How to feel your best while traveling
We’re hitting the point in summer where we’re starting to feel that collective shift towards fall energy. It seems like most of our clients feel like we do - somewhere in between living for these last licks of summer, but craving the return to routine and fresh start that the day after labor day always seems to invite.
BUT here we are, mid august, not quite there yet as many of us gear up for our end of summer travel hurrah. Today’s issue is all about helping you feel your best while traveling, filled with our favorite travel tips, snacks and habits. As for the return to routine, stay tuned for our next issue for all of that fresh start energy!
Finding your travel middle ground
Travel is meant to be an opportunity to step outside of your routine and experience new things, and we are all for that. The challenge is that it’s easy to fall into a “throw in the towel” mentality and completely let go of all of the habits and routines that keep us feeling good at home. As a result, we end up feeling a lot of things that can take away from the fun parts of travel - bloated, constipated, exhausted/low energy, uncomfortably full and somewhat out of control.
Instead, try to find a realistic middle ground here - you’re probably not going to feel 100% your best or aligned with all of your health goals while on vacation or while traveling, but that’s okay! Rather than defaulting to the “I can’t be perfect so what’s the point,” mindset, try anchoring yourself with some doable habits from home to stay connected to your routine and health goals. Count your wins at the end of each day, and embrace the fact that you may be enjoying your not so typical foods or more meals out than at home, and that is entirely a-ok (or as we even argue, healthy!)
By choosing a few habits to make you feel great while on the road, our hope is that you’ll feel better each day, mentally and/or physically. And that in doing so, you’ll come home looking back on your trip fondly, without the guilt or feeling entirely derailed - aka, a win all around!
Below are some of our favorite tips and tools that you might consider next time you’re traveling.
Commit to a few healthy habits each day
When we’re helping clients prepare for a trip, we always start by identifying the habits part of their current routine that they think they can commit to most (if not all) days while traveling. Here are some of the ones we love to focus on:
Start each day with a balanced breakfast with some protein. It probably comes as no surprise that we’re team breakfast. We give it extra priority while traveling, especially because it's typically one of the easiest meals to keep balanced while on the go. Our #1 tip is to make sure you’re starting your day with some protein. You can almost always find eggs, and we love pairing them with berries or a piece of toast. Another easy one is greek yogurt with some fruit and a little nut butter or ground flaxseed that you can bring yourself (more on this below). Having a protein rich breakfast not only gets your metabolism going first thing, but also helps with managing blood sugar, cravings and energy throughout the remainder of your day.
Try to get in as many fruits and vegetables as possible (aim for at least 1 meal per day, 2 if possible!). Rather than spending a lot of energy on avoiding certain foods, flip your focus and see how and when you can get vegetables into your meal(s). We all know the many benefits of eating vegetables, but we especially emphasize them while traveling when we tend to get backed up (fiber in veggies support regularity!).
Aim to get in at least one form of movement each day for any amount of time that you can. This can be a dedicated movement like a home streaming workout, walking to explore a new city, even a dance party in your hotel room. We find that whereas food can be more unpredictable while traveling, fitting in movement can be an easier way to feel connected to your routine and body. And bonus - moving your body on vacation is another key way to support regularity!
Avoid all day snacking. Try to stick to regular meal times and snacks vs. letting vacation be an opportunity to eat all day. Sticking to 3 meals + 1-2 snacks can make a huge difference in your energy and overall consumption.
Hydrate! It can be easy to forget to drink water while away, but we promise that drinking enough will make you feel so much better. If you’re flying, we recommend drinking around 1L more than what you typically drink. Otherwise, most should aim to drink around 2-3L per day!
Indulge when it’s worth it. There’s a difference between having a life-changing muffin from your all-time favorite bakery vs. an airport bagel - one is absolutely worth it and the other is a convenience choice. Set yourself up for success by being prepared with meals and snacks (tips for this below) and not going too long without eating so that when you go for it, it’s something that you truly want.
Be somewhat mindful of overdoing it with alcohol and sweets. When you’re eating out every night and in vacay mode, it’s easy to go a little overboard with the alcohol and sweets. Come up with a boundary or number for yourself heading into the week or each night and try to stick with that. Even if the number is higher than what’s typical, setting some parameters can help you stay accountable.
