When you go on vacation the last thing you want to do is exercise. Who wants a healthy vacation? Eating, seeing the sites, and relaxing on the beach are perfect for traveling. Recently I had the pleasure of going to Australia and told myself that I had to keep up with my exercise and eating habits. Where they perfect? No. But I have some tips and thoughts for being healthy when on vacation a little easier.
Run the City On Vacation
Going to Australia was amazing, but the time different threw me off completely. It is an 18 hour time difference so when my family was in the middle of their day, I was just waking up a day later. The first few days this was great because I was getting up at 4:00 am and able to get out the door early for a adventurous morning run.
Melbourne is similar to New York City in that it is the financial area of the country. Big city buildings lined the streets where I passed shops like Gucci, Christian Louboutin, and Prada to name a few. Thankfully the shops were closed making it simple to just run past them every morning.
If you know me, you know that I am not an outdoorsy person. Animals are not my favorite and Australia had it’s fair share of animals that freaked me out. Near our hotel there was a park with paths I would run on every morning. So many times there were opossums scurrying around scaring me one after the other. A opossum in Australia is different than what we are used to. They’re are cuter, but when you’re not expecting them they sure can freak you out.
Running was by far my favorite thing to do while out of the country. It was a great way to see the city and it was totally FREE. That’s always a great thing when you are trying to save every cent you can in a country where things aren’t cheap.
So there is tip number one: RUN!!! It will make your day feel better, you will feel better, and the adventures you will have will be priceless.
Grab Some Fruit for the Day
Next, are you staying at a hotel? If so, they usually have apples (or fruit of some sort) in a basket at the front desk. Try to eat at least two of those a day. This is a simple way to get your fruit and fiber in, and again it’s FREE. I love free tricks that keep you on the right track. I loved eating the apple every morning when I would come in from my run. The front desk quickly learned my routine and would remind me to grab my apple as I came in and when I left for the day.
The fruit is great too because you can throw it in my bag and it can stay with you the entire day. You don’t have to worry about it at all. If you aren’t staying in a hotel, get fresh fruit while you’re out. I loved this in Sydney because they had fruit that I wouldn’t normally eat: star fruit, figs, and more. It was a fun way to try new things and feel like I was doing what the Aussies do.
Staying Hydrated
What’s better than eating fruit all the time? Drinking plenty of water. When you get to where ever you’re going buy a bottle of water. After that, refill, refill, REFILL!!! So many times I was filling up my water bottle making sure I was staying hydrated. Not only will you stay hydrated, but all the water drinking keeps you feeling full. That way you don’t feel like you are eating too much.
Where I staying in Sydney we constantly walked past a spout of fresh spring water where you could fill up your bottle. Also, at the ocean there were places to wash the sand off your feet, but also fill up your bottle with purified drinking water. Another great thing about this is soda in other countries is way more expensive. Constantly filling up your water bottle saves you so much money you will be grateful you did this.
Steps on Steps on Steps
Maybe running isn’t your thing on vacation, but one thing that should be your thing is walking. Again, this saves you TONS of money. Of course, I couldn’t walk everywhere in Australia because you have to take a ferry to get to certain beaches. I absolutely loved walked all over the city.
In college, I went to New York City all the time. I loved walking because I saw things I never would have if I would have been driving. Same happened in Sydney, but I will tell you I did get scared by the huge bats (aka flying foxes). They were huge and picture the scene in Wizard of Oz when the Wicked Witch send off her flying monkeys. That is what the bats were like. Thankfully there weren’t a lot during the day, but once the sun started setting it was like walking in a jungle.
Really, enjoy your vacation. I wasn’t perfect, but I tried my best to eat healthy, walk everywhere, and drink tons of water. Do you have tips that you follow when traveling to keep healthy? Let me know.
