Tips for Staying Fit While Traveling

If you’re anything like me, you love your getaways…. girls trips, baecations, work travel, you name it! I just got home from Miami & Bimini (in The Bahamas- pictured above) and as much as I love my life at home in Los Angeles, I LOVE being able to see & experience different cities & cultures, meet new people and learn new things. Traveling allows us to fulfill our zest for adventure while also giving us added appreciation for what we have & inspiration for more creativity in our everyday routine. However, when so much of achieving the type of body you want is creating the right habits and consistency in your day to day life- how do you leave that environment and not lose all the progress you’ve made?

The real key is in creating similar habits & consistency that can be transferred over in any unknown setting.  This- like any other aspect of fitness- does take a bit of planning & preparation but it shouldn’t decrease the fun of your trip and what it should do is keep you excited & motivated to stay on track with your fitness goals when you get home.  Here are my top three tips for traveling anywhere, anytime and staying fit!

1. Always eat breakfast… I am such a huge believer in this! Part of achieving & maintaining the body you want is getting & keeping your metabolism working in your favor.  When you wake up in the morning (no matter what time it is or in what time zone you find yourself), you haven’t eaten in awhile since you’ve been sleeping, right?! So one of the best things you can do is plan to eat something before you get your day started…. especially while traveling! When I’m out of town- whether it’s for work or pleasure- there’s no telling what my day will look like. That’s part of what I love about it! So in order to ensure that I get at least something in my body, I always eat within the first hour of my day- whether I’m hungry or not.  It can be room service or just a snack that you brought from home but regardless of what it is, having that first meal as soon as possible will help keep your energy up & hold you over until the next time you’re able to eat that day.
2. Bring your own snacks…. This doesn’t have to be grand and elaborate but it’s very important.  On any given day in my normal life, I try to eat every 3-4 hours.  This keeps my metabolism running at a faster rate because my body is always working to break down the food I’m putting in.  When you go long periods of time without eating anything, your body starts to store more fat (energy) for later use because it doesn’t know exactly when it’s going to get more of this resource.  For this reason, I try to keep this aspect of my normal routine consistent when traveling.  I’m not necessarily going to pack the same types of meals/snacks that I would normally eat and I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t eat at exact times… but I always pack at least two small snacks per day that I’ll be gone (examples: protein bars, 100 calorie packs of almonds, protein powder that can be added to water for a quick shake, etc.).  Doing this will give you the flexibility to eat what you want (that’s obviously part of the fun of traveling!) but keeps some sense of consistency on the road because you always have options to eat more often with the healthy snacks you’ve brought… no matter where the days take you!
3. Treat yourself but don’t stuff yourself…. this sounds like a no brainer but I think so many times we get caught up in the fun & heightened emotions that traveling can bring and we want to think that we should not only do- but also eat- absolutely everything we possibly can to make sure that we fully enjoy our trip.  However, this often leads to feelings of regret and lethargy- which also affect mindset and the ability to bounce back to a healthy routine after the vacation ends.  I’m not saying don’t eat the dessert…. trust me- I will never bash dessert…. 🙂 I’m just saying to keep your goals and a realistic perspective in the back of your mind.  If you’re going to a restaurant that you’ve never been to & is unique to the place you’re in, treat yourself.  But if you’re laying by the pool at your hotel and you’ve been doing big dinners every night…. do you really need to have the chili cheese nachos on the menu that you could probably have at home (or in any other city you go to), just because you’re on vacation & “living in the moment”?! I don’t know… it’s up to you. Just remember that it’s always your choice and I hope you always choose what’s going to help you live your life, as a whole, with no regrets!