Greetings from Prague!! Tony and I finished up our workshop here over the weekend and yesterday was full on tourist mode. I have to say, Prague is one of the most amazingly beautiful cities I’ve ever been to.

Today will be more touristy stuff, lots of walking around, and seeing what else the city has to offer (along with probably another Trdelnik or two), so today I have an awesome guest post from Jeff Snow, who shouldn’t be confused with Jon Snow because as we all know, Jon Snow knows nothing.

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I’m sitting back in a somewhat comfy chair in the airport lounge (perks of being a frequent flyer) after just finishing a chickpea salad with a side of raw veggies and an apple. It’s a pretty common setting for me as I look around and see other weary travelers and I see that they’re having the same difficulty I used to have when I first started travelling a lot – the food on their plates could use a bit of an upgrade. The problem however, is that there really isn’t much of a choice when navigating airports and gas stations along your way, or the restaurants once you get there. Or is there?

I wanted to put together a few helpful tips that I learned along the way from Point A to Point B in the hopes that it can be helpful to those frequent flyers struggling to reach their goals.

Tip #1:

Instead of booking a regular hotel room, look for a hotel with full kitchenette rooms or look for long term apartment rentals. These rentals are usually available for as long as you need them, from one night up to months on end. The upside to these types of hotel rooms and apartments is that you can go and buy your own groceries and don’t need to rely on restaurants for every meal. You are able to stay in control of ingredients and portion sizes so instead of high calorie meals, three times a day, you can cook your own meals with half the calories.

This is helpful when travelling for business or for pleasure. I’m travelling on business right now but when travelling with your significant other or with your kids for holiday, this is a great way to stay healthy as a family and to save a lot of money for more activities and experiences during your trip. Buying groceries and preparing your own meals can easily cut your food bill in half over the course of just a couple of days.

Tip #2:

Before travelling to a new city, do some quick research and find out where you can find a gym to get to while you’re there. There are three things I look for when I Google “Gyms in xyz”.

1. What are my options for gyms in the city?
   -If you have a gym membership to a large national gym chain, there’s a good chance that the place you’re travelling to will have a location. Many of the large chains allow members to use all their facilities, wherever you may be. If that isn’t an option, most gyms have day and week pass options available for a small fee (usually around $10 for a day or $20-$30 for a week in my experience)
2. What gyms are closest to hotels so I can get there easily?
   -The last thing most people want to do after working or being stuck in meetings all day is jump in their rental car or cab and go to the gym. When you’re home and you’ve had “one of those days,” we all know that going to the gym is often the last thing we want to do. When you’re on the road it’s often even less desirable. Fight this by finding a gym close to your hotel (that one with the kitchenette you booked) or choosing a hotel close to a gym. If it’s just a quick shot up the road, you’re much more likely to get in for your workout.
3. If there are no local gyms, what hotels in the area have a decent hotel gym?
   -I have stayed in places where there are no gyms in town and the only option is the hotel gym. Some of those gyms weren’t too bad and I managed to get in some decent workouts while others, not so much. Here’s the thing to keep in mind with this one, don’t let a subpar facility hurt your motivation because you think you can’t workout the right way. There is no right or wrong way to work out. The important thing is to get in and get active. They probably have some free weights, a couple machines (maybe one of those multi-station machines), and a couple treadmills and bikes. Maybe you can’t get your normal workout in, but there is no reason you can’t modify your routine to accommodate what you have at your disposal. Something is always better than nothing!

Bonus: Invest in some exercise bands/tubing. In your hotel room, you can easily get in a great full body workout with some bands of varying resistance and your bodyweight (pushups, bodyweight squats, lunges, etc.) These take up absolutely no room in your luggage and they’re super effective. Also, if the weather is cooperating, get outside and go for a run or walk. The fresh air and sunshine always helps cheer me up when I’m missing home.

 

Tip #3:

OK, you’ve booked a kitchenette room/rental apartment and have been able to prepare your own meals, but you’re bound to run into a situation where you need to grab a meal at a restaurant. What now? Simple – Google is your friend! Simply Google healthy restaurants in ‘XYZ city’. Can’t find anything? Not to worry. Here’s what I do:

Once you sit down and take a look at the menu, look for the following things to eliminate some menu items:

-Crispy
-Crunchy
-Fried
-Creamy
-Cheesy
-you know the words I’m talking about…

These words are code for high fat, and not the good kind.

Find something on the menu with a lean protein source like chicken, or fish (fatty fish like salmon is perfect too), or vegetable protein source like lentils, beans, legumes, etc., vegetables, and a carbohydrate like rice, quinoa, etc. If what you decide on contains some sort of sauce, ask for it on the side and you can add a little for flavour yourself without loading down your meal with a ton of extra calories. If worse comes to worse, ask for a garden salad and ask them to throw some chicken breast on top and have the dressing on the side.

