Travel Fit Tips

How can I eat healthy and stay fit while on vacation or traveling for work?

Contrary to popular belief, "I was out of town" is not a good excuse for an extra 5lbs to take up residence on your body. (but I DO think it's an occasion to treat yourself to a few indulgences....cuz on vacation...you deserve them!)

The key to successful travel is the same thing I preach for success anywhere else...preparation! 

When you set yourself up to succeed, then that's what you do!  **Cheeseball alert** But seriously...I have had far too many travel days in the past few years. Through trial and error I have found a successful "system" that helps keep my healthy ways on track.

Here are some travel tips to help you on your next journey:

1. Pack food. Pack LOTS of food.  This is clutch I say! First when you travel you never know what pitfalls,delays, or circus of brightly-lit fast food joints you may encounter. Packing your own healthy haul can help you side step diet disaster.

I always bring a substantial meal in my carry-on. I aim for something high in lean protein with raw or roasted vegetables.

My in-fight meal- chicken, okra, and green pepper.

 Some of my favorites are whole wheat pasta with turkey marinara sauce, quinoa with baked chicken, feta, and hummus, and today's delight, rotisserie chicken and baked okra.

Here's the part you won't love...you have to eat it cold. Groan, groan I know. But it's not THAT bad. Just pick meals you can tolerate cold.

Why not sandwiches?  Those can work but I find they don't hold me over as well. Deli meat isn't as filling or healthy as lean chicken breast or turkey IMHO and don't get me started on nitrates.

I do bring PB sandwiches on Ezekial bread for am flights.  Another fave am option is to bring dry cereal. Then I get soy milk at Starbucks and get to enjoy my daily Kashi Go Lean as usual. You could also make an egg white on wheat sandwich at home and it would hold. Kyle and I did this for an am flight to Cancun.

If I have extra room I bring a second meal too for dinner. (it's a serious commitment this healthy living).  This is more for work travel not fun travel.

It's also important to stock up on healthy snacks in your carry-on.

Think apple slices with cinnamon, protein bars, dry roasted nuts, and more veggies. These are good to grab if delayed or to lure you away from airport/rest stop impulse eats.

2. Pack MORE food. Oh you thought I was done?  That was just my carry on!  Silly rabbit! 

Stuff your suitcase full of your favorite non-perishable food items.   I like to travel with tuna, protein powder, RTD muscle milk, protein bars, oatmeal, dried fruit, a jar of peanut butter, flat out wraps, apples, nuts, and bottled water.

Did you know that you can make delicious, healthy oatmeal in any hotel coffee maker? 

Yes siirrrrreeeee! I bring packets of Quaker Weight Control then use the coffee maker to get hot water and voila!  Add dried fruit for extra pizzazz and jazz hands to your oath delight!

Can you imagine the food haul when Kyle and I travel. It's no joke!

1.5 days of travel food. (plus cashews not shown)

 3. Hydrate. When we are thrust out of ours usual routine it's easy to forget to drink enough high quality H2O. But it's a must!  It will keep your metabolic processes chugging along and it also helps with jet lag and flight related dehydration. And it makes you pretty!

 4.  Eat clean when you can. Nobody is perfect all the time. (Case in point- there are Delta biscoff cookie crumbs on my IPad. Hello sweet indulgence.) However if you make more good choices than bad choices you will still come out ahead....and healthy.

I hope this blog will help you on your next trip. It was quite long and I shockingly have even more travel food tips. I guess have a v 2.0 to do.

As always I'd love to hear your travel survival strategies.

Love and TSA checkpoints,

Carissa & Kyle