What’s YOUR Holiday Stressor?
One of the biggest struggles during the Holiday season is staying healthy through holiday parties, company gatherings, gift shopping, and much much more. We are simply stressed and have limited time to focus on us! We’re so busy that it makes eating healthy a real challenge. Quick and convenient foods end up taking the place of healthy, nourishing food when we’re on the go, go, go all the time. These less-than-ideal food choices put us on the hamster wheel of experiencing low energy, weight gain, and potential health problems.
What about when we travel? Traveling causes even further challenges to staying healthy. I often hear from my clients “oh, finally home where I can get into a routine and have healthier food options”.
What if I told you it didn’t have to be this way? You don’t have to be a slave to your surroundings and resort to fast food or processed foods on a regular basis.
It’s possible to eat healthy foods, even while traveling. It just requires a little bit of pre-planning to ensure success. You’ll feel better, have more energy, and your waistline will thank you too.
When you start fueling your body with healthier choices, you’ll probably also find that you don’t have that 3 PM slump or need that afternoon caffeine boost. (These are a couple of added benefits many of my clients experience, and they’re always pleasantly surprised).
Here are a few tips to take with you on your next travel!
Eating Healthy While Traveling Take the time to plan ahead and you can relax knowing that you won’t be derailing your healthy living efforts by consuming empty calories that only make you hungry again a short time later. Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean you should take a total hiatus from your health goals. You can still live a healthy lifestyle on road trips by packing healthy foods to eat in the car. You can pack a cooler to keep handy so you have easy access to snacks while on the road. If you’re planning on stopping at rest areas along the way, pack a nutritious picnic lunch to eat before you head back out on the next leg of your trip.
Even at airports you have healthy food options. Even though you can’t pack liquids in your carry-on bag, there are still plenty of options for what you can bring. You can pack wrapped whole food snack bars, nuts, seeds or even pieces of fruit in your personal items bag. The main thing to keep in mind when traveling is drink lots of water, stay active (i.e., walk stairs, park car further away, hotel gym), and portion control. With a little creative planning and discipline, you can keep your nutrition on track, and save yourself a bundle of money you would have otherwise spent on pricey (and often unhealthy) airport food and snacks.
Use Technology Almost everyone has a smartphone with them at any given time. You can use this readily available technology to your advantage. Keep your food choices healthy when you’re on the go by utilizing apps that make healthy living easier. “Healthy Out” is a handy app to keep your nutrition on track when eating out. You can search by tags like meals under 500 calories, paleo, heart healthy, and more. Download the app for iOS or Android to find restaurant meals that fit your needs. Even with a busy schedule, you can still make sure that you are eating healthy, nutritious meals. By putting in a little bit planning, you can ensure that you and your family enjoy healthy foods that support your lifestyle and your goals.
TAKE THE STAIRS - YOU HAVE THE CHOICE!
Exercise and Move Find ways you can keep active during your vacation. Commit to doing something every day - wether it’s a workout session or just going to the park with the kids. Showing your family that you put yourself first is being a good role model for healthier behaviors. Take them along, make it fun, exercise makes us happier and more productive! Here’s a video of my daughter asking me to do some exercises with her instead of going to the gym and leaving them at the park - win-win!!