5 Tips to Manage Your health And Fitness Goals While Traveling
Whether it's vacation or a work trip, clients are often really worried about derailing their progress while out of their normal routine. Here are 5 practical tips to help you adjust your expectations and stay on track while traveling!
SOS, I’m going on vacation and I don’t want to ruin all the progress I’ve made so far! This is something I hear from clients all the time and something that I used to struggle with a ton. The most important thing to keep in mind when traveling is that things will probably look different than they normally do… and that’s okay! So often, we set the expectation that when we go away we’re going to be absolutely perfect and stick with 100% of the habits that we employ at home as a part of our normal routine. But most of the time, that’s not realistic when we’re traveling. So then even if you end up doing a really solid job while you’re away, you still end up feeling like a failure for not being 100% adherent.
Before you travel, decide what your non-negotiables are. Figure out what you need to do to feel your best and prioritize those things. For me, that’s being consistent with my water intake and prioritizing protein at all of my meals. Then think about the other health habits that you have (i.e. working out, tracking macros, bed time routine, etc.). If your normal routine is 100%, what might 75% or even 50% of that habit look like? Think about what health looks like for you while you’re away and adjust your expectations to match what’s realistic! When I’m on vacation, I know I’m probably not going to be in the gym 4 days/week. But if I expected myself to go 4 times and then ended up going only twice, I’d probably feel like a failure. When in reality, maybe going twice was really freaking hard and required some other sacrifices. That should be something to be proud of! You made it 2 times when you could have much more easily not gone at all.
The overarching theme here is adjust your expectations based on what’s actually realistic for the season of life that you’re currently in. Don’t try to hold yourself to an unrealistic standard and then be disappointed when you couldn’t stick to it. Below are 5 strategies to keep in mind when traveling that can help you prioritize your health and fitness goals without feeling obligated to stick to 100% of your normal routine.
Traveling Tips
1. Plan ahead
I'm sure I sound like a broken record by now, but regardless of whether you're at home, in a hotel, Airbnb, or in the middle of the forest planning ahead is the number one method for staying on track. If you don't make a plan before you leave, how will you ever be able to execute while you're actually in the moment? As yourself questions like:
Will I have a kitchen where I'm staying?
Will I have access to a grocery store or am I limited to what I pack with me?
Am I planning to cook any food or will all meals be eaten out?
How active will I be during this trip?
Do I want to lift? Will I have access to a gym?
Essentially think about all of the habits that you've established in your normal day to day and ask yourself how you'll plan to stick to that while you're away. For example, if you won't have access to a kitchen what things can you pack or buy that will help you hit your protein goals?
2. Pack Snacks
I am literally the queen of packing snacks when I travel anywhere. I know that I feel my best when I stick to some sense of normalcy when I travel. I typically recommend traveling with high protein snack options because this is usually the hardest thing to stick to when we're away. Items like protein powder, protein bars, and jerky are non-perishable staples that I always pack with me to make sure that I can hit my protein goals.
If you're staying at an Airbnb or even a hotel with a mini fridge, don't be afraid to run to the grocery store and pick up some other staples to add throughout the day like greek yogurt or fruit.
By sprinkling in a couple of higher protein snacks throughout the day, you can easily control your protein intake which is one of the hardest nutritional hurdles when traveling.
3. Prioritization
When we're traveling, especially on vacation, there are almost bottomless options for foods that you can eat. And oftentimes we get into the mindset of "well I work so hard the rest of the time, I deserve to indulge while I'm away."
You're not wrong; vacation is definitely a time for more leniency but it doesn't mean that it's an excuse to go nuts. One of the reasons we tend to go overboard when eating out is because there is so much more than what's available to you when you're eating at home. If we think about just one dinner out, there are drinks, bread, appetizers, and desserts all added to the table.
Prioritize the things that you love but don't go overboard on all the extras. You might try skipping the bread (ask the waiter not to bring it to the table so you're not tempted) or sharing an appetizer.
4. Move Your Body… If You Want
I always recommend that when you're traveling, move your body in ways that feel fun! Unless you're traveling for an extended period of time (i.e. 3+ weeks) there isn't really any long term harm if you decide you don't want to lift while on vacation. It takes 3-4 weeks of inactivity before you start to lose muscle mass so a 5 day holiday where you decide you just want to lay on the beach isn't going to destroy your gains.
One of the fun things about traveling though is that you get to experience new things and new places and that can lend itself to moving your body in lots of new and fun ways. You definitely aren't bound to just hitting your current training split. Depending on where you are in the world you might...
Take a walk on the beach
Go for a hike
Learn a new activity (skiing, surfing, etc.)
Play sports/games with family + friends
5. Keep Up With Habits
The small daily habits that you implement into your routine each day are the foundation that help you feel your best. Yes traveling is different from your day to day routine, but my guess is that you still want to feel your best... especially if you're enjoying a vacation somewhere fun!
Most habits take 5 minutes or less and I always encourage clients to keep up with as much as they can while traveling to preserve some sense of normalcy. There's no reason why you can't start your day with water, engage in mindfulness, complete a daily check-in, or read 10 pages of your book while away from home.
Keeping up with at least these basic habits will help remind you of your "why" and keep you feeling grounded and at your best throughout the day.
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