Healthy on the Road :: Run Time

One of the easiest and time-efficient ways to stay fit while traveling is to jog. In safe destinations, I love to run around the area surrounding my city hotel, or jog along the beach at my resort. In not-so-safe areas, I opt for the hotel's treadmill. Although I like the peacefulness of running by myself, running with a group is much more motivating, and until now, that's been hard to achieve while on the road.

A Run Concierge? Westin Hotels offers a running program aimed at helping guests keep up with their fitness routines while enjoying the fresh air and views of the city. Led by a running concierge (how cool is that?), and taking place three times a week, the three-mile runs welcome runners of all levels. What a great way to stay in shape and see the surrounding area! The only drawback? Running Concierges' aren't at all Westin Hotels, yet; they mostly occupy Westin's Asia Pacific hotels and three properties in Dallas. But if want to venture out on your own, many Westin Hotels also have three- and five-mile running/walking routes designed and certified by Runner's World Magazine.

Alternatives to Running Walking As obvious as this might seem, walking the same routes mentioned above or on the hotel gym's treadmill is a good way to keep active while on a business or I'm-going-to-be-sitting-a-lot type of vacation. One nice surprise when I got back from a month in Europe and Africa last year: because I'd walked so much while sightseeing, I wasn't completely out of running shape when I returned home!

Water running If your hotel doesn't have a gym, but has a pool, try water running instead. Water running wwwhhhaaattt? Rather than doing the typical egg-beater treading-water motion, replace this with the running motion with full arm and leg swings to propel you up and forward. Although the water's resistance doesn't allow you to move quickly and it's fairly tiring at first, do it in small bursts keeping your chin above water. I've done this a lot on vacation when I haven't felt like treadmill-ing or there isn't a gym! It's a great alternative to pounding the pavement!

— Get more travel tips and updates like this by subscribing to RSS or email. —

Healthy on the Road is published on the first Thursday of every month. Check out our other tips for healthy travel here.

[photo by lululemon athletica]

Healthy on the Road :: Nordic Walking

[trip style = active]

Have Poles Will Travel Nope, we're not talking about traveling to the Sweden or Norway to walk 'till you drop, but rather packing collapsible poles in your suitcase for an efficient and effective travel workout! The term “Urban Poling” has caught on as the practice of Nordic Walking in urban centres. But walking poles aren’t confined to urban use---whether your travels take you on city streets, seawalls, or a hike through the Himalayas, a pair of poles can go with you.

The Reputation is on the Rise Nordic Walking is an activity that has been practiced in Scandinavia for years and is true to the Scandinavian reputation for commonsense and healthy living. The good news is that the trend is quickly catching on in North America and participation is on the rise. Without walking any harder or faster, people report feeling more energetic when walking with poles---not too shabby for a full-body workout that doesn’t leave you sweating profusely or short of breath.

Benefits of Urban Poling

• Easy to pack: Collapsible, telescoping poles can conveniently be tossed into your suitcase.
• Convenient: You need to walk every day, so why not pack your poles and add the additional benefits of upper body strengthening.
• Easy to learn: Urban Poling is simple and suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels.
• Efficient: Nordic walking increases caloric energy expenditure by approx. 20%.
• Core strengthening:  The selling feature for many! Poling engages your core and improves strength and posture.
• Easier on your joints: Urban Poling reduces stress on your joints, especially your knees.
• Readiness: Hit-up the cross-country ski season already in shape---now you're fully channelling the Scandinavian ideal!

Note: For those with mobility challenges, recovering from an injury, or dealing with a chronic condition such as arthritis, Urban Poles can provide you with the additional stability and support you need. If you fit into any of these categories it is recommended you consult with a physical or occupational therapist before commencing a poling program.

If you would like more info, assistance in ordering and purchasing, or a 1:1 consult before travelling, please contact Leah Munday at OTfit. Learn more about Nordic Walking and purchasing a pair of poles at Urban Poling.

[Healthy on the Road posts are published on the first Thursday of every month.]

