If you’ve ever been traveling before, you will know just how hard it can be to eat healthily and stay in shape while on the road. When you are out exploring, you’re constantly tempted by tasty new foods, cold beverages, and exotic all-you-can-eat buffets. To add to this very privileged problem, there is also one glaring omission from most travelers’ lives: the gym.
If you’re on the road, it is highly unlikely that you’ll have access to a gym membership at the same time. This is why it’s paramount to keep on top of your diet and try to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Let’s take a look at some tips you can follow to keep yourself in shape in both your body and mind.
Make Healthy Living on the Road a Priority
First things first, you need to prepare yourself mentally for your new lifestyle change. If you are going to take this new healthy eating thing seriously, then it will require a considerable amount of willpower and conscious lifestyle changes every day. As mentioned, the traveler’s life can easily be one of excess, so this may mean opting for a salad instead of the street food, and maybe turning down beer in favor of a healthier option from time to time.
Being healthy and staying in shape while traveling is largely down to preparation. Plan out where you are going for the day, what you’re going to be eating, and limit your exposure to alcohol and other unhealthy foods. This doesn’t mean that you have to change the way you live completely, but small, consistent changes each day will have a profound impact on your body.
Diet is 80% of the Battle
As the old saying goes, “you are what you eat.” It doesn’t matter if you’re doing 20,000 steps each day hiking around Machu Picchu, if you’re eating 4000 calories and drinking three or four beers to swill it down, you’re still going to put on weight.
One of the best things you can do for your waistline is trying to limit and control what you eat. These days there is a selection of free calorie counting apps that even let you scan the barcode, so you don’t have to manually enter any details. If anything, this just makes you more aware and more accountable for what you’re eating, which you can then look back on and analyze (in horror).
On the plus side, eating less helps to save your waistline and your bank balance, which means you can stay traveling for even longer!
Ways to Cope with Stress on the Road
Let’s not forget the importance of looking after our mental health. While traveling is mainly about having fun, exploring, and meeting new people, there are still highs and lows—the realities of traveling are sometimes a little bit different from what most people seem to imagine.
There may be times when you’re feeling lonely, homesick, unsafe, or uncertain about your location, anxious about meeting new people, and even worried about money. Just because your traveling doesn’t mean that the real world doesn’t catch up with you.
Here some quick tips to help you deal with stress while on the road:
- Plan your journey and stay as organized as possible
- Keep in contact with friends and family
- Take a journal with you
- Take some time out to meditate frequently
- Budget for your journey ahead
Air Travel Vs. Car Travel
Traveling by air and traveling by car are two completely different experiences and require different strategies if you want to be healthy and keep yourself mentally strong. Whichever you decide to do, make sure you plan and prepare yourself for your journey. If you are going on a long car trip, you may want to prepare your meals beforehand as living on a diet of quick gas station meals is a sure fire way to pack on the pounds.
Lastly, make sure you have all of the insurances you need to keep yourself safe while on the road. Just like an Uber driver needs their Uber insurance and ride share insurance, you, too, need to make sure that you’re covered for all eventualities.
