As you pack your “must-haves” in preparation for a winter escape - do you take your running shoes with you, or leave them behind with your computer, your work notes and other articles reminiscent of real world obligations?
While it’s easy to take a week off – maybe even two – a six month backpacking trip can be mentally exhausting for the health conscious traveller. How do you eat right in a country like Romania where fried foods are the staple diet? How do you go for a run when you’re travelling around a country like India where temperatures range upwards of 40 degrees Celsius, or infrastructure simply doesn’t allow for vehicles and people to share a street? It’s not easy, but it can be done.
Here are some tips to help guide the healthy traveller:
1. Get your run on: The absolute best way, when possible, to explore a city? Run through it.
We guarantee, not only will you feel the better for it, but you’ll get a unique perspective on the city you thought you knew. If you’re travelling through a city that gets too busy to run through during the day, take the route of the early bird! You don’t have to be a Yogi to salute the sun. Trapped in a tourist ridden town like Florence, Bangkok or London? Explore the winding roads of Asia’s party capital while others sleep off the intoxication from the night before; dance over the Ponte Vecchio as local shop owners prepare their goods for all to see; or run the river Thames in silence as the morning fogs lifts its blanket from over a sleeping city - you get the idea. Say good morning to a new day and take to the streets, on foot.
Click here to check out the best cities in Europe to discover on foot!
2. Be a smart snacker: Whether it’s currywurst in Berlin or sweet pork dumplings in Beijing, readily available snacks are seldom the healthiest choice. That being said, when hunger pangs hit, what else can you do? Reach for a bottle of water instead! According to diet-world, hunger pangs can be subdued by refilling on your H2O. Invest in a water-bottle before you leave home and fill it up daily to ensure you’re able to replenish once the hunger hits. Another way to avoid the instantaneous onslaught of hunger pangs is to graze throughout the day! Eating constantly will help you resist the temptation to overindulge once your stomach starts growling. Pack healthy snacks that can be enjoyed on the road! From dried fruit in Morocco and fresh fruit in Thailand to cured meat in Australia, full of protein and guaranteed to fill you up. Be a smart snacker and don’t let travel compromise a healthy diet.
3. Sightsee your way to a healthy adventure: You don’t need to disrupt your discovery to make room for healthy travel. Instead, try to incorporate healthy choices into your daily agenda. Heading to the market? Pick up some fresh fruit and pocket it for a light snack later in the day! Each country has its own sweet delicacy: from apples in Canada to Durian fruit in Bali, sampling the local produce is a great way to experience a new culture while enjoying a healthy snack. One piece of advice? Sprinkle some water on your fruit if it’s not covered by a peel – just in case. If you’re looking to include some exercise into your daily routine but aren’t keen on getting up in the wee hours of the morn to explore the city on foot, take to the roads and sign up for a bike tour of the city! Cities like Munich and regions like Tuscany offer organised bike tours, available at affordable prices. Peddle off that last glass of red wine and discover the beauty around you, one leg at a time.
4. Get creative: Make the effort to find every opportunity to stay fit while you travel! That doesn’t mean signing up for a yoga class or scouring the city for a suitable gym. That means that even the small things count when trying to stay fit while you travel. See an escalator? Take the stairs. See a free seat on the subway? Offer it to someone standing next to you – you’ll burn more calories standing up and make some new friends all together! If you’re really motivated to keep up the cardio, why not forget wheels entirely? Map out your day in a way that allows you to walk from one place to the next (if possible). And, if you find yourself with time to spare, why not keep a few exercises in your pocket that don’t require anything but open space? Exercises like lunges, squats, burpees, crunches, push-ups, and many more require only your own body weight and no additional equipment! Whether in a field, a parking lot or an empty common room, whip out a set or two of these and stay strong. Worried about looking stupid? That’s the beauty of travel folks - nobody cares.
Remember, the smallest choices we make while traveling can make the biggest difference in the long-haul.
Happy Travels!
See these useful links for more exercises you can take with you anywhere:
For more suggestions on how to stay fit while traveling click here!
