Wellness Strategies for the Busy Professional
Take your healthy habits with you wherever you go.
As fall and winter travel plans take shape, remember to also stay in shape. “It’s easy to get off track from our health-related goals when we travel,” says Jennifer Scherer, a registered dietitian nutritionist, medical exercise specialist, certified personal trainer, and owner of Fredericksburg Fitness Studio. “It’s important to plan to try and incorporate some healthy things into the vacation to help keep you on track and to avoid gaining weight and feeling guilty after the fun is over.”
Many people enjoy travel, and the good news is that they can get a lot of benefits from it. According to a study published in the journal Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, when people travel, they increase their knowledge and experience, they experience a promotion in well-being due to psychological detachment, and vacations allow people to reflect on their lives. They report that the benefits gained from traveling transfer back to their everyday lives in new relationships, abilities, and changed perspectives.
Irrespective of whether you have access to a gym or not while traveling, you can still get in a good workout and maintain healthy habits. Here are some tips for taking nutrition and movement with you on the go:
■ Spend time outdoors and prioritize movement. Vacation is a great time to spend some time in nature, which provides a host of benefits. According to a study published in the Journal of Global Health, 98% of people who engaged with nature improved their mental health. Additionally, most people improved their heart rate and blood pressure. Whether taking a hike, sitting in the park, or swimming, spend some time immersing yourself in nature if possible. Getting in more movement while on vacation will help you burn some of the extra calories. Consider participating in activities such as mini golf, walks, etc.
■ Do online workouts. Gyms are unnecessary on vacation as long as YouTube can be pulled up on a phone, computer, or tablet. Fredericksburg Fitness Studio’s YouTube channel helps keep people active and healthy on vacation, offering hundreds of workout videos that people can easily follow. They also offer a featured exercise that people can tune into every Tuesday on their social media pages. Founded in 2008, the studio offers personalized fitness programs, nutrition coaching, and medical training. The private personal training studio was started by Jennifer Scherer, who has a background in human physiology, anatomy, nutrition, weight training, and exercise and is also a registered dietitian. The studio has a team to help people reach their health and wellness goals.
■ Stay hydrated and sleep well. It’s easy to become dehydrated on vacation because you are busy and may not make a point of drinking enough fluids. Not only should it be a priority, but it’s also a good idea to take electrolyte packets on vacation so they can be easily added to water. These will help replenish the body’s essential minerals that may be lost during sweat and activity. Those who want to maximize their vacation and maintain their health must take their sleep seriously. Getting a good night’s sleep will help the body feel better, which will encourage healthier choices and provide the energy needed to enjoy everything planned for the day.
■ Snack wisely. It’s easy to sabotage a healthy eating plan when traveling, and it’s often done with our snack choices. Aim to eat at least 80% healthy on the vacation and keep plenty of healthy snack options around. Pack nonperishable snacks such as fruit, nut butter, single-serve bags of popcorn, roasted chickpeas, nuts and seeds, roasted or freeze-dried edamame, freeze-dried fruit with no added sugar, etc. An easy and satisfying snack is to make your own mix, by creating a container of various nuts, seeds, unsweetened dried fruit, and a few dark chocolate chips.
■ Allow for adjustment and take time to breathe. The body adjusts to time zone changes at the rate of a day per hour. If traveling outside of your time zone, try preparing your body a couple of days ahead of the trip by exposing yourself to more daylight and taking a brief nap during the day. Be gentle as the body adjusts to the difference in the time change. Vacations can be exhausting and while they should be all about relaxing, they can cause stress from being so busy. Take time each day, even if it’s only 10-15 minutes to sit and do nothing, meditate, or do some breathing exercises. This will help reduce the stress and keep you feeling refreshed.
It’s easy to push healthy living to the backseat while vacationing, especially if we have a busy itinerary. To avoid falling into that trap, prioritize healthy living, so that some time each day is spent on yourself.
