Traveling & Tracking
Per request I have decided to do a post about traveling and staying fit or healthy. I am new to this whole "not letting food run your life" club, but ever since I slowly became a part of it, everything has truly been much better. Sure, there are times where thoughts creep back into my head asking why I ate those fries yesterday or got a medium instead of a small ice cream, etc. But I've learned to keep those thoughts out about 90% of the time now, and my life experiences have been changed forever. It has also made my time living abroad that much more amazing.
If there's any advice I have for people traveling abroad, it is to not cut yourself short on the food. You don't know when you're going to have it again and you don't want to regret it. That is how I treated my entire semester abroad. I didn't know that I would be returning to Europe to work and I just ate everything in sight. Now that I live here, I have learned to eat things more in moderation (but only when I am not on vacation). When I am traveling I am going overboard...and when I say overboard I mean a gelato after every meal of pasta and pizza, overboard. It has taken a lot of mental energy and convincing to tell myself this was ok, to eat this much, and to eat this kind of food. But, it was all worth it. And, guess what, I kept the weight off.
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| Fun fact, bring your own gluten free bread and they'll make it for you for just 2 euros |
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1. WALK
I honestly think Paris is the only city in all of Europe where I have taken public transportation...and I haven't taken it that much. Walk everywhere you can. You are traveling, you have all day or all week to do whatever you want. Walk from destination to destination and museum to museum. There is no need to waste money on public transportation when you have two working legs that can get you there while also burning off some of your lunch or the wine from the night before. Also, walking the city lets you see more than you normally would. I have found beautiful sites, gardens, parks, buildings, and more, just by sucking it up and walking the 3 miles to my next desired destination.
Walking is a great for of transportation and exercise. As someone who works out 6 days a week, it is very different to go from a strict exercise regimen to almost nothing. Walking from place to place makes me feel like I did at least something for the day. Check your iPhone health app if you have one and see how many steps you walked. Personally I went through a Fitbit and a Garmin health tracker and realized that they only made me more concerned and obsessive about my daily fitness and food routines, so I ditched those and just go loosely by the health app instead.
But honestly, walking from place to place is my number one recommendation and is the easiest way to not feel bad about the food you consume.
2. Try and fit in a workout...
So I know that it's vacation and you don't want to be waking up early and working out or trying to find a time do so, but if you can I suggest it. I am not saying you have to do it as much as you normally do, just try to fit something in. Yes, walking is good, but doing something a little more high intensity if your body is already use to it, is better. While I mainly do a lot of lifting, I do not have access to weights while on vacation (unless I stay at a hotel with a gym, which you should always take advantage of). But, because I don't have access to my normal work out equipment, I just mix it up a bit. I go on runs and do HIIT workouts and body weight workouts, something to keep my body confused.
Once again, don't try and make this your main focus. On my last trip I was gone for 11 days and I went on 4 runs... that was it. That leaves 7 days where I didn't do anything else besides walk and I didn't even do a push-up. But, reverting back to number 1, I walked everywhere and kept the fries and froyo off.
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| My old precious fruit stand! The lady taught me how to count in Italian :) |
Ok, so you're traveling and you shouldn't be worried about what you're eating. BUT you should still be worried a bit about your health...so fries at every meal is maybe not the best route. Also, you can get fries anywhere so don't waste it. If you're traveling Europe you're going to be getting great quality food (which will also help a bit with the health factor, it usually won't be as processes as American food).
When I am traveling I spend my calories on gelato and ice cream and pizza and pasta and signature dishes. I also like to buy my own breakfast at a grocery store and have a yogurt and fruit to start the day off right in comparison to a pastry each morning. Maybe for lunch I'll have a hefty salad and at dinner I'll have steak and fries. Just try and throw in a little bit of balance. Weight aside, you'll feel better overall.
4. Water Water Water
Drinking water is probably the hardest thing to do while traveling. You don't want to be carrying it around, you don't want to buy it, you don't want to have to pee all the time, etc. All of these are things I suffer from. In many countries in Europe you have to pay for water at a meal (crazy, I know) which results in me not drinking as much as I normally would. Also, I don't want to have to pay to use a bathroom, so I don't drink as much water. Overall, just dehydration city...
Dehydration is just bad for your body in general. It also makes you more puffy, bloated, and hungry. Therefore you make look or feel worse and also eat more. I've fallen into this trap many times. My suggestion is buy a plastic water bottle at a grocery store for 50 cents and just fill it as you go. While it may sound gross to say go fill it up in the restaurant bathroom, the water is clean. Just do it and save yourself the money of water at the table and the money of the food you'll buy due to your fake hunger. It's also just healthy to drink water so do it!
5. Snacks
Alright so sure you don't wanna carry around snacks and why bring snacks when you can buy an amazing crepe off the street, but it truly helps. Pack a granola bar or fruit/dried fruit, or some nuts, you'll thank me later. Packing snacks is a great way to avoid the pitfalls of extra unhealthy food you may not need. Instead of stopping at another place for a waffle, eat some almonds or cashews. If you're hungry, rather than an ice cream, eat a granola bar. Trust me, you won't be short on snack and food intake while traveling so it is good to have a health snack on you for when you need it. It is a n easy way to stay on track and feed your body some healthier nutrients when you can.
6. Just Don't Stress
Honestly this should be higher on the list but I'll just put it down here so it's also the last thing you read. Once again I am new to follow thing this advice, but following it is life changing. This is coming from someone who has missed out on many opportunities and a lot of food in her life because she was too worried about gaining a pound the next day...just do not stress about what you're eating. If you're traveling try all the food, you may not get to again. Also, vacations are temporary, you aren't going to be eating a croissant for breakfast, pasta for lunch, and pizza for dinner every day. Do it while you can and then get back on track when you get home.
If you follow what I suggested and walk everywhere, try and get some work outs in when you can, don't go overboard on every meal, and get some healthy food in where you can, you'll be fine. Traveling is supposed to be fun and relaxing and adventurous, not stressful and restricting. Do what you want, don't think about it, and enjoy every minute of it.
Something I didn't exactly touch on was alcohol consumption. Anyone that knows me knows I am obsessed with red wine. I don't limit myself. I have wine or cider with lunch and wine with dinner usually while I am on vacation. When I am at home I have wine very, very frequently. It is unusual if I don't have it daily. Do what you love, eat what you love, drink what you love. **Side note, when it comes to alcohol I am lucky that my favorite (red wine) has health benefits...when it comes to hard liquor sugary drinks, maybe cut back a bit...
This post is a lot more brief than I would have liked it to be but when you get me on the subject of fitness and food I could ramble for hours. For those who want a more in-depth description (if there are even multiple of you out there, lolz) feel free to message me or leave a comment. I have plenty of food and fitness guides and those specifically for traveling as well (summer internships of personal training paid off - score). But, long story short, travel and enjoy it, don't stress :)
Au Revoir,
Libby
**Throughout this post are multiple photos of the endless food I have consumed. I eat healthy while at home in Angers and eat what I want on vacation. I take my workouts seriously and try to fit them in while I am traveling as well. However, this doesn't always happen. Don't sweat it, do what you want, don't have regrets, the extra side of fries and dessert isn't going to kill you or add 5 pounds. Your pants will still fit and you'll be happy.
Disclaimer: this post was written while drinking red wine and eating dark chocolate.
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