Dec 27, 2017

Top Tips to staying healthy while travelling

Apart from staying active, training others, helping others achieve their goals & keeping fit, another love of mine is travelling! This world has so much to offer & I love discovering new places, new cultures & meeting new people.

I have already been lucky enough to have seen so many of the wonderful places in this beautiful world but not too long ago, I was so afraid of stepping out of routine & away from dieting & training that I let this hold me back. Travelling shouldn’t make you feel like this! It’s not all about going away and having to come home 10kg heaver!! It should be exciting and a time for you to relax, unwind and destress. After a family trip away a couple of years ago, where I found myself more stressed than relaxed, I came home and quickly snapped myself out of these crazy thoughts and came up with a plan to be able to enjoy my love for travelling but also not stress about being out of routine. Here are my top tips for staying active & healthy while travelling!

Pack healthy snacks for the plane I always try and pack nuts, protein bars, rice cakes & even some cut up fruit and veggie sticks. This stops you from having to go so long between meals and also giving you something else to eat rather than the aeroplane food!
Eat breakfast every day! Now, I don’t mean heading to the hotel buffet and indulging in 5 plates of food before even stepping outside for the day! Try and keep your breakfast as close to normal as what you would have at home. Eggs or oats are always a good option as they keep you away from the sugary pastries and packet cereal! This also allows you to save calories for other treats throughout the day and will keep you fuller for a little bit longer!
Stay Hydrated Everywhere you go, take a bottle of water with you. Always try and aim for 1.5-2 litres of water a day. If you have the bottle on you, you’re more likely to sip on it throughout your travels.
Walk as much as you can Pop those walking shoes on and get moving outside. There’s no better way to see a new city than to walk the streets and take it all in. This is also a great way to get your steps up, heart rate going & calories burning! Plus, you usually see a lot more by foot than what you would in a car!
Don’t over indulge in meals. We all get excited when it comes to trying the local meals but always remember portion sizes. Definitely don’t go without the Italian pastas, French pastries or American Pizza, but try and apply the 80/20 rule when eating throughout the day. If you know you’re going to treat yourself to some dessert later at night then try have some lighter meals during the day. You can also ask for special requests like sauces on the side, extra veggies or grilled proteins instead of fried etc.
Choose wisely when drinking alcohol! We all love a cocktail or 3 but generally when you’re travelling you may be doing a lot more drinking than usual, so ditch the cocktails and go for some lower calorie options like vodka soda & lime.
Stay active! Get up and get that body moving but don’t feel like you have to spend hours in the gym. No one wants to be wasting half the day in the hotel room or gym. Get in, get out. HIIT style workouts are great for getting the heart rate up & calories burning! Resistance bands are always a great piece of equipment to pack on any trip as they are light and easy to use anywhere!!

Here is a quick HDPT HIIT workout that you can do anywhere! 20 Squat Jumps

20 Push Ups

20 Jumping Lunges each leg

1 minute of high knees

20 sit ups

20 burpees

20 commandos

1 minute mountain climbers

Rest for 2 minutes then Repeat x 3

Just remember, travelling and going on holiday is a time to relax & unwind from the craziness of life at home. It’s a time to create memories, meet new people and see places that not everyone is lucky enough to see. Don’t stress over being out of routine, not being able to count every calorie that goes into your mouth or not being able to spend hours in the gym. Enjoy yourself, make wise choices & just try and find that healthy balance! Safe travels!