Travelling away and especially abroad to unknown terrain causes a lot of havoc if a person is sticking religiously to a tailored nutrition and training program, or at least tries to follow a healthy life-style. As a matter of fact, it must be mentioned here, that planning on how to stay healthy and fit does not start when a person arrives at the holiday destination, but actually includes explicitly planning the trip related to it.
In the following few lines nutrition consultant and personal trainer Dr. Alhussein El-Shennawy will outline the nuts and bolts of how to minimize any possible damage which may be caused by going on the long awaited vacation, without having a detailed plan.
On the Plane:
The first line of defense against unhealthy and shape-deforming airline menus is to bring whatever food possible from home. One shall not forget that airport security rules prohibit passengers from taking liquids and gels in excess of 3.4 ounces through airport security checkpoints, but solid snacks like bananas, apples, trail mix, nuts, carrots, celery sticks and energy bars are accepted. If the traveler in question packs a few of these in the carry-on, then skipping the airline’s salty snacks will be a much easier process, while at the same time the horrifically effects of plane-served food is minimized.
Once the security check-points have been passed, anything one can buy at the airport may be brought onto the flight. Indeed, this is the chance to stock up on bottled water and buy a complete salad or healthy nutrient dense sandwich to eat on the plane. Many airports have begun adding more healthy dining options to their standard assortment of fast and junk food. In addition to this, one should look for dishes with lots of vegetables and fibers, and skip the fried and unhealthy food items.
During the flight itself, one should avoid alcohol and soft drinks, as both can dehydrate the person drinking it. Water is always the best bet for staying hydrated and sticking to a diet, beside the detoxifying and filling effect of it.
On the Road
Long hours of sitting in the car, in presence of an entertaining company is the ultimate and magic road to eat unhealthy food at every stop, thus derailing a diet faster from the correct track than anyone can utter the words “road trip.” The most efficient deed to tackle this issue, before setting forth on any journey, is to fill a cooler with healthy snacks like fruit, raw veggies and sandwiches from home, and then replace any items finished along the way with food from local grocery stores. Bottled water must also be present from the start from the journey, especially in trips lasting several hours and where getting clean and bottled water during the trip is not guaranteed.
Another valuable piece of advice is to bypass stops and seek out independent cafes and restaurants, to eat better, but also to exploit the unique chance to meet locals and get a better flavor of the town one is traveling through.
On particularly long car trips, one has to makesure to stop every two hours for an exercise and stretching break lasting at least for 15 minutes. This will also prevent mental fatigue to kick in, which negatively affects speedy reflexes and elongates reaction time.
At the Hotel
Booking a hotel where a gym and/or a swimming pool are present is one of the most crucial things any fitness and health-oriented individual should do. If the hotel does not have a gym, then packing a resistance band and downloading an exercise program to follow onto the MP3 player is an option one should seriously take into consideration. There are also a lot of home exercise routines which can be done in the hotel room beside jogging around the local neighborhood and creating a personalized exercise routine composed of jumping jacks and squats to be done before starting the day.
It is also advisable to be at least informed about all restaurants present along the trip, and the food served at the hotel, to be able to plan ahead, thus minimizing any possible calorie bombs and nutrient-empty food traps.
On the other hand, one may also want to consider booking a hotel room with a
kitchenette or even renting a house or apartment so that one can cook the desired food. This will save money on food, and give the person in question more control over the nutrition program to be followed and the quality and quantity of food ingested.
At Your Destination
Jogging and biking aside, one can never go wrong with good old-fashioned walking. There’s no better way to experience a city than on foot. Therefore one has to take time to walk between major attractions rather than jumping on a bus or a subway. This will also enable the traveler to experience the flavor of different neighborhoods and be able to duck into any cafe or shop that is liked.
With all these above-mentioned pieces of advice, the coming vacation trip will not be a nightmare to be afraid of. The most important thing is to have bullet-proof plan at hand!
Dr. Alhussein El-Shennawy
Nutrition Consultant and Personal Trainer Copartner Kheiralla Clinic For reservation,
kindly call 02-33452061/
0122-328-4423
Hotline:+2-0100-791-6006
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