Morning friends! Thank you for all of your encouragement on my 2011 goals. I am really really excited! The next few weeks are going to be a wee bit loco for me- I’m heading to Syracuse for work (also known as the land of Tim Horton’s and Wegmans. You bet I will be stopping at both places!) and then at some point I will be spending some time with Bri while he is on leave 😀 YESSSSSSS.
Since I am busy traveling around the state, I figured it is a good time to discuss how we stay healthy while on the road! If this topic looks familiar, it’s because it was also posted on Linzi’s blog (who JUST got engaged- head over and say congrats! Yay Linzi!).
Anyway, I travel quite a bit for work and before my (currently deployed) husband and I were married, I put 40,000 miles on my car in the course of a year and a half making the nine hour trip from New York to Virginia, where he was stationed. I’ve definitely picked up some tips and tricks on how to stay healthy along the way! When we are out of our daily routine, it is easy to throw healthy living aside. However, a little bit of planning goes a long way.
Exercise
If you’re like me, you have your workouts planned in advance- for instance, I’ll run on Tuesdays and Thursdays, attend yoga on Wednesday and Saturday and do whatever I feel like on Sunday. If you’re traveling, this throws a bit of a wrench into the whole system. Here are some things to consider:
- Does your hotel have a fitness facility? If so, make use of it! I’ve stayed in hotels where I’ve had to pay a daily rate to use the gym, and I paid it because I had to get a run in and wasn’t comfortable running around in an unfamiliar city (Louisville, which is a super cool city but the area surrounding the hotel was not runner-friendly). Hopefully your hotel won’t charge you to use the gym. I was recently in Boston and made use of the (free) facilities to get a speed workout in on the treadmill- there were way too many cars and people to get a run in outdoors!
- Don’t feel like working out indoors? Ensure that the area surrounding the hotel is safe and get out and explore! This past winter I was down in Garden City, a quaint village in Long Island. I was training for my first 14k so I called my friend that lives in the area to get the scoop on the “runnability” of the place. She told me the area was very runner friendly so I packed my cold gear and hit the pavement. It was a really neat way to explore the village!
- No fitness facility in the hotel? No problem! If you find out that your hotel doesn’t have a gym, call concierge and ask them if there are any gyms in the area. Most of them will likely offer a day pass! Another no-fail solution is to bring the gym with you! All you need is your laptop, a workout dvd or an internet connection. I’ve been known pack 8 lb dumbbells to use with my 30 day shred dvd and to substitute a bathroom towel for a yoga mat to get a yoga workout in. If you don’t have a laptop, work with what you have (that being your body weight!) Pushups, planks, squats, lunges and core work are easy, effective ways to get some quick strength training in.
- Make sure you pack your exercise gear! This one is pretty self-explanatory 🙂
Eats
It is easy to fall out of our normal eating habits when we are in unfamiliar territory, be it staying in a hotel away from home or being cooped up in a car for hours at time. Here are some tips that have helped me:
- Plan ahead. I’ve made the nine hour drive to Virginia so many times that I had my snacks down to a science. Make sure to pack enough snacks to keep you going throughout your travels! You want food that will give you energy and keep you awake (besides coffee, although that comes in handy too). My default healthy snacks for the car are luna bars, apples, granola bars, mixed nuts and lots of water!
- Drink lots of water. It may seem counter-intuitive, but I drink a lot of water during my trips, even though it ensures I will probably have to make two bathroom stops. I stay hydrated and if anything, it’s nice to get out and stretch my legs after sitting in the car for so long!
- Go grocery shopping!. If you are traveling for work, it is often a requirement that you eat out a restaurants, since you likely don’t have a kitchenette to cook in. My advice- go to the local grocery store! I’ve stocked up on peanut butter, apples, larabars, greek yogurt, granola, pre-chopped veggies and other no-cook items in order to ensure that I at least eat a healthy breakfast and snacks. Oftentimes grocery stores will have pre-made meals and salad/dinner bars that will enable you to make healthier choices, which is helpful if you’ve been loading up on rich restaurant food.
Are there any tips or tricks that you have for staying healthy while traveling? Have a good one friends, I’ll see you on Friday! 🙂
Legally Fit 
