Speaking of traveling…do you ever find yourself having a hard time staying on track when you’re away from home?
Most people seem to completely fall off the wagon when they travel. Whether it is airport food, too many dinners out to eat, or a few too many cocktails, they end up doing some pretty serious damage over a few short days.
While most of the weight gain is usually water weight, it still can set you back a few days and halt your fat loss efforts.
How can you avoid the travel damage?
Or is it inevitable that you’re going to come back home heavier than when you left?
Let me be the first to tell you…
…It’s completely possible to come back healthier from traveling.
BUT, it takes some serious planning and discipline.
Below are 5 ways to avoid traveling belly bloat:
Step 1: Go immediately to the grocery store once you land – Whether you’re renting a car or taking a taxi to your hotel from the airport, make a quick stop at the local grocery store. Many hotels have mini fridges and microwaves, so you can stock up on some healthy snacks while you’re away. Some of my go to snacks are fruit, raw nuts, healthy wraps, hard boiled eggs, veggies (carrots, celery, broccoli) and healthy protein bars. You’ll end up saving money (snacks/food are expensive in hotels), plus you will also have nutritious snacks readily available throughout your travel stay.
Step 2: Pick 1 “poison” when eating out – If you are on vacation or traveling for business, there’s a great chance you’ll be eating out at least once or twice. This is where things can really start to turn for the worst. Between bread, alcohol, appetizers, entrée and dessert….the calories can really start to add up quickly. And if the tab is already picked up for, you can easily go overboard and overdo it. Try to pick just 1 poison. In other words, either choose 1 drink, 1 piece of bread, 1 piece of dessert, etc. You are only allowed this one item, and the rest of the meal aligns with your nutritional guidelines. Let everyone else go crazy and feel like crap….while you can still enjoy your meal without feeling miserable afterwards.
Step 3: Step 3: Follow your regular routine – What the heck does this mean? You want to go to bed and wake up like you normally would at home. Staying on your regular routine will keep your hormones in check, allow you to sleep better, and will give your body the proper chance to absorb and digest food properly. Too many times, people will stay up way too late, wake up way too late, and not follow their normal eating routine which can cause some issues. I understand it’s a lot harder to do this while traveling, but with a few easy sacrifices you will feel 10x’s better and your body will thank you once you return back home. Yes! Even if you are in a different time zone, you still want to stay on your regular routine as much as possible.
Step 4: Walk, Walk and Walk some more – Make it a goal to take at least 10,000 steps each day while traveling. Depending on your travel itinerary – this can be either very easy or very difficult. More than likely you’ll be sitting down a good bit on travel days (between being on the airplane and sitting in the airport, or sitting in the car). Do your best to walk as much as possible. This will allow your body to burn more calories, avoid getting aches and pain from sitting too long, and is a great way to clear your mind. I always make it a goal to be MORE active when traveling then if I was at home. This might seem a bit unrealistic to you, but it’s really not that difficult if you make it a top priority. Walk and explore the new city you are in!
Step 5: 10 Minute Hotel Workouts – There’s really NO excuse not to exercise while traveling. Even if your hotel doesn’t have a gym (or they do and it’s just useless cardio machines) there are still plenty of exercises you can do in your small hotel room. My suggestion is to do a quick 10 minute exercise workout first thing in the morning. That way you get it over with and you can enjoy the rest of your day without having to worry about it. To give you an idea of what you can do…try this hotel workout out below:
Go through each exercise for 1 minute without any rest. After you complete all 5 exercises, rest 60 seconds and repeat once more.
1) Total Body Extensions – 1 minute
2) Pushup (you can use any variation) – 1 minute
3) Prisoner Reverse Lunges – 1 minute
4) Mountain Climbers – 1 minute
5) Burpees – 1 minute
Rest 1 minute and repeat once more.
It’s really that easy. Yes, it will take some planning and preparation, but by following these 5 simple yet effective travel guidelines, there’s no reason you can’t come back home in even better shape than when you left.
Next time you travel, I challenge you to follow these steps and come home skinnier!
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