Summer is just around the corner and it usually involves a lot of travel plans. Check out these 5 tips below to be proactive about your travel plans and stay on your healthy path while on vacation.
Hydrate
Drink lots water as you travel! Your body needs 2-3L a day, not including how much you may sweat, drink coffee or enjoy alcohol. You can also lose up to 2% of your body’s water while flying or driving long distances, which is enough to damage your DNA! Make sure you sip on water throughout the day and keep a water bottle with you at all times.
Sleep
Try to set up a good sleep routine while away, which should range from 7-9 hours per night. When changing time zones or lose too much sleep it can effect the body negatively in a variety of ways (loss of digestive enzymes, lower immunity, moodiness, weight gain etc.). If you are changing time zones and struggle to sleep, try taking Melatonin to help regulate your cycles again.
Keep your digestion regular
There are many ways to make sure this happens: Fibre: there are 12 different types of plant fibres that are needed to help our digestion, especially while traveling and eating different types of food or styles of cooking. Try to eat a wide range of vegetables throughout your trip and at each meal. Take Digestive Enzymes: help digest the new foods you are eating, or if you can’t avoid dairy, for example, with their local foods, take a lactase pill before the meal to help process those hard to break down components. You can also take daily probiotics to make sure your gut micro-biome is healthy. Fermented foods or beverages: help your digestive system stay on track by grabbing a kombucha, kefir, pickles etc. This will also help your micro-biome stay on track while away and keep your bathroom schedule regular.
Plan healthy restaurants, meals and activities
If you know you will be eating out a lot while away, try searching for healthy restaurants in the area ahead of time so you don’t get sucked into some poor choices once your hunger searching for somewhere to eat. This allows you to read their menu and pick out some better meal options before you even get there.
If you will have the option to cook some of your own meals while at a cottage or vacation home, plan your meals ahead of time, make a shopping list and go to the grocery store the same way you would if you were at home. The more you can stay on track while away the easier it will be to go back to reality! It’s also important to try and make sure you add in some good activities while on vacation to get your body moving at least once a day, try things like hiking, biking tours, surfing, water skiing, swimming, beach volleyball, yoga etc.
Relax and de-stress
Vacations are meant to be enjoyed! Make sure you try to let go of your stresses you may have back home and have a reset period during part of your vacation. It’s important to schedule in some alone time while away. You should try to get away from the kids, significant other or hectic life in general by booking a massage, enjoy a sunset or sunrise, meditate, deep breathing, read a good book, relax on a hammock, whatever works for you to calm your nervous system and enjoy some down time will help you come back refreshed and ready to tackle daily life again.
Written by: Kerri Brown, Certified Trainer & Nutrition Coach
