It is SO easy to just tell ourselves, “it’s vacation,” so forget about your healthy eating.
It’s NORMAL for most people to overeat, feel like crap, skip workouts, and stuff their faces from Halloween to Valentine’s Day.
You are not normal! You are better than that, you have goals and you have a mission to get healthier! When you keep using the holidays, travel and vacation as excuses, you constantly set yourself back.
I want to be your cheerleader and tell you that it’s okay to stand up for yourself on vacation and on the holidays to stay on track! When you get home, you don’t want to be upset about gaining that extra weight after all of your hard work!
Here are some tips to help you with healthy travel.
Snacks – No Refrigeration Needed
-
- Almonds
- Bars (choose high fiber, low sugar bars). My favorites are Quest Nutrition Bars and KIND Bars
- Lean jerky
- Nuts/Seeds
- Dry cereal (high fiber, low sugar)
- Whole fruit
- Some veggies (such as carrots that you don’t need to keep cold)
- 100% whole grain crackers
- Water
Tips for Travel
- Pack healthy snacks.
- On road trips, pack a cooler with healthy snacks.
- Yogurt
- Cheese sticks
- Washed fruit
- Washed & chopped veggies
- Hummus
- Low-sodium deli meats
- Hard boiled eggs
- Ask for support from family or friends. Most people are too embarrassed to ask, but you should not be ashamed to tell people, “I’m trying to make healthier changes and really don’t want to gain weight. Want to try to be healthy with me this week?”
- Identify foods that are worth the splurge. What foods can’t you have at home that you can have while traveling? Enjoy those foods in moderation, but avoid splurging on normal, everyday foods.
- Drinking alcohol? For every one alcoholic drink, have 2 bottles of water. This will slow down how fast you are going through the alcoholic drink, keep you hydrated and prevent hangovers.
- Eat when drinking. Don’t drink on an empty stomach.
- Enjoy alcohol in moderation, if you must. Follow my Low Calorie Drinking Guide
- MAKE time to exercise. It doesn’t have to be a full gym session, but do something. Even an extra 30-minute walk will be beneficial.
- Bring a laptop with dvd player and your workout DVDs. Do a short video in your hotel room.
- Find something fun and active to do in the area. Maybe there are some great hiking trails, a hot yoga class in the area, a gym that offers free 1 day trials. Check out what is in the area wherever you are traveling.
- Walk terminals and gates at the airport. Carrying a suitcase? You’ll burn even more calories!
- Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. (with Water)
- Make healthier choices when eating out. Avoid fried, battered, or buttered food items.
- Load up on veggies. Order a salad, broth based vegetable soup or vegetable side dish (not french fries). Enjoy these while passing on the chips or bread baskets.
- Don’t skip meals to try to save room for calories later. You’ll end up bingeing or overeating later. It is better to have small meals throughout the day.
- Find a local supermarket and buy healthy items to keep with you.
- Pack a water bottle with you to avoid having to pay insane amounts for water. Brita Sport
makes individual water bottles with their own filters, great for traveling.
Cheers to healthy, happy traveling this holiday season!