Vacations are a great time to take a break from your usual routine. No logging into work, no emails, and no usual chores. While breaks are good and important, your health also remains of utmost importance.
When traveling somewhere new, the goal is to have an authentic experience of that place’s culture, after all. This means eating different kinds of dishes during your stay there.
It is easy to interrupt a good routine, but it is difficult to get back into it once you lose your rhythm. The good news is that prioritizing your health on vacation does not need to be too stressful of a practice.
Five Ways to Stay Healthy on Vacation
These are practical steps you can take to ensure you do not lose your healthy routine even on your vacation.
1. Walk when you can
You may not have access to your local gym and your workout equipment on your trip, but that does not mean you can’t exercise at all. An easy way to include exercise in your itinerary without losing precious sightseeing time is by walking to your various destinations when you can.
Make sure that you will be traveling a reasonable distance by foot, though. Too much walking can have an adverse effect on you. If the distance from your current location to the next is under a mile, then it is practical enough to go there on foot.
Exercise is something that you shouldn’t leave out of your routine because it helps prevent many illnesses and other issues, from cardiovascular disease to erectile dysfunction. If you already suffer from a health condition, make sure that you are also getting any necessary treatment such as wave therapy for ED or other medications to help you recover faster.
2. Choose your restaurant meals wisely
First, when possible, opt to dine in restaurants instead of fast food chains. Not only do they give you unique dishes from the city you are visiting, but they also are less likely to serve processed food.
When choosing from the menu, stick to your diet and go for dishes that help you follow your plan. If you don’t have a plan, have a combination of dishes that provide a good mix of fruits and vegetables. This bit of discipline helps keep you from dropping your diet all of a sudden, sparing you from the struggle of getting back on track.
3. Bring or prepare healthy snacks for yourself
To keep yourself from making impulse purchases when you get hungry, bring your own snacks that you can munch on to make sure you eat the proper foods in between meals. Bring packs in small portions, too, so that your bag will not be too bulky as you go from one place to another.
If your accommodations allow you to cook, you can also prepare a meal or some snacks in the morning before heading out. This lets you take control of what kind of ingredients go into your meals. For an extra adventure, visit the nearest grocery store and see what local ingredients you can experiment on while you are there.
4. Drink lots of water
Long flights and full-day itineraries, especially in hot weather, can very easily dehydrate you. Always have water with you no matter what activity you have for the day to keep you energized.
You can usually purchase bottled water wherever you go. For a more eco-friendly alternative, bring your own reusable bottle that you can refill as you travel. It will be good to make note of the size of your bottle and track how much water you’ve consumed to ensure your intake is adequate for your body’s daily needs.
5. Splurge a little
Yes, following your diet and fitness plans are necessary to stay healthy. But of course, you went on vacation to enjoy the experience! Constantly stressing about doing things the right way will take away the fun of it all.
Leave yourself little allowances to splurge a bit and try out local delicacies and other delicious finds that you won’t find anywhere else. You might want to have some patbingsu while staying in Seoul, or indulge in some macarons from world-renowned pastry shops in Paris.
The goal is not to deprive yourself, but to learn to moderate what you eat so that you don’t lose control. Maybe keep the sugary treats to one a day during your trip to make sure you don’t miss out on the good stuff.
As you prepare for your next vacation, just know that your health and your enjoyment do not have to be mutually exclusive. They can definitely go hand in hand.
