks ago he said,
Yenory, you should write a post about this”
Well, here we are!
Ready to take your healthy transition on the road? Today I am breaking down the best tips to help you stay healthy when you travel. Best part? I got a FREE kit to help you plan for all your upcoming trips.
As we enter the holiday season, I thought what a better time to share these tips with the iAmHealthyfit Family.
Yes, if you are reading this, I consider you a part of my family. Most of these tips are perfect for personal travel as well as business. Before I forget, if you are going on vacation, earlier this year I shared some awesome to tips to a healthier vacation that you might find helpful. Please check them out and tell me what you think. Let’s get started.
Do Your Research
As soon as you learn your destination, research the area and the amenities of the hotel, this will help you make informed decisions when you plan ahead. You want to make sure you do your research because all these elements will impact your ability to stay healthy while you are on the road. Here are some of the questions I would ask myself.
- Does the hotel room come with a full kitchen? If so, do you plan to use it?
- Is there access to a fridge and microwave? Not all hotels provide microwaves in the room.
- Does the hotel offer breakfast? If so, what is the menu? Can you take advantage of this meal option
- What restaurants are near the hotel? Are any of them healthy alternatives?
- How many meals are you willing to buy during this trip? Do you have a traveling budget it? If so, what is it?
Plan Ahead
Once you do your research, use your findings to plan ahead. First, let’s talk about meal planning. I recommend that you always plan and cook your meals in advanced.
If you are traveling for 2 – 7 days, I would aim to have at least 60 – 70% of your meal prepped before leaving your house. If your hotel is close to a market, and cost of living is cheaper, schedule some time to grab fresh fruits and vegetables when you arrive at your destination.
If that is not an option, purchase your snacks at home and pack them with the rest of your food. Try to focus on snacks that travel well, like bananas, oranges, berries, grapes, apples, peanuts, almonds, cashews, other nuts, and seeds. Here is a sample shopping list you can use to plan.
It is important that you keep track of everything you purchase. As you transition to a healthier lifestyle, this will help you stay on budget and get a clear picture of what you are eating on travel. You can use this information to make healthier decisions next time you are on the road.
Give yourself some wiggle room. If you want to check out some of the restaurants in your area, look up the menu in advanced, look up the reviews and decide if this is a good place to eat healthy and delicious food.
Make a list of the places you want to visit and for the fun of it, add the dishes you would like to order, this will help you have a clear picture of what your entire menu will look like on the road.
Must Have Items
Pack your favorite plant-based protein powder. Protein powders are a great way to eat healthy while on the road. If you do not have one, purchase a plant base protein powder that blends well with water or freshly squeezed juice.
I am in love with Manitoba’s Hemp Protein Smoothie Powder, which I take everywhere. They even sell them in single serving packets, awesome for packing! Let’s talk a little bit about hemp protein is life!
Why hemp protein powders? Dr. Josh Axe from Food is Medicine has some very good reasons,
Hemp seeds have an ideal 3:1 balance of omega-3 fatty acids vs. omega-6 fatty acids, which promotes cardiovascular health. More specifically, hemp protein powder contains linolenic acid, an omega-3 fatty acid that some studies suggest helps prevent coronary heart disease.
Hemp seeds are also heart-healthy, high-fiber foods.
I recommend adding hemp protein powder to a morning smoothie to naturally lower blood pressure, reduce LDL cholesterol, raise HDL cholesterol and improve triglycerides.”
Purchase a traveling lunch cooler bag, this is crucial. After I moved to DC roughly two years ago, going to visit my parents in NYC has always been a food roller-coaster, to say the least. As an Afro-Latina woman, my mother’s cooking is not always health conscious.
I love you ma, but it is true. Lots of salt and fried foods. You can imagine how difficult it is to maintain my healthy lifestyle.
How did we fix it? We purchased a traveling lunch cooler bag. It has helped us save money and prevented many Hangry episodes on my part. I found a cute and affordable bag on Amazon for less than $20.00! We traveled 3.5 hours via train to NYC and had no issues with our food.
Pack a water bottle. This no time to slack off on your water intake. Make sure you have a water bottle to help you stay on track. Experts recommend drinking ½ of your body weight in ounces of water. For example, if I weight 200 lbs., it is recommended that I drink at least 100oz of water.
Pack your workout clothes. I know time might be a little tight but set aside at least 20 minutes a day to get moving. You can explore the city on foot, go dancing, visit the gym, check out a yoga studio. Groupon is a great way to make this happen for an affordable price.
You can also workout in your hotel room. Here are three compound exercises you can do from the comfort of your room. If that is too challenging, here are some squat variations you can try.
Limit how much you drink. In my line of work, I travel for work about 2 – 3 times per year. The first thing I noticed about these trips, is that people drink A LOT. There is nothing wrong with enjoying a drink, or two or four lol but when you are trying to stay healthy remember to take it slow.
You do not need to go to every single happy hour and set up shop at the bar. Depending on how long you are staying, decide in advance which days you will drink, and how much.
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans,1 moderate alcohol consumption is defined as having up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men. This definition is referring to the amount consumed on any single day and is not intended as an average over several days.”
— The CDC
Enjoy yourself! Working on the road can take a toll on your body. Make sure you make some time to explore the city and connect with friends and family in the area. I usually like to visit something the city is known for. When I went to San Diego last year, I visited the USS Midway Museum, and it was unbelievable.
I hope you have enjoyed and found these tips helpful. What are some of your favorite tips to stay healthy when traveling? Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Do not forget to share it with your friends and family.
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