Frequent readers of LSR might have picked up that I have been traveling a lot lately and it isn’t going to slow down anytime soon with a wedding and the holidays coming up. Six flights in the last two weeks and 4 more coming up in the next two. Getting a workout in and eating healthy, at a low cost, can be a daunting task while traveling.
I know for myself I feel best when I get in a workout and eat right, so I try not to let traveling stop me from this. From my experience I realized in order to uphold the eating healthy and staying fit aspect of traveling planning ahead is key. Which works perfect for me because pre-planner is my middle name. Jokes it is actually Hickey (fun fact!). And no get your head out of the gutter – it is a family name.
In order to save money on travel days I try to bring as many of my meals/snacks as possible. You already get robbed at the airport paying $3.14 for a water, so I try avoid paying for any ungodly priced food as I can.
TIP: Most airports now have water bottle fill up stations. Bring your own water bottle (empty of course) to the airport and fill it up after going through security and before your flight to avoid the high cost of water sold at the airport.
If I have an early morning flight I always make overnight oats the night before to enjoy on the plane. It carries well and passes through security. I also bring a bag of walnuts to top off the oats and enjoy as a snack later on in the day.
Whenever staying at a hotel with continental breakfast I always steal grab an abundant amount of PB cups for later. PB is good to snack to have around while traveling because it satisfies my sweet tooth and it fills me up, while having some (I know it is relative) nutritional value.
Before my red eye flight from San Fran I had granola, PB, and banana for my dinner. I know I know not the most nutritional dense meal and not something I would have if I wasn’t traveling, but every item was free (picked up the granola and banana at the continental breakfast bar too) and it is better than the fast food options at an airport.
I am not a big snacker when not traveling. I am more of a 3 meals kind of girl with an afternoon apple and maybe a coffee throughout the day. When traveling I tend to stay away from all the restaurant chains and fast food places for two reasons – 1.) I don’t eat/like fast food and 2.) I don’t want to spend $15 for a meal I am not even that excited about.
TIPS: Bring granola bars, granola, and nuts for great snacks while traveling. I also stock up on honey packs from Starbucks (yes I take those too) and travel with them in case I want greek yogurt (which I paid $3 for yesterday at the Minneapolis airport – what a rip off). I really only like plain greek yogurt (except for the Apple and Pumpkin Limited Edition) flavored with honey, so it is great to have these packets on hand. I also bring my own plastic silverware for my oats – I know you are probably surprised I don’t steal that too.
Now on to staying fit on long travel days. Recently it has seemed my flights will take up a good part of the day and right when I step off the plane I am off to do other things. It makes it tough to squeeze a workout in.
For instance yesterday I had an early morning flight out of Dallas that didn’t have me getting back to Chicago till later that afternoon. Never knowing if flights will go accordingly I woke up a little early to get 3 miles in on the treadmill. Which I am glad I did because I missed my connecting flight and ended up having a much longer stressful day than expected. It was nice already having my workout done when I landed.
If I can I will squeeze a night workout in at the hotel gym. Sometimes the gyms are less than appealing but I can make do. I try to incorporate cardio (after sitting on the plane I want to sweat) and strength. My recent workout has been 3 miles on the treadmill followed by either this 5-to -30 strength circuit workout or this 10×10 workout. I like to switch it up!
During my last trip I made this happy hour strength workout. How did it get it’s name? Everything is in 5’s and 5 o’clock is happy hour…and I did it during happy hour?? Ok a little bit of a stretch but it is the first thing I thought of.
This is a great quick strength workout to complete after a cardio session. Make sure you count a rep on each side as 1!
While I am in the airport I try to stay as active as possible while waiting for my flight. I avoid all moving sidewalks and escalators [take the stairs] to try and get extra steps in. It is hard for me to sit and wait at a gate for a flight when I know all I am going to be doing for the next X amount of hours is sit. Put your headphones in and take a walk around the airport listening to music, calling family or friends, or just people watching – trust me it is good. I think carrying my Lulu bag and suitcase acts as strength training too! Killing two birds with one stone.
Hope these tips and tricks help you and make your next travel day a healthy and active one!
QUESTIONS
- Do you have a tip or trick for traveling?
- Do you have a specific airline you prefer?
Recently I have traveled them all but I really do like Southwest. They are just so happy!
