Keeping Healthy On The Road And At Home
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be a struggle when at home, so imagine what it’s like always being on the road. In busy cities like SF and NYC that have amazing food available on every corner, people all too often fall into a trap of eating out constantly. It’s the easy thing to do. Oh how hard it is to resist a $6 lunch from one of the delicious halal trucks outside of my office in NY or having Caviar deliver me a Chicken Salad from Souvla Greek Style with Sour Cherry Froyo. I don’t know about you guys, but I feel absolutely miserable after eating out more than maybe a weekend’s worth of meals. Ultimately, there’s no way to control the ingredients and there’s a ton of hidden salt, fat, and sugar you don’t know about.
Working out also becomes a struggle on the road. Especially if you’re trying to maintain the same level of fitness you do at home, and fit it into your potentially even busier travel schedule. I for one was especially bad at sticking to a consistent schedule. I’ve had to remind myself that my fitness and health is a priority in my life over hitting up every happy hour I’m invited to.
Now, I’m no where near perfect (maybe the complete opposite of it to be honest), but I think I do a pretty good job at trying keep on top of my diet and exercise even when my life is turned upside down more than half the time…well at least of the weekdays. Everything in moderation you know. Below are some things that I stick to that you may want to get into yourselves.
A Green Smoothie A Day Keeps The Doctor Away
This one is a little harder to do on the road, but if you’re willing to ditch your morning croissant and expensive Starbucks you can always find a juice or smoothie shop that can serve you up some greens. However, it’s important to know the ingredients that are going in your drink first, or else this can end up being laden with sugars from fruits (pineapple and banana are popular ones they tend to sneak in there) that aren’t that great for you. Reasons I drink this are twofold: 1) In case my veggie intake for the day isn’t great following breakfast, which happens a lot on the road, I already get a good amount in the morning, and 2) It’s a great way to kickstart the morning and gives you the energy you need. Here is my recipe for 2-3 servings (depending on how much you like to drink) of my morning smoothies. I like to make these at night and store them in mason jars so they’re ready for me in the morning.
5oz Earthbound Power Greens (this mix makes things really easy, but it can be substituted with a blend of spinach, kale, and any other greens you like)
3 Teaspoons of Spirulina (I use this brand, but any brand will do)
1 Large Handful of Mixed Berries (fresh ones will taste better, but frozen does the job too)
2 Tablespoons of Chia Seeds
16oz Coconut Water (I like Taste Nirvana since it’s cheap and way better tasting than other brands, but you can use whatever you like)
Diet
Like I said, this is a hard one to maintain while traveling and even at home when you’re on the go, but you shouldn’t let that discourage you. I try to keep almost all my breakfasts and lunches clean just in case dinner ends up not being so healthy. For breakfast, refer to my Green Smoothie recipe. I typically also add some protein like eggs or healthy grains if possible. With lunch, I have made it a point to find places around me that stock their menus with lean proteins and veggies packed with flavor. I also keep salad ingredients, fruits, yogurt, and other healthy snacks at work. Snacking can be your downfall, so lately I’ve stocked up on protein snacks that I’ve found on Amazon like these protein dorito-style chips and these crunchy cheese snacks. Typically your local health stores will keep a good stock of interesting ones as well. For dinners I regularly keep a fridge full of lean proteins, veggies, and healthy starches that don’t take long to cook so that I don’t have excuses to get lazy and order delivery. If you live in a state that has bad produce (like New York) stock up on good quality frozen veggies. Something I’ve found to be super helpful in terms of eating healthy is to buy high quality, local ingredients because they taste 1000% better. When your food tastes good, you won’t dread eating it (yes even that stuff you deem rabbit food will taste good).
Don’t forget water! Aim for a half a gallon a day if you can. Something that I have found with traveling is that the climate change can be drastic. In cool/warm, dry places I have no trouble remembering to drink my water, because I’m literally dehydrated and waking up in the middle of the night hacking up a lung. But when it’s cold/cool and humid, I often forget to hydrate. Keeping a 24-32oz insulated water bottle on me at serves as a good reminder to drink my water. Nothing makes me feel more like a failure than realizing I haven’t refilled my water bottle even once by the end of the day. My personal favorite brand is Swell because they easily fit in the drink pocket of my backpack. Hydroflasks are also great, but the width of them is not so optimal for backpacks and often require you holding them in your hand (aka it’s a good way for me to accidentally leave it behind somewhere).
