Hello to all of the gym rats and fitness gurus like me! For those who don’t know me I’ve been at this for over 20 years. Daily runs and 4-6 days at the gym has been my lifestyle since I was 17 years old, and certified as a personal trainer at 26 years old. Fitness is so much a part of me and who I am that even while traveling I can’t imagine slacking off. In the last few years of my life traveling has been more and more of a passion for me. I want to do it even more (I got the thirst for it)! I want to travel more and more, but unfortunately I feel like I’m losing a lot of my efforts in the gym each time, especially if I’m gone from home more than a couple weeks.(I know someone can relate out there). Poor food and nutrition choices, no healthy home cooking, being tired from travel and skipped workouts all amount to sabotage. Last time I traveled we were in Greece for almost a month and then took a two week cruise! It was fabulous…. except for the extra 16 pounds I’d brought back with me along with the suvineers! I’m writing this article 6 months later. I’ve spent countless hours developing the perfect combination of travel and fitness tricks to keep you in tip top shape while sipping Ouzo in Santorini! I want you to experience all the wonders, and foods, of your beautiful travel destination without having to sacrifice your hard earned body! Here in this blog I will discuss several fitness and nutrition hacks that will keep you from losing what you worked hard for in the gym while also enjoying the beautiful beaches and sunsets that await you on your travels!

1: how to have your cake (or wine) and eat it too.
OK ladies, and gentlemen, how many of you know that part of the glory of traveling is trying the local foods and drinks. Who can expect you to travel on a diet of celery and tunafish without even tasting the glorious delicious foods of the country or city that you are indulging yourself in. Everyone knows that to immerse yourself in the culture you have to also immerse yourself in the cultures food and who would want to miss out on such a beautiful thing! But the struggle can be real. When you’re trying to balance keeping your hard earned gym body with the luxury of eating cheesecake and drinking red wine. It can feel like a lose lose situation, so here I’m going to share with you my trick on how to win with both your body and enjoy the local foods.
A. Calculate it into your caloric balance. Go ahead and eat that slice of cheesecake but make sure you add it into your daily calories. Don’t eat 2000 cal worth of normal food and then another 500 cal in cheesecake make that cut somewhere else in your calorie budget.
B. Look for the leaner and greener versions of the meals that you want to eat at the restaurant. For example, if they’re serving fried shrimp and a plate full of mashed potatoes covered in butter or the option to have a grilled steak and a delicious herb salad drizzled with olive oil go for the latter. You’re still experiencing the culture and it’s delicious food but without making huge sacrifices in your calorie department.
C. Don’t underestimate the power of water! Wherever you go make sure to have a bottle of water with you this will not only curb extra cravings, but will keep your body efficient at flushing out unnecessary calories.
D. Don’t be too hard on yourself. If you do go out with friends in splurge on a night with cocktails and hors d’oeuvres don’t hate yourself and feel like everything is lost. Just get back on your healthy eating for the next day and trying to limit these occasions.

2: Walking is King!
so maybe going for a two hour run every single day it’s not going to happen while you’re on vacation, but make use of walking. Walking not only burns a ton of calories, but it jumpstart your metabolism and helps keep the weight off. Every opportunity you have to walk, take it whether it be choosing the stairs instead of the elevator at the hotel or walking the few extra blocks instead of taking the subway. Hot tip: Try to aim for two consecutive sessions of 30 minutes of walking a day. Whether it be on the beach or through a beautiful city try to get the walks in.

3. Workout when you can, use what you got.
This might make some of y’all laugh, but I get my workouts in however and whenever I can. Obviously I cannot travel with a fully loaded gym which bums me out lol. Even though I cannot access a fully loaded gym with weights, dumbbells and barbells I can still make use of the things I have. Backpacks, and suitcases work well for adding extra weight to your calisthenic workout. Whether you’re getting ready in the morning or settling in for the night you can easily squeeze in a 30 minute calisthenic workout.

4: Get your Zzz’s

Those of us in the health and fitness industry understand just how important getting a good nights sleep is to maintaining your fitness goals. Sleep is important not only to maintain your energy to power your workouts, but also in boosting your metabolism itself. It may be hard sometimes to get a full nights sleep when traveling especially if you’re taking the redeye flight or driving long hours into the night. Hotels can also make it difficult to get a good nights rest if you are a light sleeper and hear other people opening and closing doors or walking around. So what can you do? Try to retain a reasonable bedtime. Especially when jumping time zones, Jetlag is a real thing, and maintaining a normal bedtime routine can really help with combating the fatigue and getting a good nights rest. Not skipping meals, and having a small light snack before bed can also help you to sleep better and wake up feeling rested.

5: Have Fun!
and yes, I had to say it have fun! You’re on your vacation and you’re seeing your dream destinations don’t get so wrapped up in worrying about your diet and exercise that you don’t stop to smell the roses. Laughter has been shown to decrease the hunger hormone and increase feelings of satiety. So take the photos, swim in the seas and drink in the savor of life!

Till next time! 😉 Just a few pictures from my last trip to Greece