How Do You Stay Healthy While on the Road?
Maintaining health and well-being while traveling can be a challenge. To help you navigate this, we’ve gathered nine invaluable tips from professionals, like founders and senior coaches. From allocating time for rest to ensuring quality sleep for health, discover how these experts stay healthy on the road.
- Allocate Time for Rest
- Utilize Local Gym Guest Passes
- Replicate Home Routines on Road
- Exercise Early, Regardless of Facilities
- Use Apps for Mental and Physical Health
- Prioritize Hydration During Travel
- Incorporate Bodyweight Exercises Daily
- Pack Healthy Food and Snacks
- Ensure Quality Sleep for Health
Allocate Time for Rest
Being on the road requires you to be alert. Even though the journey might be long, it’s always better to allocate time for quick breaks and rest. By doing so, not only are you giving your body time to recuperate, but you’re also decompressing your mind from the mental toll of being alert while en route to your destination.
Not allowing yourself to rest, even just for a bit, can lead to mental fatigue, irritability, and a labile mood, which can ultimately affect your alertness and temperament during your journey.
Linda Whiteside, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, NuView Treatment Center
Utilize Local Gym Guest Passes
My go-to when I first started traveling the world, and later on as a remote worker, was to pick out gyms in the area. I would go to them with the “intention” of joining, but would ask them to provide me with a guest pass to try it first.
Initially, as a traveler, this was to conserve my funds. But later on, as a worker, I had the money. The thrill was the challenge of seeing how many freebies I could get in each city. The thrill of the chase kept my motivation high but also pushed me to experience the full complement of the gym and health club facilities, as I knew it was a temporary thing.
Frequent movers should avoid health club joining fees, and guest pass rates for short periods add up quickly to a year’s membership price-wise.
I used to strategically choose accommodation central to multiple gyms. This minimized the distance should I get a free pass, as I know (as a previous health club manager) that any obstacle, like commuting, can be an excuse to skip the gym.
Brett Downes
Founder, Haro Helpers
Replicate Home Routines on Road
As a recruiter, my job keeps me moving. I’m committed to understanding each and every client on a personal level, and that means traveling from headquarters to offices to factories—the truth is, I never know what each day will bring.
That’s why maintaining a repeatable schedule where I can is incredibly helpful.
Whenever possible, I replicate the experience of waking up at home. For me, this means rising at six a.m., doing a half-hour of yoga, and then answering my emails for the day.
Accomplishing these three things before I get into my car ensures I retain some normalcy, and I’ve found that letting these practices slip is an invitation to behave poorly the rest of the day, indulging in fast food and letting work pile up until the evening.
Setting the day’s standard early works for me.
Rob Reeves
CEO and President, Redfish Technology
Exercise Early, Regardless of Facilities
Wake up early and do some exercise. You may not maintain the same level of routine that you had back home, but doing some kind of exercise works wonders for your wellness throughout the day. I’ve had to get creative with some hotel gyms in the past, but I never regretted making it work because it kept me more engaged throughout the trip, and I slept better at night.
Scott Sidders
Co-Founder, Scott & Yanling Media Inc.
Use Apps for Mental and Physical Health
As a recruiter, it’s not uncommon for me to spend a good deal of time traveling. I like to connect in-person with clients whenever I can, and in the industrial sector, that can mean visiting isolated sites where the only places to stay are low-budget hotels without many amenities. To ensure my mental and physical health stays intact, I’ve turned to apps.
Meditation apps like Calm help me stay grounded when I’m miles away from my yoga class, and BetterHelp is there should I need a therapist to chat with when I’m on the road. I work out daily with Nike Training Club, and love that they have classes especially designed to be done in small spaces without equipment or weights.
It took a few tries to find the apps best suited to keeping me happy and fit on the road, so I recommend downloading multiple apps and taking advantage of trial periods until you find what perfectly meets your needs.
Linn Atiyeh
CEO, Bemana
Prioritize Hydration During Travel
I totally get the importance of staying healthy on the road! One health and wellness tip I swear by is to prioritize hydration. It’s easy to forget to drink enough water when you’re caught up in the excitement of travel, but staying hydrated is key to feeling your best. I always carry a reusable water bottle and make it a point to refill it regularly.
This simple habit keeps me energized and helps me avoid any unnecessary fatigue or discomfort while exploring new places. Trust me, your body will thank you for it!
Heather Noyes
Owner, WDW Travels
Incorporate Bodyweight Exercises Daily
As a seasoned traveler, I’ve learned that maintaining well-being on the road is all about incorporating healthy habits into your daily routine, no matter where you are. One travel tip I can’t stress enough is to embrace the power of bodyweight exercises. They’re a lifesaver when you can’t access a gym or don’t have time for a full workout.
I suggest creating a quick and effective bodyweight routine that you can do anywhere—in your hotel room, a park, or even at the airport during layovers. Think squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks. Not only does this keep you active, but it also boosts your mood and energy levels. Plus, it’s a great way to counteract the hours spent sitting during travel.
James Cunningham
Senior Coach, Total Shape
Pack Healthy Food and Snacks
As a former stand-up comedian, I spent a lot of time on the road. Traveling to small towns featured many temptations, including the desire to stop at the various fast-food joints that littered the large, and mostly empty, land of Canada.
On my first road gig, that’s mostly all that I consumed. It was easy, quick, and felt cheap, but I quickly realized how big a hole it burned in my wallet (not so much the adding weight part, I was 23 at the time).
One of the easiest ways to be healthy on the road is to accept that you are breaking free of your normal life, and having an understanding that when free of your old habits, the bad ones have an easy way of sneaking in.
I found that packing (relatively) healthy food by measuring out how many meals I would be eating was a lifesaver.
This included filling snacks that could easily fit in sandwich bags or small containers, and especially things that I like to eat, not a list of things that feel like a punishment (looking at you, kale).
Jeremiah Ukponrefe
Writer, Jeremiah U
Ensure Quality Sleep for Health
Prioritizing quality sleep is essential for maintaining overall health while traveling. Aiming for 7-8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night provides several benefits that support your well-being during your adventures. Sufficient sleep strengthens your immune system, reducing the risk of illness and ensuring you have the energy to explore and enjoy your experiences.
Additionally, restful sleep enhances cognitive function, enabling you to make clear decisions, stay focused, and fully immerse yourself in the cultural and educational aspects of your travels. If you find it difficult to sleep in unfamiliar environments, try using earplugs, eye masks, or white noise apps to create a more conducive sleep environment.
Michaela Ramirez, MD
Founder, O My Gulay
Submit Your Answer
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