Traveling is the best! But it can easily knock us off track if we’re not (at least somewhat) careful. Here are some of my favorite tips for staying healthy on the road and on vacation — in summertime or any time!
1. Prep and pack as much as you can, food-wise.
This is easier if you’re driving and can bring a cooler. And also, it’s fun (during our cross-country move two years ago, we had healthy picnics all over the place!). But! You can still bring snacks and airport/airplane meals if you’re flying. I’ll be getting into travel-friendly suggestions next time, but for now: healthy snack bars (love RawRevolution, Kind, and Larabars), avocado with rice cakes, hardboiled eggs, apples with travel-sized almond or peanut butter (Justin’s, out of CO, is perfect for this!), hummus and veggies on sprouted bread. There’s no excuse for buying your food at the airport or 7Eleven!
2. Eat locally.
When you do eat out, there’s no reason to stick with your same old restaurant chains. I mean, there’s no reason to do that ever, but especially when you could be trying all kinds of newness! Local restaurants will most likely have fresher foods, prepared with more love than a TGIFridays. And don’t forget to look for farmers markets whenever you’re traveling! Meet farmers and locals, grab stuff to take with you or eat on site. This is a great way to get familiar with what’s popular and in season in different parts of the country. Worse case, look up your nearest Whole Foods and stop there. Unless you’re in the middle of nowhere, in which case, back to tip #1.
3. Supplement wisely.
Traveling, airplane or no, can be stressful on our bodies. We may be sleeping less and exposed to more. I never leave for a trip without a garlic supplement (Garlinase is my fav… or just bring a head of raw garlic — if you’re traveling alone) and Vitamin C. Fresh ginger, lemon juice, or immunity boosting teas like echinacea will also help! Of course, you should also take your multi, B complex, high-quality probiotics, and Vitamin D wherever you go. Lastly, green powders and protein powders offer some insurance, in case you do eat less-than-healthy on your trip (you, not me, not ever, definitely not).
4. Exercise.
Vacation can be a great excuse to, well, take a vacation from your usual healthy habits. (Trust me, it’s so easy to do!) But rather than regret it when you get home, take advantage of the time you have (that you always complain that you never have in real life) and get moving! Stretch and do jumping jacks at rest stops. Put on your sneaks and explore new places. Go for a hike. Run barefoot or get in some yoga on the beach. Heck, you can even get a kickass workout in your hotel by doing things like lunges, squats, and push-ups. (This, also, like pretty much everything, is better on the beach. Do this, if for no other reason, than for me, who misses the ocean desperately in beautiful, land-locked Colorado.)
5. Hydrate.
Especially on planes, especially in hot temps, especially any/everywhere. Because, duh.
Did you find this helpful? Have any other great ideas? Share your awesomeness with all of us below!