HACKS TO HELP YOU STAY HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELING
Love- it's that time of year where you are packing up the car every other weekend to go THIS place or THAT... and somehow along the way, your goals of crushing a 10K (or rocking a bikini) slip to the sidelines. Am I right?
Well. First off... you can ALREADY rock that bikini, love. The only way to truly have a beach body is to: A) put on a bikini and 2) go to the beach. DONE!
But I get it, love. I set quarterly health goals for myself and sometimes, it seems like the SUMMER is a test for my own will-power... can Amber hit her goals this summer, we shall see! It's like American Ninja Warrior... but I'm a contestant, LIFE is the battles and my goal is to CRUSH a marathon come September. Okay, nothing like American Ninja Warrior... but you feel me, right?
Last summer, I thought I was in a run for my money when our little man had intense lokomat therapy in the big "city" every other day for 12+ weeks... which I'm grateful he had the opportunity to undergo this type of therapy; however, it was an 8hr day for mama + the Gillies.
This summer is another TEST of Amber's willpower for health... as we are doing a weird rotation of two weeks in Washington and two weeks in Idaho. Plus, I'll be traveling one day a week to another big "city" for little man's physical therapy one day and another trip to a "city" for equine therapy for him and his twin sis. Needless to say, it's a lot of time on the ROAD for this mama-bear... but I have some health hacks that kept me sane LAST summer + I'll be implementing THIS summer as well, plus a few new ones.
SIDE NOTE: if you want to read some healthy travel tips I shared when we moved cross-country, check it out HERE!
Okay. Here we go...
1. SCHEDULE YOUR TIME
Ugh. So boring, right? But it's crucial. Jot down EVERYTHING, love so that when LIFE surprises (as it will), you are prepped the best you can be! For me, this means scheduling therapy sessions, commute (with 20 minute buffers), when Gillies will wake up and my early morning workouts! I schedule it all down... however, do allow for "white space" as LIFE HAPPENS: the dog may pee on the carpet, you may oversleep and need to get a shorter workout in or traffic! Leave space for LIFE to happen. My favorite planner to use is: Passion Planner!
2. HYDRATE
I honestly believe, I can FEEL your eyes roll with this one... but it's so crucial. I have a horrible tendency NOT to drink a lot of water while I'm driving. Probably because I'm not wanting to make an unwarranted stop when traveling solo with the Gillies. Mama's all business on road trips. BUT this is one I am working on... to help us hit our water intake for the day, we each have our own designated travel water bottle PLUS we carry a 64oz hydroflask with us in the car that gets PLENTY of refills. If the furkids travel with us, they have their own gallon jug with water bowls in the back. We scored fun water bottles at Target for the Gillies that fit oh-so-beautifully in their cup holders PLUS don't spill when they drop them. For me, I use a YETI with a plastic straw. I know... it's a plastic straw, but it's reusable and there's something jaw-clenching, eye cringing about using a metal straw and hearing it hit the sides of the yeti cup. It's like nails on a chalkboard for me! If you want to see which hydroflask we use as a back up for water... check it out, here! I scored ours at a local market.
3. PREP THOSE MEALS
True story, IF I do not take the time to prep the meals for our "therapy days"... I will catch myself driving through the Arby's drive-thru after our little man's physical therapy sessions. Not even going to lie. And I'll be honest, I don't do terrible... I tend to opt for the lettuce-wrap turkey and swiss option.
SIDE NOTE: Who else knew you could get a lettuce wrap version at Arby's, not me until this summer when I didn't prep our meals and ended up there!
But the Gillies will usually ask for either chicken tenders or a pizza slider which isn't the healthiest of things AND I know I have the choice as the parent to give them something healthier but my Gillies aren't going to eat a lettuce wrapped turkey sandwich. PERIOD. And I'm not about wasting money.
So. To save myself the cash from hitting up the only drive-thru on our journey home... and to fuel the Gillies bellies with foods I know are better for them. I meal prep.
I should make a MENU or share with you some of our meals on the road, would that be helpful? Shoot me a DM (or comment below) if you think so! But, usually I'll have one or two small meals for each person along with their favorite snacks.
Little Miss is ALL about larabars (these are her fave!) and Little Man can eat some cashews, not going to lie. For me, I've discovered sprouted pumpkin seeds which are heavenly plus I like snacking on pistachios.
One new recipe I'll be trying out this week for therapy days is a delicious looking "avocado blueberry quinoa salad" which I spotted on another site, Ambitious Kitchen. I'll keep you posted :)
But if you want to read some out-of-the-box tips on how we eat on the go, check out my tips HERE!
4. STRETCH IT OUT
Before we hit the road, I TRY to make sure to get a workout in... it's going to be a long time of me sitting on my rumpus so this is crucial. However, even through the day... the Gillies and I take breaks on the road to STRETCH IT OUT - dance to songs, do "ninja kicks" to stretch our legs, head tilts/neck stretches and even jumping jacks when we get gas, make potty breaks or reach our destination. If hubster is with us, we opt for a walk altogether before getting back in the car and hitting the road. You do your best... and get creative!
5. REST UP
It's the night before your road trip. Books/Toys (which don't light up or make sound) are packed for the Gillies in the car. Meals are prepped and I know what we are munching down on BEFORE we hit the road. I got my workout clothes laid out as well as which workout I am going to "attempt" to crush ;) and the podcasts I'd like to listen to are downloaded on my phone (with a list written out on a notepad I keep in the car)... now what do I need to do? REST!!! Close those beautiful eyeballs and hit some zzz's. Nothing is worse than hitting the road when you are already exhausted, well, I suppose if you had a cause of diarrhea... that would suck. But, sleep deprivation is a close to second.
If you need some quick sleep hacks, I got you covered right here: my tips for a good night sleep!
Whew! And we are done... well, not quite!
BONUS HACKS
- Protect your SKIN. Some folks won't think about their skin when traveling because on road trips, you are basically sitting in a car all day LONG... right? However, many of times the hubster has gotten sunburned on his forearms while driving! So, I make sure to apply sunscreen while we are traveling. The one I currently LOVE is from Beautycounter... and I'm not even going to lie, I use the tinted moisturizer sunscreen (and even use it as my foundation which I learned from GurlGoneGreen thru her Instagram stories. #truth). You can snag your own here:
- Feed Your BRAIN. Road trips are one of my favorite times to transformation the car into a classroom. Everything from business entrepreneur tips, brain + gut health and ultra-endurance training hacks, I listen to all the podcasts! Some of my favorite podcasts include:
- The Mind Your Business Podcast with James Wedmore
- Elevation with Pastor Steven Furtick
- Online Marketing Made Easy with Amy Porterfield
- RISE Podcast with Rachel Hollis
- The MindBodyGreen Podcast with Jason Wachob
- Currently listening to... That Sounds Fun with Annie F Downs, the series where she is breaking down the enneagram!
Alright. That's enough tidbits for you, love. The main thing about road trips and staying healthy is this: just do your best - hydrate - movement - prep for success! But most importantly, just breathe and enjoy the ride. (pun intended)
If you have any healthy travel hacks, then JOIN in on the conversation in our FREE Facebook Community: Brain + Gut Health Explorers! I'd love to hear what helps you because maybe it's something I never thought of... plus, the more you know - the more you can grow!
See you there.
love + gumption.
a.
Brain + Gut Health Explorer
