Travel can be one of the toughest obstacles when trying to live healthy. Whether it’s holiday travel or for work, we know from personal experience that it can quickly unravel your health momentum. But have no fear, because today we are bringing you our tips to stay healthy while you travel.

Let’s start off with giving you our overall philosophy on healthy travel. Because of all the added challenges, we recommend that your goal is all about maintaining your health and feeling good. Don’t stress over keeping your exact routine, eating perfectly, or shunning every temptation. You should enjoy travel (especially during the holidays!) and more important than anything else, your goal should be to return from travelling refocused and re-energized.

But the most critical action you can take to get through your holiday travel as healthy as possible is… plan for it. Before you go, make sure you spend some time to set yourself up for success using our tips below.

Part 1: Eating

Bring Lots of Snacks

To give yourself the best chance possible at staying healthy on the road (or in the air), we recommend coming prepared with plenty of snacks. We know that when we are hungry, tired and don’t have good food available, that’s when we’re most likely to slip and end up in a food coma. Some great options are nuts, jerky, fruit, or your favorite nutrition bar. These will curb your hunger while you’re travelling and can even work as a meal in a pinch.

Bring a Cooler (Note: We only recommend this option if you are driving)

Bringing a cooler is a great way to ensure a healthier trip and also save some dollars. This can go even further if you are staying at a rental or house where you have access to a kitchen. Most hotels will have at least a fridge so you can store food and snacks.

You certainly don’t need to pack for every meal, but if you have some healthy food available you are going to be a lot less likely to eat out 3 times a day. For instance, bring some healthy breakfast (or brunch) food which means you will always start the day with something nutritious. This will help you keep you on track for the rest of the day. Even if you splurge a little later in the day, it won’t have as big an effect.

Choose Wisely When Eating Out

Some people don’t want to cook while travelling and we totally get that. We want to put you in a position where you can choose when you want to indulge a bit, and not have it forced on you by circumstances. When you do eat out keep in mind most restaurants will have some healthy options. Base your meal around protein, veggies, and healthy fats. Be wary of mystery sauces and never hesitate to ask your server what they suggest for healthy yet tasty options.

Don’t Be Afraid to Fast a Little

A lot of people use travel as an opportunity to intermittent fast. We won’t go into all the benefits of intermittent fasting here, but just know it can be great for your health! The best meal option may be no meal and that’s ok. You don’t have to go overboard, we are talking about skipping one or two meals max and then going about your normal eating for the next meal. If you’ve done intermittent fasting before, this can be an ideal time for it. If you are new to it, you may want to read up a little and try it before your trip to see if it’s right for you.

Part 2: In Transit

While you are travelling you are most likely going to be doing a lot of sitting. We are big advocates of movement throughout the day and sitting for long periods of time isn’t great for you (haven’t you heard the saying sitting is the new smoking?). Here are some tips to minimize the impact of your long distance sitting session.

In the Air

While flying, we recommend getting up every hour or so to walk down the aisle. We know it can be a hassle waking up the napping person next to you, but it’s worth it. Go to the bathroom and do a few minimal stretches. A great mini stretch routine is to interlace your fingers and reach your hands above your head for 10-20 seconds. Keep your hands up, put your palms together, and extend your hands to the right and left getting a good stretch along your sides. Finally, keep your arms extended overhead and reach your hands slightly behind your head for a mini back stretch. If you are feeling ambitious, you can finish off your routine with a few air squats.

Pro Tip: Flying is a great opportunity to sneak in a meditation session. Travel can be stressful, so we recommend relaxing and doing a short session to keep calm. At your seat, close your eyes and focus on your breath for 5-10 minutes. Your flying companions will just think you are napping. If you happen to have some noise cancelling headphones and your favorite meditation app, even better.

On the Road

If you are driving, we recommend stopping to walk around every couple hours. We know you might be on a tight travel schedule, so use your gas stops as an opportunity to walk around a bit. You can also do the mini stretch routine at the gas station. If you are taking a longer trip (6+ hours) we recommend taking an extra 10 minutes to take a longer walk or even get in a short 10-minute bodyweight workout. If you are trying to keep it quick, knock out 10 burpees!

Part 3: Working out

Commit to 10 minutes a day

Our golden rule for travel is to commit to 10 minutes a day of activity. This can be in the form of a walk, a bike ride, or even a quick bodyweight circuit. Really anything that gets you sweating a little will do. If you are a gym person, find a place to stay that has a gym or one nearby so you don’t have any excuses.

One of the best 10-minute workouts we know can be done in your room or anywhere you like. Just pick three basic movements like pushups, leg lifts, and air squats. Do 10 reps of each as many times as possible in 10 minutes. If you have access to other equipment, feel free to use those (pull-up bar, chair, etc.) for some different movements. You will be surprised what you can do in 10 minutes!

Explore

One of our favorite things to do on the road is to go for a walk or run in our new location. Whether you are in a new city, at the beach, or in the country, this can be a great opportunity to learn your surroundings and see some sights. You might even meet some locals. We also recommend making this social and doing it with your family or those you are travelling with.

