Category: Travel

The benefits of staying hydrated and a Nalgene product review

7/11/2014

One of my biggest pieces of advice to anyone who is looking to improve their health and nutrition is to DRINK MORE WATER. Water does amazing things for your body! Sometimes we even confuse thirst for hunger and many people are dehydrated without knowing it. If you feel thirsty at all, you're already pretty dehydrated. To estimate how much water you should be getting, divide your weight in pounds by 2 and drink that many ounces (more if you're working out)! Thank you Taralynn McNitt at Undressed Skeleton for this great post of how to mark your water bottle so that you can check in throughout the day and make sure you’re getting it all in! If you want to add a little flavor to you water, try a squirt of lemon, a squeeze of lime, a few sprigs of fresh mint or a cucumber or orange slice. You can even add a few berries or watermelon. What ever gets you to drink it up!

The benefits of staying hydrated and a Nalgene product reivew

The benefits of staying hydrated - 10 reasons to DRINK MORE WATER!

I like to carry a water bottle around with me, so I always have water on hand - that's why I was so excited when Nalgene reached out to me to try their products.

Nalgene has come a long way since their original shatter proof water bottle. They are now ALL BPA-free and leak proof (and still SUPER durable)! They are dishwasher safe and some are even graduated (so you wouldn't even need to mark your bottle as pictured above - it's already marked for you! They come in a variety of sizes as well as cap shapes, so great for sippers and chuggers! There are even sizes specifically to fit in cup holders and bike cages, so it really doesn't get much more convenient than that! They also have food storage containers (pictured on the far left). They've really thought of it all!

My personal preference is the "on-the-fly" style (pink bottle pictured above) because of it's easy flip-open design. It's great for carrying around and doesn't spill in my gym bag. Take a look a the variety of bottles they have and try one out for yourself! You'll love all the water you're drinking and how you'll feel afterwards!

What's your favorite water bottle?

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Friends of FitYaf - Julie keeps up with her health and fitness while traveling on the job

12/16/2013

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Friends of FitYaf - Julie keeps up with her health and fitness while traveling on the job

I met Julie when she took my classes at the University of Pennsylvania's gym. She was a rock star participant, and now she's living her life in the windy city, or at least that's where she calls home. Her job often keeps her away from home, but she manages to keep up with her health and fitness by planning ahead and setting herself up to make smart choices. Thank you Julie for sharing these tips with us!

As we all know, being healthy while traveling is no easy task! Initially when I started traveling four days a week, I completely abandoned my healthy lifestyle. I went from cooking all my own healthy meals and frequenting Jillian’s classes to eating out every meal (we’re talking bread, appetizer, entrée and dessert here). I even considered the occasional treadmill walk/run a strenuous work out. Oh, and then there is the airport twice a week – I’d describe my old airport snacking as a tapas approach – hey, why not sample everything…

Add a strenuous work schedule to the mix, and I quickly realized I needed to get back on track with eating and exercise. While there is certainly no magic answer to how I got back on track, planning ahead and accepting it isn’t going to be perfect were great places to start.

Plan for the airport

Bring a few healthy snacks. Granola bars, single servings of nuts, fruits that aren’t easily destroyed in an overstuffed purse (e.g. apples) are always a good choice. This keeps me from hitting the snack shops when the plane is delayed.
Grab a water bottle right away - this will keep you hydrated and ward off snacking. This may seem silly, but I make a point to grab one at the Starbucks instead of the airport convenience store. 6am flight = no self-restraint when it comes to junk food. Going where I have a healthy routine outside of the airport helps. If I want something more at Starbucks, I’ll grab the fruit cup or oatmeal – not a candy bar or snack mix. In general, identify where you’re likely to misstep and try to avoid the situation.
Plan for airport meals. Something about being stuck in an airport really makes me want cheap chinese, soft pretzels and McFlurries. Do a quick search before you travel for what’s available in your airport and decide before hand that is where you will eat. I travel in and out of Chicago O’Hare each week. I know exactly where I will get breakfast (egg white omelet) or lunch/dinner (awesome salad with guacamole or sushi).

