Staying healthy and fit while travelling is a challenge and, in some cases, a struggle for a lot of people. Travelling, after all, can be an excuse to indulge, and take a breather from your daily exercise regimen and diet.
The problem with this line of thinking, however, is that getting back into shape when you go back home could be harder than when you first started with your fitness program. Does that mean you have to ignore that delectable buffet? Or maybe you can just lock yourself up in your hotel room, so you don’t get tempted to try local cuisines. Your holiday doesn’t have to be like that, trust us. We love mixing travelling and staying fit to enjoy double rewards and benefits. How? Here are top 10 tips from us!
Enjoy…in moderation
Most people’s goals when travelling is to make the most of it. And there’s really nothing wrong with this idea. You can still make the most of it in moderation. Want to try that gelato everyone was talking about? Why not? Add chocolate sauce and sprinkles on it too. But enjoy it in moderation.
Make the best food choices
It would be such a shame to go home without at least trying one or two local cuisines. If you plan to prepare your own meals to stay in shape, leave room for pizza in Italy, or Paella in Spain.
Track your food intake
Keeping track of the amount of food you’ve eaten and their corresponding calories may make your holiday no different than you were at home. But if you don’t, you’re looking at three to four weeks of hard work at the gym. Take a pause, and think about that real hard. Now turn on your tracking app (we use MyFitnessPal, and get right to it.
Plan your meals right
Take care of your fats and carbs at the start of the day, so you’ll have energy for when you go sightseeing, trekking, or whatever things to do you have planned. Indulge in local cuisine at dinner time – after your workout. Then, take a walk back to your hotel, or take a stroll before hitting the sack.
Make movement part of your travel plans
Yes, you got hammered last night, and sleeping in is perfectly acceptable during a holiday. But make sure you sweat out those pizza and beer calories you’ve packed by staying active. Use the stairs instead of the elevator. Walk whenever possible, rather than take a cab. Better yet climb that famous peak in your travel destination.
Indulge in some holiday exercise
What could be worse than to exercise during your holiday, right? You should be out there having fun, and exploring new things. Exactly. No one is keeping you from enjoying what a traveller or tourist wants to experience during their trip. But if you want to stay lean, you should make time for exercise – 30 to 40 minutes should do.
Break it up
If 30 to 40 minutes of exercise takes a huge chunk of your time for sightseeing and adventure activities, break it up into shorter bouts. It doesn’t matter when or how, as long as you achieve the same number of hours you spent at the gym during your trip. That hike in Hong Kong should feel like running on a treadmill already.
Fast intermittently
What could be worse than not indulging in great food during your trip? Fasting, more precisely intermittent fasting! Why oh why would anyone want to fast during a holiday? Whatever happened to having fun once in a while? But because the goal is to stay lean, skip a meal(s) after you’ve overindulged. But make sure you don’t end up too hungry, you’ll gobble anything and everything right in front of you. Find a feeding and fasting schedule that will work for you, and help you accomplish your fitness goal.
Take a nap
Sleep deprivation has been linked to obesity because it can increase hunger and appetite, while decreasing metabolic rate. So take naps, if you lack sleep. And get enough sleep whenever you can.
Think lean and healthy, not skinny
Don’t starve yourself during your holiday for fear of gaining weight. Food should still be your priority, but put exercise into the mix. Skinny and unhealthy should not be your goal.
Whoever said you’re not having fun when you choose to stay lean and healthy during your trip, has yet to try these tips.
I am not a big traveler for a variety of reasons and this is definitely one of them. I have worked hard to get in shape and eat right most of the time, and it’s hard when you have to eat all of your meals out. These are great tips.
I agree that sharing lean and maintaining a healthy diet can be challenging when travelling but impossible is nothing! 🙂
So many great tips! :] I used to track my food and was making really good progress but I got really lazy and stopped. I’m going to have to start that up again shortly!
New Year, new goals and new opportunities. Get back on track and be happy! 🙂
I should definitely follow your advice, Agness. The downside of all my travels is that I come home with a few extra pounds. One of the reasons is that I can’t eat in moderation, like you advise. It’s a mental thing: knowing that I won’t find that food at home, makes me overdo it. Thanks for sharing this.
I just came back from North Korea, Anda, and I gained like 1,5 kg in 10 days. It’s ok to indulge as soon as you get back on your healthy path afterwards! 🙂
Such a great post ! Little bit funny and humoristic 🙂 Nice to read !
Thanks, Beata.
Great tips!
Many thanks, Maria!
Great tips Agness! Thing we’re doing while on travel are to drink more water (bottled ones), take a nap, walk and walk and walk.
Thanks a bunch, Joanna! It seems like you really try to incorporate some healthy habits while travelling!
There is always place for a yogamat 🙂
So true! 🙂