How to Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle While Traveling

A reader writes, “How can I maintain a healthful lifestyle while traveling for business or pleasure?”
This is a good question because it shows recognition that maintaining a healthful way of life is more easily accomplished when we are at home in an established routine. Because travel places us in a high-risk situation for continuing our healthful lifestyles, we need to recognize, identify, and practice a new set of skills in what is often a less regimented or more busily structured environment, as is the case with vacationing or business traveling.
What to Do?
Think about the health goals you want to maintain while traveling. Examples may be weight maintenance, cardiovascular conditioning, strength training routine maintenance, or simply active rest and relaxation.
Action Steps:
- Seven days prior, write one and no more than two health goals you want to maintain while traveling. Keep in visible area. Read daily to reinforce mentally.
- Five days prior, visualize what your days will look like while traveling and envision accomplishing written health goals in travel destination.
- Four days prior, mentally strategize any barriers that may occur in preventing you from accomplishing health goals while traveling.
- Three days prior, write down possible goal barriers, as well as alternative strategies you will implement if barriers arise.
- Two days prior, pack what is necessary to accomplish health goals. Such items may include appropriate clothing for activity and projected weather, telephone numbers of fitness centers/spas; restaurant and grocery store locations as well as telephone numbers. Include