Eating out

Once again, plan ahead. If I know I’m going to a certain restaurant I’ll look up the menu before. This way I can make my healthy decision when I’m not hungry and independent of my colleagues’ sometimes less than healthy selections. Sure following through with the plan is sometimes hard but I’m still one step ahead and less likely to make that spontaneous appetizer order.
Ordering tips:

Meat or chicken: Hold the sauce or sauce on the side
Seafood: Once again, sauce on the side, or ask for a certain preparation (e.g. grilled, seared, or baked)
Sides: replace mashed potatoes, rice etc. with extra veggies.
Mexican (Yum!): It is actually really easy and my go to. My favorite is chicken fajita, hold the tortillas, sour cream, and cheese. Add extra veggies, salsa and guacamole. (Works at Chipotle too…)
Italian: I love pasta too but opt for the steak, chicken or fish. Go easy on that bread.
Ahi tuna. Honestly, I’m not a huge tuna fan but one of my colleagues swears by it while eating out traveling. Find it as an appetizer, salad, or entrée at many restaurants

Working out on the road

Recognize what is reasonable and commit. I work really long hours some days so telling myself I’ll do over an hour in the gym makes it easy for me to opt out completely. However, if I commit to doing 25-30 minutes (usually either a T25 session or quick treadmill run), I’m less likely to stray from the plan.
Hotel gym not ideal? Investigate all workout options. Personally, I do much better in a group exercise setting. On my last client, a few colleagues and I found a boot camp right across from the hotel. A lot of gyms have reasonable drop in rates for classes. I’ve also found many hotels have suggested running routes – just ask at the front desk.

Coming home

Don’t let bad travel habits become bad everyday habits. For example, as I mentioned, my travel workouts can be short. I really have to force myself not to let that continue on the weekend when I have access to my home gym and more time.
Keep a few healthy items in the kitchen to tide you to the next grocery trip. I used to eat anything and everything after getting home late Thursday nights (chocolate chips, crackers, ice cream…). I now make sure there is a healthy meal waiting. When I cook, I try and make an extra serving or two to freeze. Sunday before I leave, I always make sure there are a few apples in the fridge or the ingredients for a healthy smoothie.
Finally, accept you won’t be perfect while traveling! Especially, if you’re on vacation. Local specialty where you are not exactly healthy? Give into that dunkin’ donut at the airport? No problem, just don’t let it be the thing that derails the rest of your trip.

How do you keep up with your health and fitness while traveling?

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FitYaf's tips for keeping up with your fitness while traveling

8/16/2013

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Hey there Yaffies! I've got some good and bad news for you guys. Well, really it's good news for me and bad news for you, but hopefully you'll forgive me. Tomorrow, I'm leeeeea-ving, on a jet plane! That's right, tomorrow I'm beginning a 2-week long adventure with my family. We'll be touring in Austria, where my father's parents were born! I can't wait to trade in my lab coat and gloves for some sunglasses and a camera! While I'll be away from my normal fitness routine, I hope to be able to squeeze in some workouts while I'm there. So, instead of a workout for today's Fitness Friday, I thought this would be a great time to share with you some of my tips for 'keeping up with your fitness' while traveling. Depending on your travel circumstances, you can't always do all of these, but even if you adopt just one of these tips the next time you travel, you might find the whole 'getting back to your regular schedule' part a little more enjoyable when you return. You might also find that these tips might help make your travel more enjoyable as well! Just don't forget your workout clothes!

While I'm away, I may or may not be able to post - I've got some great guest blog posts ready to go, but I'm relying wifi for internet access, so I can't guarantee anything. I'll miss you guys while I'm gone, but I also have some exciting things in store for you when I get back. If you're itching for a workout - all of the Fitness Friday workouts are listed on my site! If you're doing a FitYaf workout - be sure to post on Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #FitYafFitnessFriday - I'll be looking!

1. Use your feet as your mode of transportation whenever you can

FitYaf's tips for keeping up with your fitness while traveling

Part of the fun of traveling to a new city is learning your way around and stumbling upon things that were part of the plan for the day. As long as it's a walking-friendly city - walk around! Not only are you moving and burning calories, but you're seeing more of the city!

2. If you're a runner, go for a run!

If you frequently pound the pavement for exercise, whether you're training for a race or just getting your heart rate up, go for a run! Be sure to bring your GPS watch, or study the maps (check out Runtastic) before you head out. Sometimes hotels will even have maps specifically for runners that will list local running routes with distances and/or mile markers.

3. Rent a bike

If you want to see a city, but it's too big to walk all over town - rent a bike! Lots of cities even offer guided bike tours. Just like walking, this is a great way to take in the sites and get some exercise in at the same time!

4. Bring workout DVDs

There are many workout DVDs that don't require any equipment or too much space, so they are easy to pack and great to do in the hotel room! If your hotel doesn't have a DVD player, you're either going to need to bring your laptop or upload your workouts to your tablet or phone before you leave. If you will have your laptop, you can always try some free online workouts. Check out this hotel workout from Melissa Bender at Bender Fitness!

