Your commitment to staying healthy doesn't have to fall by the wayside when you travel or go on holidays.
Even though travelling or a vacation can limit your access to your normal 'at-home' wellness routine, with a little consciousness, improvisation and preparation, you'll be able to stay on track with your health, and make it so much easier to pick up where you left off when you return home.
Of course, if you're going on holidays, you'll want to relax and not necessarily stick with your normal everyday routine. However, the easy tips we'll share with you here are good ideas to keep front of mind if you want to enjoy yourself and still maintain your normal healthy habits throughout your break.
Why You Should Keep Your Healthy Habits When You Travel
No one is saying you shouldn't relax, have fun and enjoy some extra indulgences when you go on holidays, but traveling—especially into different time zones—can add throw out your body clock and deplete your immune system.
Even if these effects are short term, common problems that show up when travelling or over indulging on holidays include:
- Digestive issues and bloating
- Fevers and congestion
- Sleep deprivation and irritability
- Dehydration and headaches
- Skin dryness and irritations
- Muscle & joint stiffness and soreness
One of the easiest ways to prevent or mitigate these travel or holiday-induced issues, is to fuel our body with clean food and moderate movement. This will allow your system to continue functioning optimally when you're out of your normal routine.
How to Eat Healthy When Travelling
1. First, Bring Some Basic Staples
It takes precious little time and effort to bring some healthy essentials with you on your travels that don't take up much space. Some of the best include:
- Raw nuts & seeds such as Brazil Nuts, Macadamias, Almonds & Pepitas (or Pumpkin Seeds)
- Dried fruits such as Apricots, Mango & Dates
- Coconut Butter or Coconut Oil - great to take with you to add to black coffee or to drizzle over steamed vegetables. Coconut oil is also a wonderful skin protector and hydrator
- Apple Cider Vinegar - A tablespoon after a long trip or each morning whilst you're away will help maintain healthy digestion
- Natural Sea Salt - an absolute 'must' to have handy when travelling to add to your morning water as an electrolyte boost and savoury foods in place of chemical salt
- Pulse Raw Food - the ultimate, nourishing any time snack that is super convenient to take with you when travelling
- Raw Juice Powders - our handy size raw greens, cabala, berry and Cabala powders are not only easy to prepare and super refreshing, they're a fantastic way to get your daily fix of vitamins and minerals when you're away from home and don't have everything at your finger tips
- Peppermint Essential Oil - a 'god-send' to have handy when travelling, peppermint essential oil can be used aromatically to pep you up when you're entering new times zones or going on long drives. When you're feeling tired try rubbing 2-3 drops drops in the palms of your hands, then cup over the nose and inhale 3-5 times. It can also be used to purify the air in hotel rooms (add a couple of drops to a travel diffuser) or as a soothing topical oil for tired muscles or joints. Finally, peppermint oil is a wonderful post-dinner digestive aid as a soothing tea - simply add 1-2 drops to a mug of hot water and sip before bed.
Pick and choose which of these staples suit you best, but the more the better. You'll find if you start getting into the habit of taking 2 or 3 of these with you, each time you travel you'll never want to leave home without them.
Another travelling or holiday favourite is our savoury Cornucopia Epicurean Snack, which is made from organic dry roasted corn kernels, nuts, seeds, sea salt & spices...it is wonderfully wholesome and satisfying!
2. Choose wisely from the travel food options
Whether you're on a long haul flight, stopping by a roadhouse cafe or visiting a new restaurant in a local town, with a little consciousness, there are always healthy choices you can make.
When you're on the road outside your normal routine, you don't want to over eat or load up on foods that will weigh you down or potentially cause any of the problems we've already described.
Typically the 'side-dishes' are the place to look on airport or roadhouse menus, where you'll find salads, steamed vegetables, roasted potatoes and other healthier options.
And remember to reach into your bag to grab your Sea Salt and Coconut Oil.
3. Stay Well Hydrated
Dehydration is a real risk when traveling or on holidays because there are lots of distractions when you're outside of your normal routine.
Bring a (non-plastic) water bottle with you when you travel and keep it topped up with clean, fresh water at all times. Sip from it regularly and add a drop or two of Lemon Essential Oil if you have it available. Aim to drink at least 2 litres of water per day.
Also, if you're flying or on a road trip, it's always a good idea to grab an extra couple of bottles of spring water to take with you on the flight or in the car. And when you get to your destination, make it a priority to stock up on a good quality bottled water from a local supermarket so that you have a healthy supply of water with you at all times.
4. Remember to Stay Active
Any time you travel, you're usually sitting for long periods of time. So it's important to get your legs moving once you reach your destination to loosen up your joints and get the blood flowing.
Any amount of regular walking and stretching you can do will do wonders for your body condition and mobility during your journey and when you reach your destination.
During your holiday or stay away from home, try to prioritise some form of movement each morning even if it's just for 30 minutes. Whether it be a beach walk, some light weights in the hotel gym, some light yoga and stretching, by doing a little exercise each day you'll go a long way to keeping your body and mind on track when it comes to your wellness while you're on holidays.
5. Don't Over Do The Alcohol
Many people tend to over-indulge in alcohol when they travel, which can put a serious strain on the body systems, not to mention the time it takes to recover.
The hormonal flux caused by drinking too much alcohol can also result in intense cravings the following day which can cause you to gravitate to fatty, sugary foods to get a fast-fix of quick energy.
Remember that alcohol is a drug, and drugs often do our bodies more harm than good. Try not to fall under too much pressure to over consume alcohol while on vacation. By all means enjoy yourself and relax, just no your limits and stay in tune with how you feel and the impact that drinking too much alcohol can have on your ability to get back on track after the holidays.
Learn more in our blog: Alcohol: Keys to Overcoming Dependency & Abuse.
6. Regulate Your Sleep
When you combine a long trip, time zone changes, over indulgences and changes to your normal sleep environment and pre-bed time routine, your sleep patterns can fall apart when you travel or go on vacation.
Poor sleep leads to imbalances in your body's function and you can easily get to the end of your holiday feeling depleted rather than refreshed if you don't prioritise sleep and healthy sleep patterns during your travels.
Try to blend into the time zone you've arrived at as quickly as possible so that you're able to translate your normal sleep-wake cycle with the least amount of delay.
On the way to your destination, get plenty of sleep if flying and be sure to make frequent stops to get rest and to refresh if you're driving for long periods.
Anything you can do to keep your sleep routine as normal as possible when you travel will ensure that you get to the end of your vacation feeling energised and refreshed rather than exhausted and run down.
The Main Take Away
Whenever you travel or go on holidays it can easily throw out your regular health and wellness routine.
The good news is that with a little consciousness and planning, you can stay on track with your health and relax and enjoy your vacation at the same time, the way it's meant to be.
Follow some of the easy tips shared with you here and you'll not only have a holiday to remember, but you'll also stay on top of your regular healthy routine so that you end your holiday feeling re-energised rather than depleted and run down.
Tolman Self Care.
