Whether here at home or ‘there’ abroad, fitness is essential for a healthy you. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete, but having a reasonable level of physical fitness will help you avoid disease and minimize injuries. You will also experience less jet lag, adjust to temperature changes better, fight off diseases more easily, and enjoy your travels more.
This article features the essential tips you need to know on how to stay fit and healthy while you’re enjoying your trip.
Traveling entails being on a different routine than what you’re used to. Even if you have already established strong lifestyle habits to stay healthy, you can never be sure if you can take those same habits to the place where you’re going. This is why it pays to be prepared with a plan to stay in shape before your trip.
First, why do you need to stay fit while travelling?
The Benefits of Staying in Shape While Travelling
The benefits of fitness include improving the efficiency of the cardiovascular system and improving the biomechanics of the musculoskeletal system. If your heart is in shape, it works less to accomplish the same if it were not in good condition. You would also have more energy, better blood pressure, and be better able to cope more quickly to physical changes.
When you eat properly and exercise regularly, your immune system works better, so you can fight off infectious invaders more efficiently. Your liver metabolizes food and toxins better as well. Your muscles and ligaments, when fit, are limber and flexible, so you can handle the stress of travel, the physical demands, etc., far more easily than when you are out of shape, and your body recovers more quickly, too. If an accident happens–for example, twisting an ankle–the body can minimize damage and heal more rapidly.
Make exercise and nutrition part of your life.
Begin before you travel! Shocking your body when far from home could have serious consequences. When you travel, it may be difficult to exercise the same routine as at home, but do try to keep it up. Vary your exercise with walking, hiking, swimming, etc. as changing your routine is good for your body.
Tips on How to Stay in Shape While Travelling
Eat healthy to look healthy.
Dieting does not mean starving yourself or eating strange foods. A diet is not temporary, either. It is a regimen of eating certain healthy food on a regular, consistent basis. Going on a crash diet then bingeing, then dieting again is NOT the way to improve your health. A balance of carbohydrates (sugars), protein, and lipids (fats) is important as are supplemental vitamins and minerals. Fresh fruits and vegetables, eaten daily, are important. Drinking eight glasses of water a day is as vital. You can also research more about the essential food you need to look and feel healthy.
Enjoy the local cuisine, but remember to consume everything in moderation. You can also take fat burning supplements to help you adjust to your new eating habits. Be sure to do your research first so you can buy the right product. You can start by reading this honest review of the fat burner by Performance Lab.
Don’t overeat while traveling.
Exercise whenever you can!
Exercise plus a proper diet MUST be done together. Exercise burns up calories and metabolizes nutrients while a proper diet provides the right nutrients for the body machinery to use. Utilizing one and not the other is insufficient. For exercise, you need to challenge your body at least three times a week so that your heart climbs to 80% of your maximal heart rate (maximal heart rate is determined by subtracting your age from 220) for at least 20 minutes. Stretching and strengthening exercises are important, too.