How To maintain your wellness goals while traveling
Summer is officially here! One of the most frequent questions that I receive is: “How can I maintain my health, fitness and/or nutrition goals while traveling during the summer?” The long story short answer is obviously balance and moderation, but let’s go deeper into it!
Throughout the year, one of the most important perspectives to focus on that I continually remind myself and clients is consistency over perfection. And this same concept applies when traveling. Here are some tips to maintain your goals while on vacation this summer, and remember that the main thing is to ENJOY!
Focus on protein, vegetables and fresh fruits while leaving some room to enjoy new and different foods you normally wouldn’t have at home if they seem appetizing to you! One of my personal favorite parts about traveling, especially to a new place, is to try different foods that are local to that spot. For example, if I travel to Rome I am obviously having some Cacio e Pepe, or if I am traveling to Israel I will most definitely eat a Shawarma if I am in the mood for it! From a functional nutrition perspective, you should aim to include protein, fiber and healthy fats in your meals in order to balance out your blood sugar levels. This should also apply to when you travel, which is why I typically focus on protein for satiety, lots of vegetables and some fruits for carbs/fiber, and leaving some room for those delicious foods one wants to try while traveling! Plus in my perspective the fresh vegetables and fruits in other countries taste so much better than the ones in the States, and I personally take joy in eating them just as much as I would anything else. That being said, if something does not appetize you and you feel “forced” to eat it just because you are there, I would highly recommend to listen to your body and not foster that “all or nothing” mentality just because you are on vacation and you are not sure when you will be back.
Hydration is key- I personally aim to drink about 2-3 liters of water a day, and that does not change while I am on vacation. If anything, it increases more as I walk a lot more and spend a lot of time in the heat. Allowing yourself to be properly hydrated allows you to continue reaching your health and wellness goals. In addition, if you will be drinking more on vacation, make sure you are staying extra hydrated during the day!
Get movement in when possible- While on vacation one tends to slack off more with their workout routine, I also believe that daily movement is key whether on vacation or not. It is so important for your physical and mental health, that even some light walking or swimming will positively affect you and add quality to your overall vacation. You don’t need to be strict on going to the gym every day while on vacation, but incorporating movement allows you to boost your endorphins and metabolism while you travel.
Use this as an opportunity to lean into your hunger cues- While on vacation, we normally tend to eat at mealtimes, leaving less room for mindless snacking. When we are at home and have more of a routine set in place, it is sometimes difficult to tune into our real hunger cues vs. emotional cues. When you are enjoying yourself on vacation, filling yourself up with new experiences, and different activities that fuel you and increase your serotonin levels, one tends to eat more specifically when hungry. Use this as an opportunity to listen to your body, acknowledge your hunger cues, and as a learning experience to bring with you back home.
Enjoy, enjoy, and enjoy some more! This is the most important aspect to traveling. By reducing stress, you are already going in the right step to maintaining your health and wellness goals! Having a flexible mindset when traveling, reducing rigidity, but at the same time incorporating some of the above tips will allow you to be in the right headspace to enjoy your vacation while still staying consistent with your health and nutrition goals.
