Have a Healthy Vacation!

Health Condition?

If you have a chronic illness like arthritis or diabetes, you still can enjoy traveling—it just takes careful planning. Get the details at 610-402-CARE or click here about Traveling With a Chronic Disease. Another resources is the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travellers

You counted your calories and spent extra time at the gym, and now you’re full of energy and looking trim in your swimsuit. Do you really want to undermine all that effort, just because you’re on vacation? A few days of high-fat, high-sodium restaurant food can increase not only your waistline but also blood pressure, cholesterol and blood-sugar levels. Getting less exercise than usual, especially when you’re eating more, compounds the problem. And let’s face it: feeling lethargic and bloated doesn’t make your holiday more enjoyable. If you have a chronic condition, it’s doubly important to maintain healthy habits.
Make this year’s vacation a break from work, but not from taking care of yourself. Here’s how…

While you re traveling by plane or car

Eat healthy:

• Bring or buy healthy snacks (fresh or dried fruit, veggies, unsalted nuts, whole-grain cereals).
• Pack your own lunches. A fun idea: meat-and-veggie tortilla wraps.
• Avoid fatty foods like fries (and the eateries that sell them).
• Avoid coffee and cola; caffeine is dehydrating.
• On the plane, drink plenty of water to prevent headaches and muscle cramps.

• Get out of the car to stretch and walk every hour or so.
• On the plane, get up and move around every hour to prevent blood clots.
• Keep limber by periodically stretching your hands over your head, flexing your feet and rotating your ankles.

At your destination

Eating healthy:

• Eat and drink in moderation. Practice portion control by sharing a restaurant dinner with your spouse or child.
• Don’t waste calories on ho-hum foods like dinner rolls and baked potatoes.
• Expand your food horizon by seeking out local specialties.
• Get a room with a refrigerator and microwave so you can make your own breakfast or lunch.
• Ask for raw carrots instead of fries with children’s meals.
• Watch those treats. Skip dessert if you had an ice cream that afternoon.

• Put down the mystery novel and go for a walk. Bring sturdy shoes and you can enjoy walking almost anywhere.
• Encourage the people you’re visiting to walk with you.
• Walk on the beach to exercise your feet, ankles and legs in new ways.
• For slow strolls at the zoo or museum, watch your posture. Stop occasionally and stretch.
• Use the fitness center at your hotel or resort, or bring your own exercise bands or jump rope.
• Don’t push your body too hard, though—aches and pains on vacation are not fun.

Want to Know More? For detailed information on eating safely in foreign countries click here, or for exercises you can do away from home, click here .

Published from Healthy You Magazine, July-August 2007

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