By John Valentik, MS, CSCS, NASM-PES, FMS

This summer has been the busiest one of my life, aside from when my best friend and I backpacked through Europe for 30 days after we graduated college. Side note: if you ever get an opportunity to do anything along those lines, do it! Fast forward to 2024, Paige and I have been going nonstop. Boston, the Poconos twice, Atlantic City, Baltimore, and now the Outer Banks; if Paige and I were to just say we’ll get back on our wellness goals after the travel stops, the entire summer and a lot of our health ambitions would be a wash.

While it usually isn’t the first thing on our radar when planning a trip, it’s important to proactively think about what you’ll eat and do for your fitness when you’re in another part of the state, country, or world. It’s not easy, nor is it expected that you eat perfectly or exercise every day, but without being proactive about these two things, it will be darn near impossible.

When traveling, I tell my clients and students that the main goal should be maintenance. If you’re on vacation like we are right now, I have zero expectations about being perfect with my nutrition, alcohol consumption, and exercise frequency/intensity. I am deliberate, though, about making sure I consume enough protein and water in addition to the chips, cookies, and whatever else the kids leave behind for me! As far as exercise is concerned, I usually bring my running shoes, some bands and maybe my basketball depending on the location. With maintenance being the goal, you don’t need much equipment as your body weight can serve as the main option. Check out an earlier article this year on resistance training for some reminders.

So, if you know that maintenance is the goal, and you don’t need to be perfect with nutrition, the stress should diminish while still being able to enjoy yourself. You’ll also feel a lot better about your goals when you return from travel at or around the same body weight and not feeling like a total slug. Here are some general suggestions for you the next time you are traveling.

• Research the location. Is there a hotel gym? Is the area runner/walker friendly? Any local parks around for some body weight and band exercise? Any grocery stores nearby?
• Come prepared. Bring your exercise shoes, bands, and some light dumbbells. Do you need to bring any healthy snacks or whey protein since options may be limited?
• Accept imperfection. Again, maintenance is the goal. Your exercise frequency and intensity will most likely be lower than what you’re accustomed to. If you normally exercise 3-4 times a week and hit 2 times, that’s a win! The goal is to minimize the setbacks that you experience when you return home.
• Hydrate. I don’t mean beer or margarita’s! We all know we need to drink more water. For the why’s and how to’s, check out Paige’s article.
• Get those steps in. With an increase in calories and a decrease in caloric expenditure from exercise, deliberately getting more steps can help contribute to those maintenance goals.

Enjoy and safe travels!