Try Something New

We kicked off this article talking about coming back from travel re-energized and one of the best ways to do this is to try new things. If you have the time, take a class that you don’t normally do. Find something ahead of time that interests you and give it a whirl. You likely won’t see anyone there again, so don’t be afraid to do something that pushes you out of your comfort zone (this may be a great chance to try that hip hop class!). Think spin class, a new type of yoga, or a boxing class. This will shake things up and allow you to refocus on your usual routine when you return.

We hope you’ve enjoyed our tips to help you stay healthy while travelling. Remember not to stress about staying perfectly healthy while travelling and enjoy the journey!

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad

The holiday season means a lot of things for a lot of people. There’s plenty of family get togethers, catching up with old friends, and exchanging gifts, but there’s also temptations. We’re talking potlucks. Luncheons. Happy hours. Family dinners. Baked goods. You name it.

For those of us who are fitness-minded and trying to stay in shape, the holidays can throw a lot of curveballs our way, making it tough to stick to our regular routines and regimens. Of course, it’s important not to stress out and feel guilty if you indulge a little here and there. After all, it’s the holidays – don’t be afraid to enjoy yourself!

That said, we’ve put together 5 tips to help you navigate the holidays at the office and stay a little fitter and healthier throughout. Don’t worry: no one is talking about fasting here, or denying yourself every slice of that lemon loaf the coworkers bring in. However, keeping even just a few tabs on yourself can ensure you make it through the holidays feeling a little “health neutral” – and that in itself can be a big win!

1) Find the Salad, eat the salad

It’s pretty common around the holidays for coworkers to want to indulge a little at lunchtime or after work. Where you might find more healthy options during the rest of the year, not so much when the holidays roll in. Potlucks tend to be loaded with sweets and everyone always wants to go out for comfort food all of a sudden.

Wherever you find yourself, our secret is to always find the salad. If there’s a salad bar, top off your plate with those greens and dig in. Once you have a nice base layer going, it won’t be so bad if someone wants you to try a bit of their casserole or queso – just pop a scoop on top and it’ll still be a “salad”.

If you find yourself some place without a salad bar or a good option on the menu, see if you can stick to veggies and proteins. If it comes with a mystery sauce or gravy, avoid it or serve yourself so it doesn’t arrive drenched.

Of course, it’s worth bearing in mind that salads have the potential to be just as calorie-heavy (if not more) than some meals, but at the end of the day a plate full of lettuce will be better than one filled with bread rolls, fried food, and treats galore.

2) Say “yes”, but only once

It seems like everyone busts out their best baking recipes around this time of year. Whether it’s apple crumble or cookies, there’s gonna be sweets at your office – guaranteed.

Telling yourself and others that you won’t eat anything (especially if you normally do) is gonna be tough and maybe even a little miserable when you see everyone else enjoying those treats. So, to make the best of it, don’t be afraid to say “yes” to the offer, but stick to just one piece (and hopefully a small one at that).

If you end up with a bigger piece than expected, don’t be afraid to just have a bite and then bring it back to your desk. Save it for later when you’re really hungry or have it with your apple or other healthy snacks you’d normally have.

3) Pick one meal and give yourself a free pass

Some people promise themselves they’ll stick to healthy food all holiday season. Most of them don’t make it through. While noble, it’s just about impossible to make it through December without indulging yourself just a little bit.

In the same way we encourage you to enjoy holiday snacks in moderation, give yourself a free pass to really dive into one holiday meal. It could be that potluck or family dinner or work party or whatever. Eat whatever you like and enjoy it while you’re there – but just that once! The rest of the time, try to stick to the salad and keep moderation as your rule of thumb.

If you can manage this, you’ll come out of the holidays better off than if you dove into every opportunity to feast. Plus, you’ll get to enjoy a little feasting without feeling the effects of a week-long binge.

4) Stay on top of those Office WODS

We’ve talked about Office WODs a couple times in the past, so hopefully you’ve found a way to make them part of your regular routine (or if not the WODs, then the walking meetings or standing desks).

Our best advice here is that if the WODs are part of your routine, keep that routine going. Don’t cut them out, don’t slow them down, just keep them steady and consistent.

If you can manage to keep giving yourself micro bursts of fitness through the holidays, you’ll be able to get back into your regular routine and form quicker in the new year. There’s nothing worse than starting off the new year feeling sluggish and lethargic!

5) Stay hyper hydrated

Staying hydrated during the holidays is just as important if not more so than around the rest of the year. Water still has the benefit of clearing your head and keeping you focused, but it can also help wash away or stave off the sugar cravings you get after that first bite of something sweet – helping you stick to just one treat at a time.

Drinking lots of water can also help with the inevitable social drinking that happens around this time of year. In fact, it doesn’t have to be just water: a great way to mitigate some of the heaviness of alcohol is to alternate every beverage between an alcoholic one and a non-alcoholic one. Switch from that gin and tonic to a club soda or an ice tea.

Give yourself bonus points if you try to go undercover all night by sneaking a lime wedge onto the side of your non-alcoholic beverage (Protip: ask for a small glass). You might be surprised at how long you can go before your cover gets blown!

Yours in wellness,

The FC Squad