ENJOY. Above all else, have fun and enjoy the local foods, chances to try new things and opportunities to celebrate. Try to be mindful with portion sizes for foods that are higher in sugar, refined carbs and/or fried so that you don’t feel totally out of sorts. Remember that getting out of your element and letting go of routine is so important to your health (a reminder we often need ourselves).
Plan ahead
We cannot emphasize this enough: plan ahead to set yourself up for success while traveling.
Pack any must haves that you know you won’t be able to get at your destination. Seems obvious, but worth the reminder. This will be different for everyone - but if you are big on your skincare, pack that! Big on supplements, pack those! Big on psyllium husk in your smoothies, yogurt or oatmeal - bring that!
Check out local options for grocery stores, restaurants or take out that feel aligned with how you like to eat at home. If you have a fridge where you’re staying, do a quick shop upon arrival for some grocery staples to pull together easy breakfasts or snacks. Do a little research to find some local restaurants or takeout options that appeal - then if you and your travel companions find yourself wondering what to do for last minute lunch, you’ll already have some ideas up your sleeve.
Bring some travel snacks and meal components with you! Having options means you’re less likely to default to convenience indulgences that you don’t even want, or overdo it because you went too long without eating. Sharing some that we love in this week’s A Few More Things below.
A few more things
Switching it up this week to feature some of our favorite travel snacks and products.
Cut up veggies, hummus and hard-boiled eggs. These, of course, need to be kept cold, but if you have room and can swing it, we highly recommend bringing some refrigerated items for your travel day, and keeping them in this Packit freezeable lunchbox that we swear by.
Sweetgreen salad (or another on-the-go salad option). If you have time/space, we have always loved this move for travel days - pick up a pre-made salad from Sweetgreen or elsewhere so you don’t end up defaulting to fast food or airport food. Our go-to SG combo: romaine, arugula, roasted chicken or tofu, portobello mushrooms, cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes, spicy broccoli and spicy cashew dressing. So good.
Nuts and seeds. We love the individual single serve packets from Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and Nuts.com. The single serving pumpkin seed packets from SuperSeedz and GoRaw are also great. Perfect on their own or paired with a piece of fruit.
Nut butter packets. Eat solo or pair with a piece of fruit for a snack on the go. We love all the different options from Artisina.
Trail mix. DIY like our go-to recipe, but also love this one from Lark Ellen.
Bars. Our favorite bars hands down are Elemental Bars. They’re kind of hard to find locally, so we recommend ordering and then bringing them along for the ride. They need to be refrigerated, but can be kept out of the fridge for up to 1 week, a travel win!
Simple Mills snack pack crackers. The best crackers around. We love having these on hand to add to meals and/or pair with hummus or nut butter for an on the go snack.
Jerky. A great source of protein that doesn't require refrigeration! Some of our favorite brands: County Archer, Epic, Vermont Smoke & Cure, Chomps.
Brami lupini beans. High fiber, high protein, tasty and no refrigeration required.
Tea. An easy part of your home routine to bring with you. We love Ginger Lemon, Dandelion, Peppermint and Gas Relief (a surprisingly delicious flavor with some de-bloating benefits) from Traditional Medicinals - all of these may help support bloating and/or GI discomfort while traveling.
LMNT electrolyte powder. Mentioned in last week’s issue, LMNT continues to be key for when we need extra hydration support (travel, summer, anytime we’re sweatier than usual). Bonus = it makes drinking water more fun.
Magnesium citrate for regularity. We’ve mentioned travel induced constipation throughout this post so wanted to offer a parting pro tip (NOTE: constipation in general is highly individual and managing it is often best solved working with an MD and/or RD to get to the root cause). That said, most who are constipated and/or prone to more constipation while traveling can benefit from a Magnesium Citrate supplement. Magnesium is an essential mineral and when it is in the form of magnesium citrate it works to help draw water into your colon to move things along. It’s non habit forming (aka not addictive) and research shows that there is no downside to taking it regularly. However, we always recommend working with a professional before starting a supplement. We love using these brands with our clients and selves (Klaire Labs, Pure Encapsulations and Moon Juice) and recommend starting with 300 and going up to 600 if needed to produce regular bowel movements.