Tip #4:

Navigating airport kiosks and gas stations can be difficult. We’ve gone over what to do when you’re sitting down for a meal at a restaurant, but what about grabbing a few snacks for the plane or car?

To start, I’d first like to say that my preference is to stock up on travel friendly snacks beforehand. Getting these things at the grocery store is a lot less expensive than waiting until you get to the airport. If you can’t manage to drop by a grocery store in the days prior to your trip though, most airports will carry a few travel snacks that I always carry with me.

1. Jerky. Beef, turkey, salmon, chicken, pork, there are a lot of options. These are all very lean and high in protein, and pack great in a carry on which makes them great for travelling. Keep in mind that these are usually really high in sodium. Now, sodium is an essential nutrient, especially if you are someone who exercises often, but keep this in mind if you’re someone with high blood pressure, etc.
2. Fruit & Nut Bars. These tend to get both love and hate from the health and fitness community and it’s easy to see why. Some are great sources of protein, fibre, and healthy fats while others are no better than a candy bar. I personally love Kind, Clif, Larabar, and Nak’d bars and you’ll be hard pressed to find me jump on a plane without one.
3. Protein bars. Ok, I’ll be honest here. These are one of those things similar to the fruit and nut bars but even then often not as good as the worst fruit and nut bars. There are some terrible protein bars available. Seriously, there are some bars out there that are basically chocolate bars with added protein and they don’t taste nearly as good as a Mars bar. There are a couple brands out there that are pretty good and I generally carry a couple with me when I travel, however, I honestly always prefer jerky, fruit and nut bars, fresh fruit, and protein shakes over them.
4. Protein powder (and a shaker bottle). Throw a scoop of your favourite protein powder in a shaker bottle and throw it in your carry on. Ask the flight attendant for some water to pour in your shaker, shake, and drink. This is something you’d bring from home and not get at the airport.
5. Fresh fruit. It doesn’t matter where you eat it, fruit is good for you. I primarily travel with apples as other fruits don’t travel very well. Bananas and berries tend to get squished and you have to peel oranges and other fruits. Throw an apple or two in your carry on and you’re golden.
6. Nuts. Grab a couple handfuls of walnuts, almonds, cashews, whatever you prefer. These are always a perfect on the go snack and are perfect to pair with that apple. As always though, nuts are both nutrient and calorie dense due to their high fat content so make sure you don’t go too crazy with them.

Tip #5:

Alright. You’ve booked your kitchenette room/long term rental so you can prepare your own meals, scoped out where the closest gym is, checked for some healthy places to eat out at, and picked up some healthy snacks for the plane. So what’s next once you land and get settled in?

Well, to be honest, there are two things I like to do but it all depends on when I get in and whether I’ve been there before.

If it’s late, I’ll usually unpack, grab a quick shower to rinse off that “plane feeling,” and get some rest. But, if I land earlier in the day and I have no commitments already made, I love getting outside and exploring a bit whenever I’m in a new city.

If it’s a city I’ve already been to a time or two, I’ll usually skip the sightseeing and try to get active as soon as possible. Flying really drags me down and getting a workout in is a great refresher. If it’s nice outside, I’ll often go out for a run. I really like this one when it’s a beautiful day out. When I travel for long periods of time, bouncing from city to city, like anyone, I get a bit homesick and nothing cheers me up like fresh air and sunshine (and a Facetime call to home). If the weather isn’t cooperating or I want to get some weight training in, I’ll venture out to the gym I found before I left home.

Either way, getting active is a great way to get refreshed from being cooped up in a plane or car and can really set the tone for your entire trip.

Well, those are the top 5 travel tips that I came up with during my own travels over the past few years. Once I started practicing these regularly, staying on track while on the road became much easier. They’re now easy to handle habits that are no different than the habits I incorporate in everyday life when I’m home.

As I’ve previously mentioned, all of these can be incorporated for any form of travel, whether it’s business, pleasure, or family vacations, or whether it’s by plane, train, or automobile. Planning ahead makes a world of difference!

About the Author – Jeff Snow

I was just a regular Joe who finally had enough of being winded from simple activity and decided that it was time to take back my health. Through a process of self-guided education, I learned that adopting a healthy lifestyle was deeply connected to changing my existing habits and behaviours, along with educating myself on how to separate fact from fiction in an ever increasing world of misinformation. I found my passion in helping others find their way on the path to creating a healthier lifestyle and improving their quality of life.

Find out more about Jeff and his training at www.redefinedwellness.ca