Do you feel like you fall off the wagon every time you travel? Do you eat too many carbohydrates and not exercise enough? Or perhaps you drink too much and don’t sleep your much needed 8 hours? Eating healthy meals is hard while traveling, let alone sticking to your exercise routine. However, worry no more, our 9 steps will make it easy and fun.
Over the years I have met two kinds of travelers: The ones who are consistent with their exercise routines and the ones who completely forget about it and start over every time they come back home. Usually the ones with a routine always look much fitter.
When I travel I must have my routine in order to avoid relapsing and starting from scratch Monday morning. Follow these 9 easy steps and you will feel and look great all the time:
Do you ever feel like you are eating a stick of butter every time you order a meal at the airport or on an airplane? If so, click here for a healthy alternative.
My rule is 8 glasses of water every day, and 10 the days I am flying. It is no surprise that flying dehydrates you to the point of a dried fruit, it also increases your chances of catching respiratory viruses and makes you age faster. So try drinking half of them before you depart for the airport, and buy two large water bottles before you board the flight.
My nutritionist always says, pick one, not both. This will cut half your calorie intake while traveling. I always try to rationalize that this very special chocolate dessert is in fact necessary to my dining experience, spoiler alert, it’s not. Unless this restaurant has been rated #1 worldwide for a dessert or cocktail, it’s okay to skip it, it will be there when you come back next time.
When I travel by myself for work it is usually easier to stick to this step since I have no distractions once I call it a day. This 20-minute route was implemented by my trainer at Equinox Dallas and I swear by it:
12 push ups
8 burpees
25 squats
20 single leg lunges
80 jumping jacks
60 second wall sit
60 second plank
30 second plank each side
*Repeat this order 3x, and the best part, you can do it from the comfort of your own room!
5. Jog every morning: What better way to explore the city than by foot? First make sure the hotel is located in a safe neighborhood, if it is, ask the concierge for a good jogging route and take off. My favorite running path when I travel is Parque Ibirapuera in Sao Paulo and Paseo Reforma in Mexico City. I usually do walk or jog 5km (3 miles) before I start my day.
Ask the front-desk keep the mini-bar key in advance. This will help avoid the unhealthy midnight snacks. If only you could put a lock on the room service to help prevent the drunchies (drunk munchies).
Using the stairs is an easy way to burn extra calories when you are not in your daily workout routine. I love the D terminal at DFW Airport because they have the steepest stairs I have ever seen. I am THAT person going up and down like a woman on a mission while I wait for my flight to start boarding.
When hotels offer a free continental breakfast, it is their nice way of saying: we are filling you up with bread and pastries because it is cheapest for the hotel. Chances are that an hour after your continental breakfast you will be starving for more food, why? Because you blood sugar levels spike and then crash, creating an insatiable feeling. Remember to always have these three components in every meal: protein, fat and carbohydrates. This keeps those blood sugar levels steady. The easiest breakfast idea is a veggie omelet, half an avocado and a piece of whole-wheat toast.
In the past I would watch every movie on the On Demand menu during long-haul flights, and would land feeling like a zombie. Now every time I board a flight longer than 5 hours I force myself to sleep, this helps me adjust to the new time zone and give me the extra kick of energy I need to survive the first day of jet-lag. American Airlines also has a booklet of yoga moves you can do in your seat: think knee to chest and spine stretching. Many airports, such as the ever-cool San Francisco Airport, offer yoga studios for a quick between-flight handstand.
Remember that these tips are mainly to achieve a healthy mind and body. Everything in moderation is key for me. If I am in Paris, I love having a croissant for breakfast and macaroons as a desert. Allowing yourself a treat here and there is the only way to keep cravings away, as well as avoiding falling off the wagon.
