It’s about that time of year again. Pools, beaches, vacations and more. That’s right, in a few short weeks summertime will be here again. If you’re like most people you’ve spent countless weeks and months in the gym, watching your diet and getting your tan on.
The problem is now that you’re IN SHAPE how do you STAY in shape?
The last thing you want is for your hard work and effort to go unnoticed. We’ve created an all-inclusive guide designed to help you keep in shape even if you’re busy traveling or going on vacation. Enjoying your summer doesn’t have to mean giving up having a good time, all it takes is a bit of preparation and proactiveness.
Let’s dive into how you can stay in shape even when you’re on the go.
Keep your diet in check
Staying in shape starts first and foremost with your diet. You can workout until you go blue in the face, but if you’re not watching what you eat you’ll never reach your true goals. The problem is that eating healthy can be difficult when you’re constantly eating at restaurants and unable to control all your ingredients. However, any restaurant can be made healthy by following a few simple steps. Here’s a few ways you can easily keep your diet in check even when you’re on the road:
- Start with a lean protein: choose some type of grilled protein such as chicken or lean beef. Ask the waiter or waitress if it can be cooked in a healthy manner instead of being deep fried or battered.
- Choose veggies for sides: instead of high carbohydrate sides such as potatoes, fries or chips—substitute these sides for steamed or grilled vegetables. This helps to increase food volume without adding many calories.
- Limit desserts: desserts can add countless calories to even the healthiest of meals. Try to avoid chocolate cakes, cookies, candy and other high sugar options.
- Drink low or zero calorie beverages: drinking your calories can add up quickly. Whether it’s a soda, beer or some other high calorie drink—calories from drinks can add up before you know it.
Simply following these few simple steps can go a long way towards helping you stay on track with your dietary goals. Be conscious of your diet choices and you’ll be one step closer to staying in shape on the go.
Stay active
When you’re traveling with friends or family during the summer time, it can be difficult to follow a normal gym routine. Hotels may have limited workout equipment, if any at all. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still get a solid exercise regime in. Try to follow bodyweight workouts using exercises such as:
- Push-ups
- Sit-ups
- Crunches
- Pull-ups
- Dips
If you don’t want to follow the traditional gym routine or plan, there’s plenty of other ways to stay active. Try to walk to each of your destinations and aim for a designated amount of steps each day. There’s alternative ways to stay active such as going on hikes, kayaking, swimming, paddleboarding and more. Although these activities may seem insignificant, they still help keep your body moving allowing you to simultaneously burn calories and have a good time.
Drink water
Many people often get dehydrated and don’t drink enough water while on vacation. It can be a struggle to consume a sufficient amount of water when you’re on the go. In addition, traveling on planes and other forms of transportation can lead to frequent dehydration.
To combat this potential issue, try to keep a water bottle on hand at all times. This can help you avoid dehydration and water retention. People often underestimate the impact lack of water has on your diet and overall well-being.
Water intake varies from person to person, but a general rule of thumb is that each individual person should consume approximately 0.5 ounces per pound of bodyweight. Individuals that are more active should strive to consume more water to help keep them hydrated during bouts of physical activity.
Be sure to sleep
Lack of sleep can be an issue for people that are constantly traveling and on the go. Ensuring you get adequate amounts of sleep is crucial for health, well-being and overall life productivity. Failure to get proper sleep can result in weight gain, muscle loss and may even slow your metabolism.
Try to aim for at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep per night even if you’re tired from your trip and traveling. Many people fail to recognize the importance of sleep, however, it can make a tremendous difference for maximizing your health and wellness.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about how you can keep your summer body, feel free to reach out for any additional information.