Sometimes I really don’t have time to shop, so I have experimented with a ton of different meal delivery services. The ones I have found to be amazing and totally worth it are Methodology and Hungry Root. Both require some cooking, but your meals will always be ready in 3-5 minutes. What I really like about Methodology is that the menu changes every single week and you’ll get foods here that are local, exotic, and of restaurant quality. You can also mix and match your foods in case there are allergies you have or simply don’t like a certain ingredient. The founder who runs their Instagram is always offering a ton of health advice and food tips, much of which comes from her travels around the world to discover more about diets in other cultures. With Hungry Root, it’s an really great price point for fresh ingredients compared to other extremely expensive meal delivery services. They started out as a vegetarian-only, but have been adding proteins and a ton of new ingredients to their arsenal. What I like about Hungry Root is that you can also jazz up the dish to your liking by adding other stuff in your pantry/fridge.
Work Out Like It’s Summer Bod Season Everyday
Getting the gym can be a struggle, but once you’re there and you finish your workout you feel amazing afterwards. Being on the road or being stressed out at work at home, this is one of the easiest routines to let slip in your life. Everyone has a time of day that works best for them, you just need to prioritize it and not make excuses. For me, I am not a morning person and my workouts in the morning are very subpar since my energy levels aren’t quite there yet until about 9:30am or so. I really like lunch workouts, because they re-energize you for the rest of your workday, but sometimes I don’t have the time to do that so after work typically works best for me. However, if you’ve got time for it I highly suggest you try this out. If I am doing my workout after work I will take my pre-workout so that I force myself into wanting to workout. It gives you that blast of energy you need to go hard in the gym. I use C4, which can be bought at Costco on the cheap. Fortunately, I have a gym built into my NYC apartment, however, there are a ton of other ways to continue working out without having access to a gym. One of my favorite things to do is use running to explore places in a city I may have not otherwise been able to. It’s pretty motivating, especially if it’s a beautiful day out with a picturesque view. So if where you’re staying at doesn’t have a gym or you don’t have the money for a membership, do this! I’ve also found a ton of classes that I deeply enjoy and typically have franchises around in most states. I’ve really come to love HIIT workouts like Barry’s Bootcamp when I’m in SF (which also happens to be in NYC), but I also use ClassPass when I’m in NYC to discover new places that aren’t in SF. If you’re really running strapped for time, a quick 2 mi run and a short ab circuit at home can keep you staying active as well.
Supplement Your Life
I never used to take supplements cause I figured that I ate well enough to get everything I needed. I assure you, there are plenty of things you’re not getting enough of, and on the road your body is undergoing a lot of stress it’s not usually subjected to. Costco is probably your best friend in terms of price and quality. Quality of supplements is super important, so don’t chince out! Below are a list of supplements that I have found that keep my energy levels throughout the day steady and my body feeling as close to 100% as possible, and if you have stuff you take that you’ve found that helps, drop a comment in the post.
Fish Oil: Good source of Omega-3s and can help with that can aid in defending against heart disease and protecting brain function amongst a number of other things.
Turmeric: It’s an anti-inflammatory, adaptogen, antioxidant and even supports heart and brain health.
Magnesium: Contributes towards bone health and optimized calcium absorption, hearth health, improved digestion, and protection against diabetes.
Probiotics: Gut health. Nuff said. I use this brand but have also liked Culturelle in the past.
MCT Oil: Throw this in your morning coffee for an extra pep in your step. I have found that a tbsp of this a day really does wonders for energy, focus, and weight loss.
Sleep
I am so bad about sleep, but having a good night’s sleep can really be a game changer. Try to get an ample amount in no matter where you are. I have found that a good sleep mask can help ease the eyes in addition to emulating complete darkness. I also carry CBD gummies or oils with me everywhere I go. Not only does it help ease body aches, but it serves as a great sleep aid by getting my mind to stop racing towards the end of the night. Something to remember is that CBD is not psychoactive, doesn’t show up on drugs tests, and the hemp derived version of it is legal everywhere now!
Now of course these are things that I have found help me in my day-to-day life, but everyone has different bodies, so it may take time for you to figure out what works best for you. Hopefully these tips have given you some new ideas you want to try out in your health routine.