How I Stay On My Fitness Game While Traveling

Hi there Chicky,

Staying on track with my fitness and nutrition is hard enough on normal days, but on vacation it gets even more challenging. When I’m away from my routine it’s so much easier to give in to the not so good stuff. Over the years though, I’ve developed a pretty good system to help me avoid ruining what I worked so hard for. That said, I believe in balance. I’m not going to pass down something delicious that’s specific to the area I’m in. But then, I reel it in at another meal, or if I just don’t want to, I won’t, and I’ll lock it down when I get back home.

Plus, again, it’s vacation! It’s a time to indulge and let loose a little.

So given these challenges, this is how I balance staying in shape, while also enjoying my vacation…

♥ I ALWAYS pack my sneakers and workout clothes. I find that if I have them I’m more likely to use them and if the exercise opportunity (exertunity) arises I won’t have the excuse of not being prepared. I’m not gonna lie, sneakers take up a lot of valuable suitcase real-estate which I would rather use for a sexy pair of heels. But I also want my legs to look good in those heels, so first things first.

♥ I Pack plenty of protein bars, nuts, and seeds and have them with me at all times. That way, I’m less likely to indulge in the bad stuff. I take them on the flight with me, so when the peanuts and pretzels (the worst) get passed around, I reach for my healthy snack instead. If you saw my Instagram stories then you saw what I packed for this trip. Those are my staple trip snacks.

♥ No hotel gym – no problem. Hotel rooms provide what I need for quick effective workouts. Sometimes I pack resistance bands. and sometimes I don’t. I always try to do ab exercises, squats, push-ups and dips. I think that’s a minimum that hits all the major trouble areas — at least for me.  It doesn’t take that long (20 minutes max) to do a quick circuit.

Here’s one example: I do the following exercises, one right after another without stopping. When I complete a circuit, I take a break for one or two minutes and then repeat. I do as many circuits as I can.

Air Squats 20
Push-ups 20 (on a good day)
Lunges 15 each leg
Chair Dips 20
Sit-ups as many as I can

♥ While walking around being all touristy, I crunch ass. Yes, I squeeze those glutes with every step. Believe me, after a while, I feel the burn. And I always opt for the stairs instead of the elevator, which is an easy one for me since I’m moderately, to severely claustaphopic.

♥ Stay hydrated. It’s important, especially if I’m visiting a warm, sunny place. I always carry a water bottle with me. When I drink it all up, I re-fill it. Plus, I never know If I’m going to be able to get something to drink right away, so I carry my own.

♥ I Don’t indulge every single meal . I try to start with a healthy breakfast including eggs, and multigrain toast (only one) or fruit (berries, and very little). Recently on a trip to Costa Rica, our hotel offered a buffet style breakfast and there were no eggs in sight. Instead there was an array of fatty, rich foods that is the custom in that country. I asked our waitress if she could please have someone scramble me some egg whites, and they were happy to do so. Sometimes all you have to do is ask, and eggs are an easy thing to fix. I had my eggs with some fruit, and I was good to go. Then, for lunch and dinner I always try to order a healthy option, but if there’s something on the menu that sounds too delicious to pass up, I’ll order it, and either share it with my husband, or eat it all by myself and cut down later or the next day – if possible.

♥ I Prepare in advance. If I know I’m going on vacation in a week, I am extra diligent with my eating and exercise. I make sure to step up the cardio and eat extra lean.

♥ Finally, I don’t stress – or I try not to (work in progress). If I packed my sneakers and didn’t use them once, that’s ok. I know I’ll just have to work extra hard when I get home. The important thing is to enjoy the vacation, they don’t happen all the time. I think it’s important to enjoy the experience of getting to know a new place or rediscovering a place I’ve been to before without stressing about possibly putting on a few pounds.

If I’m somewhere that is famous for a particular dish or for their wine for example, I Indulge. Two years ago we took a trip to Venice, Italy where I enjoyed a gelato di chocolato (dark chocolate gelato) every day. I also had pasta, AND wine, AND bread, AND wine, AND wine. But we also walked all day long (yes crunching ass) which helped to mitigate the damage. Did I enjoy indulging? hell yeah! Did I have to pay the piper when I got back home? Double hell yeah! But it was worth it.

I have to say, it helps that my hubby is as enthusiastic about health and fitness as I am, sometimes more. He’s the one to remind me to crunch ass, and he always works out in our room. But he’s also the one to pour me a lot more wine than I should drink, so lets not give him too much credit.

When you read this, I will be in Greece, where I intend to eat one of my favorite desserts. I will also be in Paris where I plan to take full advantage of their wine, cheese and croissants. But knowing that, I’ve been busting my butt at the gym for the last couple of weeks and trying to eat as clean as possible. My healthy snacks are packed and ready, and I intend to crunch ass on the plane until I hopefully fall asleep. Wish me luck.

I hope this post helps you stay fit the next time you take a vacation. The important thing though, is to indulge when you want, enjoy yourself, and don’t stress. Just little things make a big difference. But it’s a choice and it’s a sacrifice for sure. But if staying fit and young is your goal, it’s a small price to pay. I think.

How do you manage when you travel? Any tricks or advice you can share?

xoxo,

V