Healthy on the Road :: Summer Paddling

[trip style = active & adventure]

Healthy on the Road is all about the unconventional workout while traveling, and there is no better season than summer for trying something new. Longer days, warmer weather, and hopefully some vacation time create the perfect storm for activities like hiking, sailing, biking, paddle boarding, surfing and kayaking to name just a few. These sports and activities can travel with you, or be awaiting you at your destination. So don’t fret about your gym schedule falling apart this summer, get active outside and enjoy this short season to the fullest!

Try Before You Buy Perhaps you already have an activity in mind which you’ve always wanted to try, or maybe you have the time and resources to get out there and try a bunch; whatever your situation may be, I have one word of caution: try before you buy. Don’t go crazy outfitting yourself with all sorts of gear before you've tried an activity at least once. Rent, borrow, take a lesson, and then decide if this is something you’d really like to go gangbusters with!

Stand Up Paddle Boarding This is the activity which I will be taking off the beaten path this summer. The popularity of this activity has been on the rise, and for good reason---it’s relatively portable, suitable for the beginner to the advanced, creates so many options for adventures and is a great workout.

Paddling I have always loved paddling---canoe or kayak---and appreciated the natural beauty these activities have provided me with opportunities to see, but I’m not such a fan of sitting! Stand up paddle boarding solves this problem. Standing means you can see a whole lot more of your surroundings (including the beauty in the water), while challenging your balance and core. It really is a complete, full body workout. As an added bonus, the flat board is relatively easy to throw on the roof of the car with some foam and bungees, saving you the need for a complicated roof rack system!

I am looking forward to doing lots of exploring on my board this summer on ocean, lakes, streams and waterways, and have already planned it will be a big part of my summer workout routine.

So, whether you’re on your own two feet, a board, a bike or a boat this summer, be safe, work hard and have fun, and enjoy the varied workout options the summer allows!

PS - If you want to rent a canoe, kayak or paddle board this summer in Vancouver, try Ecomarine Ocean Kayak Centre at Granville Island, Jericho or English Bay.

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

More Healthy On the Road… Healthy Road Trip Choices Make Any Trip Style Healthy The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Active, Relax, Repeat Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[photo by wonderlane]

Healthy on the Road :: Road Trip Style

[trip style = road trip]

Road trips are one of my favourite things about summer. The journey allows time to sit still and relax, listen to good music and spend some quality, uninterrupted time with friends or family. Yet, a funny thing happens when you sit for a long period of time expending very little energy, you start to feel lethargic and end up craving unhealthy food. Freeway fare, or items from the carb and sugar family {chips, candy, salty nuts, burger, fries} fill your body with bad fats, calories and little nutrition. And filling your body with crap, leaves you  feeling tired, grumpy and blah, which is no way to start your adventure on the open road!

This weekend I went on a short road trip with a best girlfriend down to Seattle for the day. Nutritionally, the trip started off badly. A rushed, early morning departure left me skipping my regular balanced breakfast and wolfing down a Starbucks scone and coffee instead. Less than one hour later, I felt ravenous again, and what was I craving: another scone, and it wasn't even 8am yet!

Rather than feeling too much guilt about my poor food choices, I decided to focus on what I would do next time, so here’s what I suggest for you (and myself!)...

Healthy Road Trip Food Choices Prepare Ahead of Time Before you leave, pack some healthy snacks in a cooler with ice packs to keep food fresh. Load up on fresh-cut veggies, fruit, skim milk cheese strings, nuts (unsalted almonds, cashews, or walnuts), sandwiches (peanut butter or some lean meats) and plenty of water for sipping throughout the trip. If you don’t have these items at home or are travelling into the USA, bring the cooler and stop at a grocery store before hitting the road or once you've crossed the border.

Eat A Good, Balanced Breakfast Your grandma was absolutely right, it is the most important meal of the day. There is no better way to rev up your metabolism. The more balanced your breakfast, the less likely you are to have cravings throughout the day.

Have Some Snacks to Settle A Queasy Tummy I may just be speaking for myself, but I find my stomach gets a bit unsettled on long road trips, making me want dry food like breads, pastries and chips even more! Bringing along baked, whole grain crackers will help settle your tummy without the salt, sugar and extra calories.

