Let’s face it, you are a nomadic soul
or your job is pretty demanding, either way traveling can’t be avoided. Spring break is in the air and summer is right around the corner, for most of us traveling results in us putting on weight instead of losing it. Why is traveling
counter productive in weight loss efforts? The reasons are:
- We eat more than normal when traveling
- We are less active
- We dine out at restaurants more than usual
- We make a few too many toast – drink more
- We consume more take out or fast food
- We prefer taste over health
If you want to maintain your weight or weight loss regimen, you must maintain normal activities and diets as much as possible while you travel. Of course this is easier said than done. If we are traveling on business, most meals are on the go or dining with coworkers or clients; when traveling for pleasure we are looking to relax and indulge our senses. Regardless if business or pleasure, the weight loss pitfalls start at the airport upon departure and don’t end until we are back in baggage claim heading home.
Here are some tips to keep our weight in check while traveling:
- Walk whenever and wherever possible
- Always carry water and drink often to keep well hydrated and feeling full
- Visit a gym with reciprocal arrangements with your fitness club or pay for a casual workout (about $15)
- Book at hotel with a pool and gym – use them
- Exercise before breakfast and get it out of the way
- Pack a skipping rope (ten minutes of skipping is great exercise)
- When eating in a restaurant, order a side plate of veggies
- Follow your normal routine as closely as possible but allow yourself to have fun
- Try to avoid quick-fix airport meals
- Don’t drink too much alcohol on the flights; full of empty calories plus alcohol dehydrates our bodies even more than normal while flying
- Avoid too many buffets
- Watch portion sizes carefully – especially in restaurants
- Decide what you will eat throughout the day
- Let others know how important your exercise program is to you
- Make the supermarket your first stop after checking into your hotel room
Conclusion
The hardest thing to do is maintain our current weight and throwing traveling into mix can be disastrous – follow these simple tricks to maintain that summer body.