I often hear that people that travel find it difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This is a choice you can make to remain active and not see a travel opportunity as a time to binge eat everything you normally wouldn’t at home. After all, you made a commitment to a lifestyle change. A lifestyle that should remain yours no matter where you are. Of course we all want to engage in a little treat or try the food of the place we choose to visit. However with this as any kind of humanity you keep to your morals, you keep to your commitments to yourself, you remain who you are and true to yourself no matter where you go. Do you not? A vacation or reoccurring business travel isn’t any different.

1. Check for available amenities at your destination. Does your hotel have a pool? Hello aqua exercise! Does your hotel halve a fitness facility? Browse the pictures. Be sure you have the ability to review multiple pictures of one facility and not stock photos. Are you familiar with the equipment provided? Think ahead, what would you use? Have a flexible game plan.
2. What is local to the area? Would you feel safe going outside of the hotel? Taking an uber to the nearest trails perhaps? Will you be walking a lot, site seeing? You know mall walking is still a thing if youre not quite sure
3. Prepare for yourself. Pack resistance bands. Bands are lightweight and take up hardly any room whatsoever in a suitcase so you have no excuses. Many also come with a small and simple door-use attachment which can greatly increase your available use of the bands.
4. Have a plan of body weight exercises that you can do most anywhere. They’re so many! Lets say you have a beach destination or otherwise fear of the condition of the floors, I have a simple solution for you. Extra sheets. You’re willing and going to be sleeping in them. Lay them down and practice your exercises on top as if it was a well expanded yoga mat. Yup no excuses!
5. Bring snacks. Pack up stuff that will be filling. On my most recent trip I packed, almonds, plantain chips, chocolate energy bites and cinnamon candied pecans. I had all of this already at home, no extra money spent and I packed it all together in a old ice cream tub. You can pack unmixed protein shake which can be mixed with water at any location. If your protein mix doesn’t taste good with anything but berries and a milk or yogurt mix then its time for a switch.
6. Wash hands immediately upon exiting the plane. The most common way germs are spread!
7. Stay hydrated.
8. Catch your Zzz’s where you can.
9. Limit caffeine on your travels. Don’t drink more or at different times than you normally would, this will mess with your digestion and sleep schedule.
10. Squeeze your butt. I’m totally serious. All that sitting at the airport after security, sitting on the plane, sitting during transport. Activate those glutes again! This will be your greatest defense from stiffness, fatigue and back pain.
11. Be prepared for increased activity. Hydrate. Hydrate. Hydrate. Lots of walking, site seeing can bring on quite the appetite. Once you arrive, stop at a nearby store to stock your hotel room with some meal curbing foods, this will help you avoid over indulging and fuel your body those experiences and memories you wish to create.
12. Stop the guilt. It’s not a “cheat” if you do it on purpose. Just make sure it is worth it and limit what you do. Anything you eat and drink in your trip should still be in line with your everyday living anyway. If you order a $15 crem-bru-le and it doesn’t taste good, don’t eat it. Better to have the $15 down the trash than on your bum, just a thought;)

Change on the scale during travels is normal and it goes it both directions. You could lose weight with the increase in activity, if this happens, what a beautiful way to see opportunity for more activity when you return home! Weight gain is normal too. Perhaps you try new foods, perhaps your body bloats from foods and retention that your body is just not used to, or maybe you ate a little too much, it happens. You should be able to regain your regular weight within 1 week of returning, simply by returning to your regular habits.
Most importantly, Be Safe and Have Fun! (13)