One of the biggest questions I hear from people is how the heck do I stay on track while I’m travelling? Here’s the thing: it can be really hard to find food that is actually good for you unless you look for it.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you eat well on vacation or during a business trip:
Rent an apartment: When you rent an apartment through Airbnb or VRBO instead of staying at a hotel, you can make most of your meals and have better control over what you’re eating. Of course you’ll want experience the restaurants in the area you’re visiting, but the majority of the time you’ll have access to fresh food that is good for you because you made it yourself. If you do need to stay at a hotel, search for a ‘healthy’ hotel that specializes in good and local food or that at least has some options for you.
Stock up before you go: We always take a trip to the health food store to get some protein bars, powders, snacks and tea before we go to the airport. Because, as I’m sure you know, airport food kind of sucks. Make sure you have enough snacks on hand to get you to your destination so you’re not hangry when you get there forcing you to grab a bag of processed junk.
Map out the best food stores that are closest to you before you go away: Before our trip to Florida in February, we did a bit of research into where the natural and organic grocery stores were located. In the past we shopped at Publix, which is fine, but the produce and meat at our location aren’t great. We were elated to find Earth’s Origins Market on the way home from the airport so we stopped off and stocked up. They even had grass-fed beef, organic chicken and organic beer and wine – which is a plus!
Which leads to my next point: If you drink, drink organic beer and wine. This isn’t meant to be a snobby tip, I don’t feel groggy and gross drinking organic red wine and chances are you’re doing to be drinking more on vacation so why not drink the good stuff? This is my favourite right now. (More on this topic soon in another post!)
Ok back to the food: make sure you eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day. Depending on the time zone, your body may be already out of whack and nourishing your body with lots of vegetables and fruit is key to feeling great while you’re away. This is a great way to take advantage of local food–hello Florida oranges!
If you’re away on business and have to stay in a hotel, take advantage of a food delivery service like UberEats. You can search for nutritious food options and have them delivered to your hotel. Make use of the mini fridge if you have one for leftovers or extra snacks.
Keep up with your exercise routine. Just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you need to drop the exercise. When I’m on vacation, I definitely don’t workout as much as I do at home, but I do like to do a little workout at least two or three days during a trip. The first step is to bring your exercise clothes with you and then get an app like Seven for your phone which gives you access to a seven-minute workout you can do anywhere without the need for equipment. This year in Florida we used the app at the park while the kids played.
Going on vacation or away on a business trip doesn’t mean you have to give up your wellness routine. You may have to do a bit more research to make sure you have the bases covered, but you’ll be happy you did it.
