Staying Fit While Traveling

The groundhog declared 6 more weeks of winter, and we’re all scheduling trips to warmer weather in the nearby future. Sticking to your diet and exercise routine is easily maintained from the comfort of your own home, but when you’re on the road it’s another story. Use these tips to help support your routine while traveling.

Pack Your Gear
The first step to staying on track during your vacation is to pack your running shoes and dry fit clothing. Though you may not want to be dependent on finding a washer and dryer, choosing clothing made of specific material will ease that issue. Go for a lightweight fabric that you can easy wash in your sink and hang to dry overnight. You spend hours planning out which outfits pair best with the limited space in your carryon, make sure you pack the gear necessary to keep you in your routine.

Snack Essentials
Don’t fall victim to the crash and find yourself grabbing for a candy bar. The key to sticking to your routine is planning ahead. Packing small portions of your favorite healthy snacks from home is the perfect way to avoid a slipup. Try making a customized trail mix and prewashing and cutting your veggies. Those with a little bit of experience know that some fruits don’t travel well or last very long so plan accordingly.

Scheduling Workouts
You schedule in everything from travel time to mealtime, shouldn’t you schedule your workout times? Most hotels have a 24-hour gym available or if your current routine depends on you pressing play, make sure to bring along your laptop and favorite workout disks. Another alternative is to make it a point to find a workout video on YouTube. Do whatever it takes to stick to your exercise routine.

Avoiding Mealtime Meltdown
Your biggest obstacle when traveling will most likely be dining out for every meal. You’ve learned to avoid the fast food lines when you’re driving around your hometown but it’s unavoidable when you’re away from home it’s another story. The easiest way to avoid breaking your diet is to stick to ordering grilled proteins and steamed veggies. Once you’ve battled the main course, make sure you don’t give in to the two most common pitfalls, which are portion control and avoiding the sauce. When ordering a salad, ask for the dressing or sauce on the side. You’ll want to be in control of those extra calories because servers are notorious for drenching those crunchy greens. Restaurants typically serve large portions as well. In order to avoid this, ask for a doggie bag and box up half of your meal before you dig in if it’s noticeably more than what you know you should consume. And though it may be difficult, don’t forget to pass on the dessert!