Many people wonder if they can lose weight while traveling, either because they want to get lean or they don’t want their vacation to spoil their previous fitness efforts. Luckily, it’s easy to maintain a healthy weight or even lose weight while traveling, so long as you’re willing to implement some simple steps into your routine.
It’s also worth mentioning that while it is entirely possible to shed some pounds while traveling, you shouldn’t make this the goal of your trip. Travel is something to be savored and enjoyed, so don’t get hung up on counting calories and pounding it out at the gym. Relax, have fun, and keep sight on why you’re on vacation in the first place. Instead, follow these tips.
Pack Healthy Snacks
Whether you’re hiking a mountain or exploring a new city, you’re going to get hungry – especially if you’re doing lots of walking. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking hunger is necessary for weight loss, and never ignore your body’s cues. Not only will starving yourself rob you of the energy you need, but it will also create some disordered behavior around food, and you’ll end up bingeing later on. You should always feed your hunger, but what you feed it makes a huge difference. Make sure you pack healthy snacks such as fruit, granola bars and rice cakes to snack on while you travel. That way, you won’t be tempted to reach for junk food or resort to a vending machine to satisfy your appetite.
Drink Lots of Water
Staying hydrated is an essential rule of weight loss, but it also promotes overall health and fitness. Drinking water throughout the day will also stave off dehydration and prevent that afternoon slump we all get. Before your trip, research the best water bottles for traveling, and keep one with you at all times. If you’re visiting a city or town, there should be plenty of places to top up. If you’re hiking or camping, however, a self-filtering water bottle is best, as you need to make sure the water you’re ingesting is clean and healthy.
Sleep Plenty
Tiredness makes us prone to snacking and leads us to make bad decisions about our health. Therefore, try to get a full night’s rest whenever possible. Of course, you want to enjoy yourself (and sometimes this means partying through the night or staying up late at a music festival), but it also involves moderation. The more you rest, the more energy you’ll have to get up and explore the next morning.
Walk Everywhere
Many people expect to gain weight while traveling, especially when they go on vacation and indulge more often than they’re used to. It doesn’t have to be this way, however, and you can still afford yourself plenty of treats and not gain weight if you remain active. Resist the temptation to take cabs or public transport, and walk whenever you can. Better yet, rent a bicycle and burn off some extra calories. You’ll get super fit and have a lot more fun seeing the sights this way, rather than from the back of a car.
Don’t Neglect Your Workout
Being on vacation doesn’t mean you need to neglect your workout. Of course, this doesn’t mean you should be sweating it out in the hotel gym every morning (unless you want to) but there are plenty of other fitness activities you can try, such as swimming, canoeing, hiking, mountain climbing and many more depending on where you are in the world. If your goal is to keep fit, schedule some time each day for a full-body workout, whatever that looks like to you.
Don’t Be Too Strict
Sticking to your weight loss plan too rigidly is one of the biggest mistakes you can make. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons why most weight loss regimes fail. If you don’t allow yourself a treat or an off day now and then, or you’ll grow frustrated with your weight loss efforts and will most likely give up. A sustainable weight loss plan is one you can keep up for the long haul, traveling or not.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that travel is about connecting to the world around you and nurturing your mind, body, and soul. It’s not about looking perfect. Exploring the world is a privilege that not everyone has, and may even be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for you. Therefore, you don’t waste it fretting over your dress size. Eat healthy, move lots, get enough sleep and stay hydrated – and remember to have fun. So long as you’re sensible, there’s no reason you can’t travel and lose weight at the same time.