If Service Stations Are Your Only Option Protein bars can make a good meal substitute, but read labels to select one lower in sugar and calories. A bag of pretzels isn’t a balanced snack, but it’s better than a bag of BBQ chips.

Coffee Shops Look for options other than pastries and muffins. For example, at Starbucks I would have been better off if I had chosen their “Protein Platter”---a lovely variety of grapes, hard-boiled egg, pita, peanut butter, and apple slices---for my most important meal of the day. If you want something sweet, opt for a bran muffin {which has more fibre so the sugar won’t enter you bloodstream so quickly} and you will feel fuller longer.

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

More Healthy On the Road... Make Any Trip Style Healthy The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Active, Relax, Repeat Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

[photo by patxi Izkue]

Healthy On The Road :: Make Any Trip Style Healthy

[trip style = any]

For every trip style, there are many fun and exciting ways to stay healthy. If you really want to treat yourself to a vacation that returns you home healthier than when you left, consider a more active trip style; perhaps one that involves an adventure or a chance to try an activity you've always wanted to experience. Personally, I would love to head to Central America and spend a couple weeks at Monty’s Beach Lodge in Nicaragua: surfing, relaxing and giving back to the local community. Sounds pretty healthy to me!

Regardless of whether your trip style of choice has healthy renewal built in or not, any one can be infused with energy. It might take a little more intention on your part, but it’s so worth it! Here are some ideas:

All-Inclusive Last month Healthy on the Road shared the importance of putting some routine into your all-inclusive experience. With anything you need and want at your fingertips, this trip style can leave you feeling refreshed or gluttonous. While you’re spending time planning out your meal reservations on day 1, why not devote some time to planning out an activity schedule? Check out the classes being offered at the fitness centre, find a pool that accommodates laps or deep water running, or choose a time to walk or run on the beach.

Beach Walking or running on the beach requires you to use (and therefore burn!) about twice as much energy compared to doing these activities on hard surfaces. It's delightful to walk barefoot on the sand, but for walks that amount to anything more than a stroll, wear a good pair of shoes to avoid problems like shin splints. Sport sandals, like Tevas, are a good option if you don’t want your sneakers to get soggy in the tide. And don’t forget about sun protection---waterproof/sweatproof sunscreen, a hat, a light quick-drying shirt and a bottle of water are musts when you’re active in the sunshine!

Camping & Glamping This one seems easy to me, especially if you’re anywhere in beautiful British Columbia. Opportunities to hike, walk, ride, paddle and explore await you outside your tent, trailer or yurt! Before you pick your destination, think about some of the activities you'd like to do. For example, some destinations are known for fantastic hikes, while others might boast incredible biking.

Cruising Like the all-inclusive trip style, the decision to stay healthy while cruising is yours. Looking at the glass half full, there are many opportunities to embrace health. Bottomless food and drink and lounging await you, so be sure to visit the delicious salad and seafood buffets first, rather than load your plate with fried, fatty food. The elaborate evening meals are wonderful, but you don’t HAVE to order desert EVERY night---try every other night, or better yet, sharing one dessert with your travelling companion. In terms of getting active, like I mentioned earlier, make some plans on day 1: join a fitness class, walk the decks, take the stairs and choose active excursions.

Spa Mind, body and soul retreats are becoming very popular, and for good reason: they will leave you feeling fabulous. Mani/pedis, massages and facials are a delightful treat, but your heart, joints, soul and mind need some pampering too. Consider visiting a spa that embraces a holistic approach to wellness with good workout facilities or daily hikes and healthy fare.

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month. Note that this month's Healthy On The Road is being published one week early, because next week Trip Styler will be doing "research" while living castaway-style and hanging with turtles on the Great Barrier Reef.}

Related The 20-min Exercise Itinerary Active, Relax, Repeat Healthy DIY Plane Snacks Hotel Room Exercises {You can do in your underwear}

Healthy on the Road :: 20-min Exercise Itinerary

[trip style = all-inclusive]

I am writing this post from Puerto Vallarta Mexico. We’re staying at a family-friendly, all-inclusive resort, with my husband’s side of the family. The weather has been perfect and the resort is lovely, but I have a confession to make: my expectations for rejuvenation weren’t too high for this trip! Good thing I was wrong, and my husband and I made a simple, daily exercise schedule to keep our bodies and minds sharp!