Healthy on the Road :: Biz Travel & Eating

[Happy Canada Day! Today I'm in Canada's Capital for the occasion. I'll post pictures Monday] The Business of Eating Healthy for Business Travel Eating nutritiously while traveling may seem like an impossible challenge, especially for you business travelers out there. If you’re travelling for pleasure, indulging in less-than-balanced cuisine may be just the treat you were looking forward to, so enjoy, but try to be mindful to enjoy in moderation. However, for the business traveler who is regularly on the road, it’s much, much more important to have a plan of attack.

Lack of Routine Lack of routine is a huge culprit here. For the business traveller, it’s often numerous meetings, hurriedly navigating an unfamiliar city, grabbing whatever food is convenient or dining clients with rich foods and drinks.

How to Avoid Nutrition Traps on your Travels Eat Healthy When Eating Out You don’t have to order steak just because you’re at a steak house! Your heart will thank you for it. Learn to choose healthier menu choices while still enjoying great tasting food. Some tips:

• Look for the entrées that are described as: grilled, baked, steamed, or broiled.
• Avoid dishes that are fried, sautéed, crispy, rich, and au gratin. These are code words for high in fat.

Beware of Fast Food In fact, try to avoid it all cost. Time constraints make this “cuisine” all too appealing, but try to find alternatives as often as possible.  If you absolutely must eat fast food, here are some tips:

• Opt for smaller portion sizes.
• Choose healthier side items such as salads instead of fries.
• Drink water instead of pop.
• Skip heavy condiments such as mayonnaise, bacon and dressing that add extra calories.

Watch What you Drink A glass of wine with dinner is a reasonable expectation for most, but it's the calories in the pre and post-dinner drinks that can put you over the top. Being in a foreign city, travelers often have no where left to go at the end of a day, which means dinner and drinks can stretch on for hours. Some tips:

• Avoid those pre-dinner cocktails or post-dinner binges
• Space Your Drinks: alternate a drink of water, juice or soda between your alcoholic beverages to limit your consumption.

Eat Breakfast Most people give a variety of reasons for not eating breakfast. A common reason is that they are not hungry in the morning, which is usually a result of eating a full meal late in the evening or late snacking. Whatever your reason for not having time for breakfast, change it!  Starting with a good breakfast boosts your energy and readiness for the day ahead. Skipping breakfast causes low blood sugar, low energy, and decreased work productivity.  Some tips:

• Try having some fruit, healthy bars, or small pots of yogurt on-hand for a quick breakfast on the go.
• Avoid relying on those unhealthy pastries awaiting you at your conference or meeting.
• If you are trying squeeze in some extra work pre-meeting, multitask and do work at breakfast.

Be sure to check out previous Healthy on the Road posts to learn more about the advantages of being of being active while traveling, as well as the health benefits of eating well on the road.  Healthy on the Road posts are published on the first Thursday of every month and written by our resident health consultant, Leah Munday, owner of OTfit.ca.

--- Get more travel tips and updates like this by subscribing to RSS or email. ---

[photo by UggBoy]

Healthy on the Road :: All you can Eat

Famous Last Words All-inclusive resorts are famous for their massive "all you can eat" spreads of local and North American cuisine--often hotels offer mammoth breakfast buffets too.

Buffet-Induced Brain Damage I love a great spread of food as much as the next person, but don’t enjoy the ensuing buffet-induced brain damage. Seriously, if you haven’t experienced it yourself (I don’t believe you, by the way), you have observed others taken down by this acute affliction: filling our plates with enough calories to last our entire vacation, only to feel ridiculously over-full by the end of the meal...or very wasteful as we observe half of our second helping being cleared when we finally decided to throw in the towel.

Breakfast at Home vs Away We recently spent an incredible 2-weeks in Israel. Breakfast and dinner were included in the hotel package. For me and my husband, a typical breakfast at home usually consists of a bowl of porridge, yogurt, or cottage cheese topped with some yummy nuts and fruit and a cup of coffee. For some reason, when on holiday, my concept of what I need would satisfy a linebacker!

Buffet Option OVERLOAD! Brief overview of the buffet territory we covered: 1) the table filled with food more customary to the country (in Israel: delicious variety of salads, breads, local olives, and fish) 2) the pastry station...warm croissants 3) the omelette station – how fun! Must make more room on the plate for that! 4) oh wait...what’s that over there? - the waffle and pancake station...awesome! Suddenly, CRISIS STRIKES - I have no more room on my plate! What am I going to do!?  Guess I will just have to come back for seconds. What other option do I have?