5. Pack some resistance bands

Another great tool that is easy to pack because it doesn't take up too much room is the resistance band. There are so many creative ways you can get a good strength workout in with resistance bands. Real Simple and Greatist offer some great suggestions.

6. Find a gym

If your hotel doesn't have a gym, you can often find local gyms that will allow you to buy a one-day or one-week pass. Some will even let you try them out for free! Plus, there are tons of boutique studios (yoga, spinning, etc) that will have a drop-in rate. You never know who you might meet and what great recommendation for site-seeing you'll get too!

7. Bring a water bottle

You'll have to wait until you're through security to fill up, but if you travel with a refillable water bottle, you know you'll always have water to drink. You won't get stuck on that 6-hour tour without anything to drink (refusing to pay yet ANOTHER $3 for a bottle of water), and you'll always have a calorie-free beverage with you to stay hydrated.

8. Ditch the idea of breakfast, lunch & dinner

One of the best parts of traveling is trying new things, especially the local cuisine. With that "don't want to miss out" attitude, you can easily overeat, which leaves you feeling overly full and not in the mood to go out and explore! While traveling, I like to ditch the idea of breakfast, lunch and dinner and just like to eat on-the-go. Maybe in Italy, you'll come a across a gelato stand, or in Greece, you'll want to sit down for some hummus and baba ghanoush. Eat when you're hungry, but don't stuff yourself - you never know when you'll stumble across something irresistible!

What do you do to keep up with your fitness while traveling?

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Road trip snacks that are easy on the waistline

7/24/2013

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The car is packed, the kids are happily occupied in the backseat, and you're ready to hit the road. But, when stomachs start rumbling, what's the plan? To stop you from making a pit stop at a greasy spoon or swinging through a drive-thru, we've pulled together a list of 15 road trip foods that will keep those hunger pangs at bay--and your car not full of detritus. And, most of them can be taken on a plane as well!

Summertime is for sun, water, relaxation and sometimes a ROAD TRIP - anyone taking a road trip this summer? The car is packed and you're ready to hit the road, but, when stomachs start rumbling, what's the plan? Fast food is an easy choice, but is it the best one? Check out these wasitline-friendly snacks you can keep in the car that will keep those hunger pangs at bay. Taking a flight somewhere? Most of these can be taken on a plane as well!

Waistline-friendly road trip snacks

Road trip snacks that are easy on the waistline

FRUIT
Fruit's fiber and high water content will help keep you full and hydrated as you travel. But, unless you want a messy car, it's best that you either choose fruit that doesn't have a stem, a pit, or an outside covering, or prepare fruit ahead of time and place it into containers.

Calories per serving: 85–105

NUTS
Nuts are highly caloric, but they're also high in healthy omega-3 fats and travel well. Choose raw, unsalted nuts like almonds or walnuts that don't require you to dispose of a shell.

Calories per serving: 85–105

VEGGIES
Veggies also have a high water content the will help keep you full and hydrated as you travel. But, same thing goes for the mess - it's best that you prepare these ahead of time. Add some hummus for extra flavor!

Calories per serving: 20-30 (add about 30 per tablespoon hummus)

POPCHIPS®
This is probably the least healthy option on this list since they're made with potato flour and not whole potatoes, but you could do a lot worse. Plus, they're a Tony Horton–approved road trip snack. You can feel like you're snacking on chips without loading your body up with who knows what.
Calories per serving: 120

SHAKEOLOGY®
Want to take your Shakeology on the road? Just mix a single-serving Shakeology packet (available in Chocolate, Vanilla, Greenberry, Chocolate Vegan, and Tropical Strawberry) with water and shake!
Calories per serving: 130-170

SEEDS
Though high in calories, seeds are high in heart-healthy magnesium and protein. Plus, cracking pumpkin or sunflower seeds open will keep your hands (if you're not driving!) and your mind busy while you're on the road. They can be high in sodium, so just take a look at the sodium levels or consider roasting your own.
Calories per serving (1/4 cup): about 160

HOMEMADE ENERGY BARS
The bulk of prepackaged bars sold at gas stations or convenience stores are loaded with sugar, preservatives and empty calories. These homemade bars can be made in minutes and contain only good-for-you ingredients like fruit and nuts.

Calories per serving: 124

and my all-time favorite go-to travel AND waistline-friendly snack:

PLANTERS NUT•RITION
This one is a combination of some of the already mentioned suggestions, but it's easy, convenient and fits in your purse (well my purse at least)! There are a bunch of flavors, so check the ingredients to stay away from added sugars. They also come in single serving packets. My friends who know me best know that I would never travel without it!

Calories per serving: 150-200

What's your go-to travel snack?

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