How to Stay "On Track" While Traveling

So you’ve been working really hard on your beach body for your trip to the coast at the end of winter…

HELL YEAH. Good for you.

But then you get to the coast, it’s day one, and you’re faced with the decision of what to eat, when to eat, and how the heck you’re supposed to continue with the active lifestyle you’ve been leading. Here are some of my favorite tips for traveling and staying “on track” during vacation.

1. Start your morning off with a good chug of water.

Drinking water right away in the morning helps to kickstart your metabolism and rehydrate your body after hours of not consuming fluids. It also fills your belly up a little to help you refrain from that all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet down the street.

2. Have a set start time for your day, and then get up before that.

One of the most helpful things I’ve learned to do while on vacation is to establish the wake-up/start of your day with your comrades, and then get up before the festivities begin. Getting up an hour or two before the rest of the crew gives you an opportunity to get in a morning workout, get cleaned up after your chosen physical activity, and center yourself again for the day.

3. Go for walks

It’s easy to use the “no time” or “I already got ready for the day” excuse. Newsflash—if you go for a little walk, you aren’t going to mess up your hair, and I guarantee that you have time to walk around for at least 10-15 minutes. It’s an easy way to make sure that you don’t get the sedentary bum look going on, plus walking is a good way to explore your new surroundings.

4. Establish a good home workout prior to going on vacation

There’s nothing worse than staring at a wall thinking “I should workout” and not knowing how. If you are able to establish a 30-40 minute home workout that you enjoy prior to vacation, you’ve got the perfect tool in your toolbox to take with on-the-go. There are plenty of body weight exercises to get your blood pumping that don’t involve bringing any equipment.

5. Bananas and apples and peanut butter are my best friends on vacation

If you can get to a grocery store when you arrive at your destination, pick up a few easy grab-and-go items to have as snacks. I love bananas and apples because you can just throw them in a bag if you’re on the run. If you’re somewhere that you have access to a kitchen—pick up some groceries! You’ll save money and be more likely to stick with a healthier diet than if you eat out every meal.

6. Bring your own reusable water bottle

Once again, water is SO important. I’ve found that if you bring your own water bottle, you’re more likely to drink water than if you have to go fill up a glass every time you need to hydrate.

7. Stretch

Don’t forget your stretching routine! Stretching also helps to get your blood flowing and helps prevent stiffness. It’s hard to have any desire to want to move if your body feels stiff and sedentary.

8. Try not to stay up too much later than your normal bedtime

Alright, very guilty of not abiding by this one on my most recent travels. However, trying to maintain a normal sleep schedule over your vacation will help your brain signal that there are still things to do rather than go into deep-zombie slumber-mode. If a nap-cation is what you need, disregard everything above and just sleep. You do you boo. However, messing with your sleep cycle also alters your hormones and can alter your metabolism. Lack of sleep can be related to weight gain when over an extended period of time.

9. Go exploring

Half of the fun of going on trips is adventuring in your new surroundings, right? Go do fun things! Please do not sit in your hotel room or AirBnb all day. You spent the time and money to go somewhere—figure out something fun to do! If you’re in a coastal town, go exploring on the beach. Go for a hike. Go walk the shops downtown (obviously be cognizant of Covid if that’s still around by the time you’re reading this). Go galivanting through the city on the bike or scooter rentals that have seemingly started popping up in every large-ish city. It’s relatively easy to find some sort of fun, physical activity to do while you’re in a new place.

Most importantly, just have fun in your new surroundings! Don’t give in to the lazy bug and go explore!