Those who personally know me or follow my Instagram stories probably noticed my recent travels to Sri Lanka and Maldives. My husband Tank and I are very active and enjoy clean eating most of the time; however, we allow ourselves to fully indulge when we travel to new places! Like everything in life, there is a give and take—it’s all about balance. Traveling halfway across the world brings with it new foods and adventures, but we try and stick to these 8 healthy travel tips to maintain balance before, during and after our trips.
1. Be in a “good place” prior to your trip.
Tank and I did our annual gr8 cleanse and were in great shape prior to our trip (as far as leanness & consistency in working out and eating clean). This makes it much easier to bounce back and make up for any post-trip weight gain since we have a healthy foundation of solid habits.
2. Pack healthy snacks.
We always travel with snacks that have clean ingredients, aren’t overly processed and have a good mix of healthy fats, complex carbs and proteins. On this trip, we took gr8nola granola to add to our morning yogurt bowls, Crazy Richard's squeeze packs and GoMacro Cashew Caramel Bars for a protein packed snack!
3. Stay hydrated and drink lots of water.
This is a no-brainer — doesn’t matter if you’re traveling or not! We don’t have to remind you to have a water between those beach cocktails ;)
4. Find your favorite local fruit and fill up on those first.
Typically for breakfast we would start our meal with a plate full of fresh fruit. This would fill us up and leave less real estate for pastries and other tempting (and probably not worth it!) unhealthy foods.
5. Stay active…in a way that works for you & your vacay.
Tank and I love the gym, so when we had free time and a gym in our hotel, we’d get in a lift. I also did a quick CrossFit-like workout right by the pool that required no equipment. In the Maldives, I swam to the bungalow instead of walking to it. But remember, it’s vacation! At the end of the day, if we didn’t have the time, gym access or motivation, we didn’t sweat it and enjoyed the day off.
6. Track your steps & set a reasonable daily goal.
Most days we would try to hit a daily steps goal of 10k (Depending on your steps, this is ~5 miles). You’d be surprised how much you walk during vacation and how achievable this is! To hit this goal, we would walk a little extra on the beach or walk back to our accommodations vs. taking the shuttle or a cab.
7. Accept that you might gain a pound or two (or maybe five) & don’t sweat it.
You work hard for vacation in order to take the time off. You save up money to be able to spend it on a big vacation. I have a similar mindset when it comes to indulging on vacations food-wise. I fully enjoy all the good eats when I travel because 1) I know I will likely not get to experience many of these local foods again and 2) this is the “20%” I get to enjoy since 80% of the time, I’m fairly disciplined.
8. Get back on the grind ASAP.
As soon as we got back from the trip, we cleaned it up completely & got back into our normal workout regimens. Don’t let the trip give you an excuse to continue eating poorly or fall completely off the bandwagon. The quicker you dial it back in, the faster you’ll bounce back.
And of course – have fun! Part of living your gr8 life is getting to travel to such incredible places around the world and being fully immersed in local culture, food and more.
