We are trying something different with this post and we are merging America's Dietitian with a mom and traveler to give you great tips on how to stay healthy and strong when you travel. Enjoy!
Family Travel and Fun with Fitness
by Kendra Thornton
@Kendrathornton
My family usually sticks to
healthy habits. All my kids are active and enjoy sports. At home, I pack
healthy snacks for them to enjoy at school, and we regularly share healthy
meals together. When we go on vacation, it isn’t as easy to stick to a healthy
routine, but I’ve found some tricks that help us stay healthy no matter where
our journeys take us.
1. Drink Plenty of Water
Never limit the amount of water
your family drinks when on vacation. A few extra bathroom breaks aren’t nearly
as inconvenient as the discomfort and dangers of dehydration. This is
especially true when traveling on hot days or spending time outdoors in the
sunlight. My family always takes along
personal water bottles. On especially warm days, I often freeze the full
bottles before we head out.
2. Eat Right When Eating Out
Eating out is a necessity on
vacation. I like to use the same guidelines when on vacation that I use when
eating out near home. I research to find restaurants that serve locally
produced ingredients. I also try to find places that offer healthy menu
options. Places that serve Mediterranean cuisine or offer vegetarian options
are great
places to eat.
3. Play for Fun and Exercise
Play together as a family. This
is important all the time, and on vacation it can help your family get
necessary exercise. Have races and competitions to help everyone stay active.
My family likes to play together at the hotel pool. We’ll compete to see who
can swim underwater the longest or who can swim across the pool the fastest. We
even have splashing contests with one another.
4. Use Hotel Amenities
Many hotels offer fitness
amenities. I like to learn about these amenities before booking my stay. As a
family, we try to always stay at hotels with nice fitness facilities and I
researched these facilities for our upcoming trip to Orlando. With so many places
to stay, sites like Gogobot can be really helpful. Some of my favorite
hotels have yoga classes available to guests. Others have running trails or
bike rentals for guests to enjoy. Pick a hotel that has fitness amenities that
suit your active lifestyle.
You have to be intentional about
keeping your family fit and healthy. When you make a point of keeping to a
healthy routine on vacation, everyone will have a better time. I hope you find
my special tricks helpful the next time you take a family trip.
Food, Fun and Traveling
by Brandi Thompson RDN, LD
@ABCDEatRight1
Traveling is a great place to get in your refined foods. Theme parks,
beaches and family reunions host a number of unhealthy eating choices. This is
also a time of year where you may feel compelled to throw out your healthy
eating habits and give in to the easy route of fast food and quick picks.
Here are five tips for circumventing the junk on your family vacay so that
you don't go home feeling worse than you did before you left for your summer
fun.
Here are 5 things that you can do to
make your vacation healthier.
1. Research rocks-
A little pre-planning goes a long way. After you have picked your vacation
city do a search for healthy fare in the area. Find out which restaurants have
healthier choices. Here are a couple of websites I like to look at: www.vegdining.com and www.happycow.net
2. A little pre-shopping goes a long way-
Let's face it, no matter how hard we try there are very few "clean" options
available at theme parks. The best that we did were salads but we ate at the
best restaurant the theme park had. It's best to bring your own healthy snacks.
When we went to the theme parks we loaded up on dried fruits (mangoes, raisins,
cranberries), dried nuts, Kind bars, apples and oranges as well as bottled
water.
3. Dine in-
When choosing a place to stay, consider a condo or renting a house. The
ability to have a kitchen is by far a life saver when trying to avoid unrefined
foods. Double check to see if you have access to a grill. This is a great way to
spend time with the family in the great outdoors and an easy way to cook
vegetables and lean meats.
4. Hydrate the right way
Don't forget about the importance of hydration. Sometimes being dehydrated
gets in the way of eating healthy. Your efforts to take in extra fluids can lead
to your intake of easy refined foods that are quick to grab when grabbing a
drink. Bring your own water bottle full of water, fresh juice blends or
smoothies.
5. Adventure hunt - Seek out local produce or farmers markets in the
area where you are vacationing. When we were headed down to the Florida Keys we
stopped at an amazing local fruit stand called Robert is Here. Our kids
experienced amazing local tropical fruit and we bought enough local produce to
last us the 4 days we were in Key Largo. To find local farmers markets in your
area of vacationing visit: http://www.localharvest.org/
Have fun during your travels and remember the tips above to make it a healthy and happy time to remember!
Don't miss out on any great tips!
Facebook: Americas Dietitian & ABCD Eat Right
Twitter: @ABCDEatRight1
Website: www.AmericasDietitian.com
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