Tips To Stay Fit For Frequent Travellers

Medically reviewed by Darshita Thakkar, Masters in Clinical Nutrition

Keeping up with fitness regimes for frequent travellers is a challenge. Their usual schedule sees a change, their food habits go haywire and it is hard to maintain food timings. All these contribute to weight gain which they had fought so hard to avoid.

Possible also has its share of clients who travel quite frequently. They go on fieldwork, take national or international trips according to the nature of their jobs. And surprisingly, they have managed to stay fit too.

Now, are you a frequent traveller who is struggling to keep up with your fitness regime? Give those struggles a rest once and for all!

Truth be told, keeping up with fitness is not at all tough while on the move. All you need is a little planning and determination to make it work.

Our Health Coach Darshita Thakkar gives you some tips that will help you stay fit while travelling.

Before divulging the tips, let us let you in on a secret. To make these steps work, you have to make good health and healthy lifestyle your top priority. Only when you make health your top priority, you can take intentional and conscious efforts.

The five golden rules for frequent travellers

You don’t have to go out of your way to stay fit while travelling.  Incorporating simple things will have a huge impact.

Below are the five tips that you should follow religiously no matter where you are.

1. Remain active

It is natural to want to slack during vacations and being preoccupied is unavoidable during business or work trips. But slacking around too much and using work as an excuse will not help you keep up with your fitness regime.

To be active while travelling,  

• Get up at least 20 minutes ahead of your regular wake up time. You can either walk in the hotel lobby or if you have a small park or garden in your hotel premises.
• If you have space in the hotel room you are staying, you can indulge in some stretching, spot jogging, squats, etc for at least 20 minutes.
• When you are on the phone, instead of sitting or lying down, walk around. This will keep you moving.
• If you are frequent travellers via flights or have a layover, then avoid taking motorised walkways. Simply walk through and take the stairs instead of escalators or elevators.
• When your flight is delayed or you face long layovers, instead of whiling away your time reading or talking, stroll around the airport. This . will keep you active.

2. Eat light

Eat light before you commence your travel. It is common for people to give in to temptations and eat immoderately before travelling. This is a mistake.

Travelling has all sorts of negative effects on the body. It makes you uneasy, gives you a headache and if you have motion sickness, it will make you nauseous. When you binge on greasy foods just before boarding, you are very likely to be queasy too.

So opt for steamed and light foods. Keeping your meal and snack light will,

• Prevent any sort of gastric issues like bloating, heaviness, nausea during the travel time.
• Prevent terrible jet lags.
• Keep an eye on your portion size which is the best way to stay fit.

3. Hydration

Travelling means a change of atmosphere and environment. When you travel to different geographical zone, your body undergoes changes to adapt to the surroundings like weather, etc.

For example, if you are on fieldwork and frequent travelling towards the equator, then the body will require a good amount of water to prevent dehydration. And to keep up with harsh environments, your body needs water.

Therefore, it is very crucial to drink a minimum of three litres of water every day when you are travelling. This will enable you to flush out toxins as well.

 It is important to note that when spending time in a colder environment, you might not feel thirsty and therefore, will not drink water. However, your body needs water and you should stay hydrated whatsoever. So, it is important to make a habit of drinking water consciously.

4. Food choices

While travelling, there is nothing wrong in trying the local cuisine but going overboard will ruin your fitness goals. No matter what you eat, you should pay attention to moderation.

Below are some tips with regards to food

• NEVER EVER SKIP you Breakfast! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Also, finish your day with light dinner.
• You can carry healthy snack bars. Possible superfoods are goodness overloaded and you can carry snacks like Chana Jor, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Quinoa Brown Rice Balls, and Almond Granola Bar etc.
• For healthier beverages, you can carry drinks like Teatox, Noni Kokum Drink, and Hibiscus Tea etc.
• Have at least one cup of curd or 2 glasses of buttermilk each day to keep your gut healthy.
• You can pick up readily eatable foods like carrots, cucumber and fruits etc to snack in between mid meals.

5. Self-monitoring

 To keep up with your fitness goals, self-monitoring is very important. Remember, if you don’t do it for yourself, nobody will do it for you!

Note down or log your foods, to be aware of what you are eating. This will help you keep track of what you are eating and enable you to make healthier choices.

And don’t be harsh on yourself. All you have to do is make healthier choices and not look at outlets like McDonald’s, BurgerKing, etc.

Well, it is not that hard, is it? Taking the steps mentioned above can take you a long way. With little effort and determination, you can easily keep up with your fitness regime while travelling.

If you are following our weight loss program, our best advice is that you talk to your coach and discuss your travel plans. Your coach will be able to support you with a meal plan that will help you eat healthily even while travelling.

FAQ

Q: How to be healthy while travelling?

A: To be healthy while travelling, you should engage in easily doable exercises like walking and stretches and eat moderately. Importantly, you should keep yourself hydrated.

Q: What to eat when travelling?

A: Eating steamed foods are best while travelling. You can eat simple meals like Idli, Sambar and chutney or Whole-wheat Roti wrap, multigrain vegetable sandwich or oil-free Chapatis.

Q: What are good snack foods for travelling?

A: Possible snacks are really healthy and loaded with superfoods. You can carry snacks like Chana Jor, Apple Cinnamon Bars, Quinoa Brown Rice Balls, and Almond Granola Bar while travelling.

Q: What should you not eat on travelling day?

A: High fat and oil-laden foods should be avoided while travelling. They are not only harmful but causes inconvenience like gastric issues, bloating, heaviness, etc while travelling.