STAY ON TRACK WHILE TRAVELING
Perhaps you’ve recently decided to take control of your nutrition, you came up with a plan and have been consistent ever since. Now, you are facing a business trip, a family holiday, a road trip, maybe a vacation of your dreams and feel a little nervous about getting off track and falling back to old patterns. If this sounds familiar, you are not alone!
When it comes to any change in your regular schedule, environment and agenda sticking to new eating habits can become tricky. The best thing you can do for yourself is to decide on your priority, prepare for different scenarios and once you are there, just have fun!
First, let us clarify, that a holiday is not the time when you need to show your greatest discipline. Life is short and you don’t want to regret missing out on an amazing experience, because of feeling guilty about what to eat. This post is not here to tell you how to kill all the fun and stick to a restrictive diet no matter what. This post is here to share a few tips with you if you do not want to lose momentum in your fitness journey!
Here are a few of our tips to make sure you stay on track during travels:
#1 Set your priorities
Decide on what extent are you staying on track or whether you will attempt staying on track at all.
Both are completely fine and once you made your decision just enjoy and make the most out of your trip! Let’s say you know you will have a buffet table every morning and you decide to have the same breakfast as you would be having at home. This way you kick off the day healthy and in control and have the rest of the day for some fun 😉.
#2 Failing to plan is planning to fail
First, make sure to plan for the travel itself. Pack smart and have some travel-friendly snacks with you. Airports can get pretty expensive, while bus and train stations similarly to gas stations do not always have a great selection of food. Good quality protein bars (few ingredients, high in protein low in sugar), fruits, nuts and seeds, crackers, homemade granola bars are all not too messy, easy to pack travel snacks. Also, make sure to drink enough water to keep your body happy and functioning even during a long drive or flight. It will help your organs and your digestive tract work the way they are supposed to, fight potential bloating and make you feel fuller. Keep having your water everywhere you go. Have a refillable bottle with you or down one or two glasses of water with each meal you are having.
Then your priority is to find information about your meal options for your stay. Do you need to take care of your food or is it provided? Is there a breakfast or dinner buffet table or is there a fixed menu? Where is the closest grocery store to where you are staying? Are there any local meal delivery services you could make good use of? Do you have an equipped kitchen or perhaps just a fridge?
#3 It's time to go shopping!
Once you have discovered what your accommodation and neighborhood have to offer, make a visit to the nearest grocery store and get a few items, that will allow you to have more control over your food. Even in the smallest mini-fridge, you can store a few cold cuts, plain yogurt, some fruit or even ready-to-go meals.
#4 Drinks matter
Liquid calories can add up fast. For a glass of orange juice, a fancy coffee with all sorts of syrups and cream, a smoothie after lunch and a glass of wine with dinner and a few cocktails after we are already talking about an extra day worth of calories. Drink a lot of water and stick to water for most of your meals, keep your coffee simple (without sugar and cream) and choose your alcoholic beverages wisely! Wine or a liquor with soda is an easy and safe choice. If you really want to have a heavier cocktail, go for it, but then make sure you enjoy it and not just drinking it, because of peer pressure.
#5 Ask for what you need
The easiest and safest way to eat out is if you choose the place. If you do not or have a very limited chance to do that, try to look up the menu of the place beforehand just to get an idea of your options.
If all things fail and now you are also faced with a fixed menu with little to no options for you at first sight, politely ask the waiter to help you out. Referring to allergies and sensitivities will get you further than referring to a diet or being picky. In any restaurant, there should be an option for you to replace one side with another, or get dressings and sauces served on the side. Don’t sweat it too much, make the best choice you can and move on. One meal has never ruined anyone.
#6 Save the best for last and do what makes you feel best
Let’s say you have no problem staying on track for most of your travel but there are one or two things you really do not want to miss out on. Save them for the end of your trip as a delicious closing of your trip. This way that treat will not throw you off your wagon for the entire trip and you also have something to really look forward to before leaving.
#7 The cherry on top
Stay active or find some sort of fitness. If you want to work out but your resources are limited bodyweight HIIT workouts (, that you can find plenty of on Youtube) or a run outside can be your best choice. If you are ready to just relax and lay by the pool or sea you are already treating your body with fresh air and sunshine, which is great. Add on an after-dinner stroll to finish off your day and you got yourself the perfect recovery holiday schedule.
Above all, inform yourself about your options, plan and once you are there, enjoy your time! We hope you found these tips interesting and will make good use of them on your next trip!