Business travel
This is perhaps the bigger challenge of the two. Whether you are bound to a car, a conference (with conference food a-plenty), or entertaining, the options of food can frequently be beige, heavy, or more than your usual intake. A few things to try –
- Start the day with a healthy breakfast, either from your accommodation, or pre-prepared/bought at a supermarket and stored in your in-room fridge;
- Keep healthy snacks in your car centre console or bag;
- Search/Google ‘healthy food near me’. Poke bowls are popular right now and can often be found in most major centres and are a great option;
- Shy away from over-stacked lunch plates that may weigh you down and provide little energy. Instead, seek out the salad, vegetable and protein options;
- Avoid overdoing the alcohol intake if entertaining.
It’s not always easy, but similar to your at home habits, once you start getting into the swing of things it becomes a natural way of going about your business travel.
Leisure travel
A huge reason for why we travel the world is to engross ourselves in the local culture, embrace the people, their way of life and the food. Trying things we haven’t tried before, don’t usually have access to, or haven’t experienced, is all part of the fun. But sometimes we can find ourselves craving a home cooked meal, something plain and simple. If we are particularly unlucky, we can end up sick depending on the country we are in. A few ways to enjoy it all –
- Have a healthy breakfast at your accommodation, similar to how you would eat at home;
- Enjoy a selection of local dining experiences along with healthy choices you know are made fresh;
- If you have accommodation with a kitchen, visit the local markets, grab fresh produce and make a meal or two yourself, a market experience is just as rewarding as a restaurant;
- Check ingredient lists on items you grab for snacks, with differing countries come differing food standards and you may be surprised where sugar and MSG appear;
- Ask staff if ice is made from filtered water.
But always remember to embrace where you are. You can only control so much.
Exercise
The longer we break the routine, the harder it is to get back into one. So it’s good to try to keep at least a little in check with your exercise. This doesn’t mean you have to slog it out at a local gym every day of the week. Instead try out some of these –
- Take advantage of your surroundings, find a local park or beach and go for a walk or run;
- Pack a skipping rope, this is an easy way to get some cardio in right there in your accommodation;
- Use your phone to search for online or local yoga;
- Walk instead of taking public transport or driving.
Of course, if you really want to, there is often a hotel gym, however these can be a little soul destroying tucked in the depths of the basement somewhere.
Reality
So there it is, some quick tips of how you can best stay healthy on the road for business or leisure. The fact is, you are away from home, away from your daily schedule, and surrounded by experiences. So embrace them. If you can stick to 50% of what you do at home, then you are in a good space to slip right back into routine when you return, and chances are your body and mind will be craving it.
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