The Daily Schedule I am literally amazed that we are entering week two feeling relaxed, healthy and energetic. How did this happen?! I was sure my husband and I would be sick, or at the very least burned out by now. Our answer: the daily schedule we were once dreading.

Good Timing Up until very recently we were the couple in the family without kids. Nap times did not dictate our daily schedule, nor did the operating hours of the froggy slide. Things are different now, but much to our surprise, the change has been a very good thing.

A New Itinerary In the midst of our new “itinerary”, my husband and I have made an exciting discovery: a plan does not take the fun out of a holiday, rather it makes play---or rest, or work, or whatever you need out of your holiday---possible! Once we worked through some initial growing pains, we realized that our new routine is actually infusing tons of life and energy into our days.

Day 1 - The Plan On day 1, we made a plan for spelling one another off to give us both a chance to exercise, read, swim in the adult pool, have a drink at the bar, whatever, as long as chasing a two year old wasn’t involved. Spending time as a family was still our biggest priority, so these breaks required efficiency.

The 20-Min Workout I love my daily exercise, but I also love to read on the beach, my solution: a very simple, efficient 20- to 30-minute workout. The fact that my husband has adopted this daily practice as well is truly incredible. Typically, on vacation, he would prefer to call a round of mini golf his workout for the day. Now, he can’t get over how much more energetic he feels from devoting a short amount of time to intense and efficient daily exercise.

Running – For a short workout, running is a fabulous way to get the most bang for your buck. Alternating the morning or afternoon “shift”, I either hit the beach or the treadmill. When I’m on the treadmill, I have a good hard run for 20 minutes...that’s it. I add variety with 1-minute sprints or hills. Twice a week I’m doing a quick circuit routine after my treadmill run (could be done on the beach too) of 3 strengthening exercises (e.g. 10 push-ups, 10-12 forward lunges with overhead reach, and 30 for the core; repeat twice).

So that’s it! Combined with earlier nights and regular wake-up times, we’re feeling great and are returning home truly relaxed, refreshed AND invigorated.

Whether you are parenting on your vacation or not, try making a plan with whomever you are travelling, to ensure you accomplish all you want and need to do!

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

Related All-Inclusive Month... Active, Relax, Repeat Healthy DIY Plane Snacks

[photo by heather0714]

Healthy on the Road :: Active, Relax, Repeat

[trip style = active]

{Editor's Note: Below is Leah's (our healthy on the road contributor) account of a recent active weekend away. What I love about her winter wonderland escape is the mixture of activity and relaxation, and as you'll read, this was the perfect refresher.}

A Call to Play With a frozen lake right outside our front door and a gorgeous mountain minutes away, the call to play was clear. I just returned home from a long weekend away with aching muscles and a deep sense of satisfaction. My short getaway to Smithers, a small town in northern BC, had it all: great friends, delicious meals, late nights and lazy mornings. However, there was one thing we did every day which made these luxuries all the more enjoyable, we were physically active. Looking at the light, fluffy snow I simply could not wait to get out there!

New Recruit to Trip Style = Active I would like to point out that our friend, who only recently moved to Smithers on account of her husband’s job, was somewhat new to physical activity, and therefore unsure of how much fun {and rewarding} it would be. Personal reservations aside, our gracious hostess had everything set-up and planned so that we could make the most of our short time together. We drove from the airport directly to the sports shop to rent our cross-country gear. Before the first day was over we had already enjoyed a ski around the lake and a lazy afternoon catching up over coffee!

Pro{Active} Decisions It can be hard to make pro{active} decisions when lounging on vacation is so darn appealing, but the fact that we planned in advance to cross-country ski twice and downhill once, provided us with just enough of a schedule to make things happen. It was the perfect mix of winter-inspired activity followed by an exercised-induced relaxation.

A Good Dose of Balance I can honestly say that I have never returned home from a short getaway feeling so refreshed. My muscles were worked, my mind was rested, and my spirit was lifted. What’s even cooler is the fact that our newly active friend loved every moment of it too---even the tougher aerobic challenges left her beaming with satisfaction at the end of the day. That’s what a good dose of balance will do!

{When she’s not training clients or being trained by her dog Zuzu, Leah writes Healthy on the Road, published the first Thursday of every month.}

[photo by @tripstyler]