Healthy Meal Ideas and Exercise Routine While Traveling

Thanksgiving is only a week away and some of you may be on planes, trains, or automobiles heading to see family and friends. 

In an effort not to undo all your hard work staying healthy and trim. I have put together a handful of healthy meal ideas while on the road and a quick exercise routine that involves just you and your body weight. How perfect is that?!

Over the years I have figured out ways to eat healthy while on the road and traveling. So, I put together some suggestions to share with you. Traveling we have limited access to healthy foods, and you don’t want to end up starving and cave to not-so-healthy options like a Snickers?!   

I also put together a great little Tabata workout. If Tabata is new to you, it is very much like circuit training. Where you set a timer (I recommend downloading ‘Interval Timer’ or ‘Tabata Pro’ on your phone) and do each exercise for a designated amount of time, say 30 seconds of work followed by 10-15 seconds of rest, and then move to the next exercise repeating the circuit 2-3 times in a row (one circuit or set is considered completing all the exercises then repeat). Resting for 60 seconds between circuits. You can get a great workout in 15-20 minutes, with no workout equipment required. 

Healthy Meal Suggestions

Breakfast Ideas

Greek yogurt (watch sugar content, try one with no added sugar and/or plain) pair with some fresh fruit and granola

Hard boiled egg or two with whole grain crackers and apple slices

Bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon lox

Scrambled eggs with mixed fruit

String cheese paired with a piece of fruit

Lunch and Dinner Ideas

Sliced Turkey on Whole Wheat or Multi-grain bread with lettuce, tomato, and mustard with carrots, celery, and hummus

Salad with grilled chicken/shrimp/salmon and veggies (tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions), sprinkled with feta or goat cheese, topped with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and vinegar (stay away from creamy and packaged dressing as they tend to be high in fat, sugar, and other chemicals our bodies don’t need or recognize!)

Grilled Salmon/Chicken/or other lean meat with veggies, rice, sweet potatoes, or side salad with EVOO and vinegar

Snack Ideas

Hummus and veggies (carrots, celery, pepper slices)

Almonds or cashews about 1 oz. or 28 nuts

Go Macro Bars

Grass-fed beef jerky or turkey jerky

Apple or banana

Whole grain or gluten free crackers with nut butter

Kale chips

Full Body Circuit

Warm-up

• Jog in place x 45 secs
• Jumping jacks x 45 secs
• Jump rope/hop x 45 secs

Exercise circuit

Deep squats – feet hip distance apart, toes pointing out slightly, holding hands in front of chest to counter balance, bending at the knees, lower down in squat position then pressing through heels to standing – repeat

Superman’s – Lying on stomach, reach hands out in front, legs straight out, toes pointed, inhale reach up through hands and feet, exhale release back towards the ground – repeat

Squat thrusts – from standing, step back into plank, jump knees/legs into a tight ball, then jump up, returning to standing – repeat

Leg raises – lying on back, place hands underneath lower back, palms facing down, keeping shoulders down, engaging lower abdomen, exhale raise both legs 45 degrees, inhale then lower both legs, hovering 1 inch from ground – repeat

Push-ups – (these can be done on the knees) come to a plank position, shoulders directly over wrists, lower the knees down, engage the core, lower down, keeping elbows pressing back, push back up to modified plank position – repeat

Reverse curtsy lunge kicks – start on right leg, from standing position, step right leg back behind left leg in a curtsy, bow down slightly, then step forward with right leg and kick out – repeat; complete one set on right leg then switch to left leg

Abdominal crunches – lying on back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor, heels directly under the knees and inline with hips, bring palms to back of neck to cradle head, engaging the core, lift shoulders up off floor crunching up towards the ceiling on the exhale, and on the inhale releasing shoulders down to the floor – repeat

Triceps dips – (this can be done on the floor or edge of a table or bed) come to reverse table top position, keeping elbows in, finger tips facing in towards you, knees bent at 90 degrees, lower hips/glutes down as elbows bend then press up through triceps to straight arms – repeat

Tabata workout for 30 seconds per exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest, then move to the next exercise; rest for 60 seconds between the set of exercises or circuit; repeat 2-3 times.

Alternative: Do 15 reps of each exercise moving through the circuit, working your way up to 3 sets of each exercise.

Check out my blog post on How to eat healthy while traveling for additional tips.