5 Tips to Stay Healthy on the Road

In honor of my road trip to Dallas this week, I pulled together my top 5 tips to keep it healthy while on the road.

Avoid eating foods that will leave you feeling depleted, bloated, and tired. Making better food choices will have a positive impact on your leisure time.

You don't have to let travel put a dent in your healthy lifestyle.

1. Fast Food isn't your only option for meals.

While fast-food joints seem to be the easiest place to stop while on the road, your food choices will be limited to fast food. If you stop at a grocery store that offers whole or healthy foods—fruits, bagged carrots, nuts, hummus—or a supermarket that features a salad bar, you quickly expand your choices (and reduce junk-food temptations).

2. Pack healthy snacks.

Often when traveling, you don't have access to food at regular intervals. Or worse, we skip meals to indulge later. The problem is, your body responds as if it's facing a food shortage and your metabolism slows way down to prevent you from starving. My go-to on the road snacks are: almonds, Shakeology, raw vegetables and hummus, fresh and dried fruit. For the items that need to be kept cold, I make sure to pack my thermo lunch box with an ice pack.

3. Stay hydrated.

Drinking plenty of water will flush your body of toxins, keep your skin fresh, and keep you full! It will also help you avoid travel lag, symptoms of overexposure to the heat or sun, and junk-food cravings. Believe it or not, many of the unhealthy cravings we experience on the road can be satisfied with a refreshing drink of pure water.

4. Get your body moving at rest stops.

Sitting in a car for hours is never fun. When you hit those food and pit stops, make sure to stretch out and move those limbs! You can wake your body up with jumping jacks, squats, lunges, quad stretches & more.

5. Keep your brain active.

Bumpin' tunes can be fun to sing along to, but an audio book or podcast can help pass the time and help you exercise your brain while driving. You'll learn something new AND make the miles fly by.