Healthy jetsetters can rejoice with these easy tips
It’s much easier to maintain your healthy lifestyle when you’re at home, with your usual routine in place. Travelling takes you out of this comfort zone and is one of the times that people struggle most with staying healthy. Flying takes a toll on your body, unhealthy options are rampant at airports, and being on vacation often involves more eating out and boozing than usual.
All of this, especially coupled with jetlag, can leave you feeling low in energy, bloated and anything but sexy. Not exactly how you envisioned yourself kicking back on the beach in Miami or hitting up the hottest spots in London, is it?
The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. Armed with these tips from FIT, you can enjoy your travel expeditions as a healthy jetsetter: you’ll both feel and look great, while still enjoying your holiday to the max.
1. Be prepared for the flight
“Preparation, preparation, preparation” is a motto you likely apply to your everyday life. Any discerning health enthusiast knows that preparation is key to success when it comes to nutrition and fitness, but this principle is even more valuable when you travel.
Come armed for your flight with healthy snacks, such as a piece of fruit, vegetables and dip, homemade trail mix and clean protein bars. Our FIT crew love to take Passion Projects Greens and Berry individual sachets (available in store) for an alkaline/antioxidant blast, which are super handy. Taking some herbal tea bags (peppermint and chamomile are great) and a face mist are also useful tips to help you arrive at your destination feeling fresh. “I spray rose water on my face every hour to keep my skin hydrated and glowing,” says Jessica Sepel, nutritionist and author of The Healthy Life.
2. Drink plenty of water
Bring a reusable water bottle with you and have it filled up once you board the flight. Flying dehydrates you, which in turn can cause a host of health issues, including constipation (no thanks!). Make sure you drink ample water throughout the flight and continue this next day to avoid dehydration and help prevent fluid retention.
Continue to use your water bottle throughout your trip to make sure you’re getting enough H2o into your system. When you’re busy working, exploring, relaxing or partying in a new place, it’s easy to let proper hydration slip to back of mind, but carrying it around with you is the perfect reminder to drink up.
3. Do your research before you arrive
Before you touch down in at your destination, make sure you’ve done some ground research into where you will find healthy options to eat and places that accommodate your travelling fitness regime. Stakeout the local health cafes and restaurants, farmers’ markets, walking tracks, yoga studios or gyms. Usually a quick Google search will bring up all the information you need to find these places. You can save the locations to your maps application on your smart phone for easy navigation once you get there.
4. Stay somewhere with a kitchen
Whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, you usually find yourself eating out most of the time, however often food from restaurants and cafes isn’t as clean as what we prepare ourselves. If you choose to stay in self serviced apartments, a hotel with a kitchenette or an Air BnB rental, you should be able to still make some of your own meals and keep them fresh and healthy.
All you need is a bar fridge to store some fresh produce and some basic kitchen utensils and you can easily whip up quick and nourishing breakfasts, such as overnight oats with fresh fruit, or healthful yet simple lunches and dinner, like salads, or stir-fries if you have access to a hotplate. It’s also a great way to save some moolah, which you can then totally justify spending on that new pair of Nikes instead!
5. Stay active
Travelling actually provides us with the perfect opportunity to walk around instead of driving, so why not set off to explore your destination by foot. When you’re so enthralled with your surrounds, you won’t even notice that you’re racking up hours of exercise at the same time as checking out the sights.
If you’re on a leisurely vacation, make an effort to plan activities that involve moving your body, rather than spending most of the day sedentary (even if that beach chair is pretty comfy!). If you’re travelling for work, pick out a hotel with a gym or accommodation with fitness facilities nearby so you can fit a workout in before getting into the business.
No matter why you’re travelling, make sure you stretch everyday. This is a simply way to take care of your body and can be done anywhere - even in the smallest hotel room - in a matter of 5-10 minutes.
6. Bring your supplements with you
While you might not be able to take your whole collection due to bag space limitations, it’s always worth taking a few essential supplements with you to help maintain your health while away from home.
Jessica Sepel recommends using a bush flower essence travel formula if you’re flying or have a long car trip; “It enables a person to arrive at their destination feeling balanced and ready to go.” Jessica also suggests a B vitamin complex, which she says promotes “energy, stamina, recovery and stress management [and] seems to help with jetlag.” Herbs of Gold and Fusion both make an excellent product for this purpose, which you can get your hands on at FIT.
Another tip is to measure out your protein powder and supplement powders into individual zip lock bags so that you have them on hand for a breakfast shake each day. Packing a light shaker, such as our FIT shakers we have in store, is well worth it.
A shelf stable probiotic is another must-pack item (you can find these at FIT locations too) to assist with keeping your gut healthy and preventing constipation or “traveller’s belly”, which is especially common after flying or when in foreign countries with different water constitutions and unusual cuisines. You’ll thank us for this later.