Keeping fit and healthy on the road is difficult in some cases. You want to enjoy all the new food and desserts but also you don’t want to go back home 15 pounds heavier. On a backpacker budget it is even harder to stay healthy while travelling. Most girls I met in New Zealand were surviving off of ramen noodles for their whole trip. Which is great if you desperately want to save money but terrible for your health and waistline.

Stay healthy while travelling

The most delicious mussels at Sumner Beach

Here are a few trips from a personal trainer so you can stay healthy while travelling on your next long term adventure.

Eat your veggies

Vegetables are a great source of vitamins and minerals to keep your immune system pumped up and fighting any infections or disease. They are also full of dietary fiber, which means they keep you fuller for longer. Adding some vegetables to your meal will help you fill up faster and you are less likely to want to finish eating all those fries on your plate. Vegetables can be a bit more expensive in some places but sometimes it’s worth it because they keep you full for longer so you won’t want another meal in a couple of hours. You can check out some super foods here!

Stay healthy while travelling

Fresh fruit juices in the market in Cusco

Walk everywhere

I always find that I end up walking everywhere on vacation, or at least as much as possible. London and most European cities are just conducive to walking all day. My fitbit went crazy in London racking up 20,000+ steps that day. This is a great way to explore and burn those calories without feeling like a workout. This is the easiest way to stay healthy while travelling. Another option is an active holiday like hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, it’s intense but so rewarding.

Cut back on the booze

I will admit on our Iceland roadtrip we drank a bottle of wine every night which wasn’t really moderation. It depends what you plan to drink, wine is about 100-120 calories per glass depending on the type of wine. Beers can be about 150 calories and up, again depending on the type. One shot of vodka, tequila, whisky, rum or gin is roughly 100 calories but if you mix it with lemonades and cokes the calories quickly add up. Don’t even get me started on cocktails like pina coladas and daiquiris.

A rum and soda would be about 100 calories whereas a rum and coke could be around 150 calories. Imagine going out drinking and you consume about 6 of these and you party every night… That’s a lot of calories and a lot of money. So cut back on the drinks and opt for soda or diet options for your mixed drinks.

Stay healthy while travelling

A celebratory boozy sisters lunch at Sumner Beach

Indulge… but in moderation

On that note, you are on vacation so enjoy it. Have a drink if you want it but avoid binge drinking. Have that ice cream if you want it but probably don’t have the extra scoop that you don’t really need. Even have that amazing handcrafted chocolate that you can only get where you are, but don’t eat 2 packages of it. It’s all about balance.

Stay healthy while travelling

Indulge, within moderation. Where else do you get flower shaped ice cream?

Add some exercise

If you are travelling for a while it’s nice to get into a routine. It’s a bit harder if you are staying in a hostel dorm with 7 other people in there. If you are lucky enough to be in the privacy of your own room or apartment it might be a great idea to add a little workout to your morning routine. You don’t need a lot of weights or space to do this. Here is a quick workout that you can do in 30 minutes before you hit the shower:

50 Squats

40 Jumping Jacks

30 Push ups

20 Lunges

10 Burpess

Repeat 2-3 times.

In this quick workout you get to target the legs, upper body and get in some cardio which is a great way to start your morning.

Maintaining a healthy activate lifestyle while travelling can you make feel better when you come home. If you are like me and get a bit of post-travel depression, the last thing you want to worry about is your weight on top of it. So keep healthy and enjoy your adventure, do not over indulge, walk as much as possible and do have a glass of wine here and there!

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