Wake Up Snap out of it! I know better...so why is this happening? In short, I am facing all sorts of options that I never prepare at home, for obvious reasons, such as time.  There's another reason, it’s the thing that's often tossed when people travel: HEALTH AWARENESS. Generally, at home in my regular routine, I know what my body needs on a sub-conscious level. I know that eating 2 plates of waffles, eggs, bacon, toast, hashbrowns etc. won’t be sitting too well when I arrive at work, run errands, or do a morning workout.

Out of our Regular Routine I have concluded that part of the reason we engage in such gluttonous activity while traveling, is partly because we are out of our regular routine. We’re not heading out to the office, nor are we planning to workout, in fact, our grand plan for the day is to drag our over-full selves to the poolside, fall into a lawn chair, and roll into the water when we need to cool off.

EAT-A (Enjoyment, Appreciation, Thankfulness, Awareness) After about 5 days of experiencing buffet-induced brain damage, and the poor digestion and low energy that accompany indulging, I concluded that a plan of attack was needed. I set out to be more aware of WHAT I was putting on my plate and choose MOSTLY healthy options. I say mostly, because, hey, I’m on vacation!

Enjoy Those Extra Calories Choose where to cheat and where to save calories.  For example, if I channel my inner Martha Stewart, I can make waffles and pancakes at home, but chocolate-filled croissants are a treat I love and wouldn't even try to make, so I put one on my plate. I set out to be mindful and aware of the treat I was choosing and really savour it; as for the rest of my plate, I Ioaded it up with all the incredible healthy options like: protein, whole grains, local fruits and veggies, etc...

Thankful With all this talk of food and *choosing* to make healthy eating decisions while we travel, I'm thankful for: - food and the fact I have never known what it means to go hungry - the opportunity to taste local delicacies - the incredible fare that has been prepared for me to sit back and enjoy!

Be sure to check out previous Healthy on the Road posts to learn more about the advantages of being of being active while traveling and the health benefits of desiring good-for-you food in reasonable portions.  Healthy on the Road posts are published on the first Thursday of every month and written by our resident health consultant, Leah Munday, owner of OTfit.ca.

[photo by lookslikeamy]

Healthy on the Road :: Walk to Keep Fit

Walk your Way to a Healthy Body, Mind & Soul Walking is an activity that most of us do every day, whether at home or travelling…we need to walk!   So why not try to make walking your main form of daily exercise the next time you travel.  This simple yet effective activity can keep your energy levels high, your immune system strong, and your stress levels low.

The Most Popular Prescription in the World If a daily fitness walk could be packaged in a pill, it would be one of the most popular prescriptions in the world. Many experts believe that taking 10,000 steps a day (about 8km), measured with a good pedometer, is all that’s necessary to achieve health benefits.

Pedometers Pedometers count the number of steps you take each day; they are discreet, beeper-like gadgets often referred to as the ‘conscience on your hip’. They are an effective and simple way to measure daily activity…or lack of! By tracking your steps, your pedometer can motivate you to make the decision to walk whenever possible to accumulate more. A high quality pedometer costs about $20, and is available online or in most sports stores.  More information about  pedometers can be found at Pacific Rim Wellness.

Travel Walking Tips • Plan for a continuous 30 minute brisk walk on most days. • If travelling for pleasure, consider joining a walking tour. • Walk the golf course…or part of it. • Opt to take the stairs whenever possible (even if just part way). • Pack some comfortable sneakers and clothing. • If travelling in a hot climate, plan for a brisk walk in the early morning or evening. • If travelling for business, try a ‘walking meeting’ to stir up some energy and clear thinking, or hit the gym and walk while you watch the nightly news or preferred tv show.

[Stay tuned for more Healthy on the Road posts on the first Thursday of every month, written by our resident expert, Leah Munday, owner of OTfit.ca.]

Related "Healthy on the Road" Posts Break Routine Not Activity Forethought & Discipline

[photo by LaPrimaDonna]