On the Road Again – The Life I Love is Living Healthy with my Friends

Traveling! My biggest challenge to weight management is traveling every week. I do well when I am home and have access to my workout equipment, videos, or long walks across the ranch. I have been gone all week and was not as careful as I needed to be. I gained back two of the pounds I had lost. So I went immediately to work today to get rid of it. If I pay attention to weight gain immediately, it seems to come off much more easily than if I let it “sit there” (literally.)

I have consulted with Syd Hoffman of Phoenix, Arizona, and trainers and nutritionists at the Cooper Wellness Center in Dallas, Texas, about fitness on the road. Here are some of their healthy living traveling tips:

1. Take healthy food along with you: sliced apples, nuts, individually wrapped low-fat cheeses.
2. Take your vitamins and minerals along with you. Count out the number you will need and place them in small zip lock bags or in the boxes made for individual day doses.
3. Drink lots of water. Flying dehydrates you. Get a bottle of water once you get through security. Take water with you into your hotel room. They will charge you a fortune if you wait to buy it in the room.
4. Try to exercise every day in the hotel fitness center or in one that is near-by. (most hotels have fitness centers now – even small ones – or they associate with a fitness center in the area and can usually give you a free pass). Or, if you are sure you are in a safe area, take a walk each day.
5. Even if all you can do is walk through the airport—do so. Try to walk instead of taking the “skylink” or whatever people-moving system is in that airport. This is not always possible due to time, etc – sometimes you have to change terminals, and walking across the tarmac can sometimes prove to be dangerous! But, if possible—walk briskly from gate to gate. Even if you do ten minutes of walking three times per day, this can be as effective as 30 minutes at one time.
6. Carry an exercise band with you. The kind with or without handles. Learn a great routine (you can get exercise band DVDs or you can get instructions from a trainer for a routine that can work every muscle in your body). These are light weight and can be easily carried in the suitcase. This will give you an opportunity to do strength exercises in your own hotel room.
7. Stretch. Morning, evening—or both. Learn a few stretches for the various areas of your body. Remember that people lose their ability to function more from losing flexibility than from losing muscle. But, a combination of cardio, strength exercises, and stretching makes for a well-rounded workout.
8. Eat salads, veggies, fruit, and fish predominantly. Avoid breads before and desserts after. Avoid or limit alcohol. (Avoid alcohol? Really?) Ok—Cooper Clinic says one to two glasses of red wine per night is ok. But, if you are trying to lose weight, it is recommended that all alcohol be avoided.
9. Take excellent protein drinks with you (like ProXtreme by Wellness International.) These delicious and healthy drinks can substitute for a meal, can be a pick-me-up in the afternoon or can be a healthy snack. Be sure to consume a carefully developed beverage, like ProXtreme. You don’t want to waste calories on a product that is less than healthy. John and I love these protein drinks—they are delicious and travel well. They can be easily mixed with water in your room.

It’s like anything else—a bit of preparation, along with commitment, make it possible for you to eat and exercise and stay healthy whether you travel on occasion or every week, like I do. It’s not easy—but getting and staying healthy is worth it.

For more information on ProXtreme, go to my home page and click on the Wellness products section.