How to Stay on Track When Traveling (Part 2: Nutrition)
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Welcome to another episode of the "Embrace Your Real" podcast where we tackle the ever-relevant challenge of staying on track with your wellness when you travel. In this episode, we're delving into Part 2 of our three-part series, exploring how to stay on track when traveling.
In Part 1, we covered strategies for staying on track during the journey itself, whether you're on the road or flying. Here in Part 2, we'll discuss tips for maintaining your wellness once you're at your destination.
We all understand the difficulties of maintaining wellness while traveling, and it's a struggle that many face. These tips are designed to make your travel experiences more enjoyable and stress-free.
What I discuss:
Focus on protein and protein only if nothing else.
Manage your hunger
Stay hydrated.
Research restaurants.
Intermittent fasting.
Stay relaxed.
Find the right balance.
Realize that one week of not having your macros perfect is okay.
If you loved this episode, be sure to tune in to…
Episode 385 - How to Stay on Track When Traveling (Part 1: Nutrition)
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Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let's go. [00:00:21][20.7]
[00:00:26] Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. So we are in part two of how the heck do you stay on track when traveling? So in today's episode, I'm going to be talking all about the nutritional aspect because I know that when you are traveling, it can be overwhelming, it can be stressful, it can be even frustrating at some points. And even without kind of bringing staying on track into the equation. Right. Like just traveling in itself in and of itself, whether you have kids, whether you're traveling with family or you're just traveling with your significant other, or maybe you're traveling alone. And maybe that's why it is really hectic. [00:01:05][38.9]
[00:01:06] So I understand all of that. And so that's why I kind of wanted to put together a series that you can always have in your toolbox, whether you are maybe traveling this upcoming holiday season or maybe you travel a lot for work or the next time you travel. This will be good for you. So in part one, we covered really kind of how to stay on track during the long day of traveling, whether that's at an airport or you're traveling via road. And that episode is going to be very, very helpful for you. So if you haven't tuned in to that, be sure to tune in after this episode. I will link it in the show notes. [00:01:38][32.4]
[00:01:39] And then in today's episode, we're going to be talking about how to stay on track once you get to your destination. But before we dive in, I wanted to share this review comes from Kira Kay, a three. She gave a five star review and said words of wisdom. I listen to this podcast every morning as I walk my dog and I can't imagine a better way to start my day than hearing the encouraging messages from Julie. Huge thanks to Julie for all the advice and motivation to being my best self. She's empowering, relatable and most of all, so, so real. The podcast is perfect for anyone looking to gain confidence and grow both mentally and physically. Definitely worth the listen. I'm so grateful for you. [00:02:15][35.9]
[00:02:15] Kira, thank you so much for tuning in. I love when I hear people moving their body and tuning into the podcast. Like that's what I envision when I record these episodes because I don't know about you, but I just love either feeling encouraged, learning something, being empowered while being able to honor my body with movement. I just feel like there's no better combination. So thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [00:02:36][20.8]
[00:02:36] Okay, let's dive in to today's episode. [00:02:38][2.1]
[00:02:39] So you've traveled via plane or car or train or whatever way you travel to your destination and now you're there. So now what? How do you stay on track? Well, you're in luck because that is exactly what I'm going to be talking about in today. And here are some tips. [00:02:54][15.5]
[00:02:54] So tip number one is to really focus on protein and protein only if nothing else. This is honestly one of my my number one advice is protein. And let me kind of explain. So of the three macronutrients protein is essential to the growth of lean muscles. However, it can be difficult to meet your intake while traveling like most of the foods that we tend to eat while we're on vacation or while we're traveling, or just that we have easy access to contain, you know, high carbs, high fat, especially alcoholic drinks if you are drinking while on vacation. So while I'm traveling, I really try to eat more protein dominant meals in the morning and early afternoon. And this really helps me to allocate more carbs and fats for later in the afternoon or evenings or kind of just depending on what your schedule looks like, if you plan on going out to maybe a place that you've been looking forward to for breakfast, then that's where I would have, you know, my high carb, high fat content meal or oftentimes it's, you know, lunch or dinner is when you typically have the bigger meals. And and so that's something just to keep on track, just to kind of keep in mind. And that's one thing that I've seen is, you know, if you're not focused on protein, it again, it already is one of the hardest macronutrients to achieve when you are at home and just kind of in your day to day schedule. So, I mean, you know, put travel into the mix and it's going to be super, super difficult if you're not being proactive about it. So with that being said, I really try again to just have some protein snacks extremely accessible for me. So for me that looks like protein powders. Don't forget to bring the shaker or to depending on if you and your significant other are going to have protein shakes, protein bars, tuna or chicken package. Just make sure you're not, again, not eating the tuna on the plane. If you want to reference lean beef chick in Turkey, jerky boiled eggs. Most grocery stores actually have these prepackaged now, which is awesome and super convenient deli meat, kind of opt for the low sodium if possible, just typically because deli meat tends to have really high sodium. And if you're already going to be going out to eat, it's likely that your sodium intake is going to be pretty high as well. So just trying to opt for that lower sodium fat free Greek yogurt is another option. And then like string cheese, those are just kind of some ideas to have on you. So when you get there, if you can go to a convenient store, if you can go to a grocery store, that would be optimal simply because you're likely going to save money that way. But that's just going to allow you to have these things on hand and, you know. If you don't have a refrigerator, I mean, the protein powder and the protein bars, those are things that turkey jerky. Those are three foods right there that you don't need to have a refrigerator. And so I know that oftentimes, you know, we might not have access to a refrigerator. We don't have a big fridge and we don't want to fill it up if other people are relying on that space as well. And so, yeah, just kind of keep that in the back of your mind when looking for these things and when planning ahead. [00:05:51][176.4]
[00:05:51] Number two, manage your hunger. So the next thing that I kind of want to talk about is the level of hunger that we have when traveling. I don't know about you, but like when I'm traveling, I feel way hungrier than normal. And we are typically eating things that we aren't used to, and we're usually not getting all the nutrients that we're used to as well. And when traveling, it's easier to get our hands again on this less and then nutrient dense food rather than the more nutrient dense food that we have readily available in our day to day routine at home. So I think to kind of kind of counteract this is to really focus on eating as much fiber as possible, because fiber in and of itself will help you stay fuller for longer as well as that protein. And so when I try to opt for that less processed, you know, more colorful meals such as salads or wraps, fajitas, any kind of meal that comes with a large variety of vegetables, I typically find that I just feel so much better when traveling again because it's going to keep me fuller longer. And I also feel a lot better. Yes, I'm watching what I eat, but I'm also allowing myself to enjoy food in moderation. So again, you know, on that note, if you decide to order like a salad or a wrap, one thing that I always typically ask for, especially when I'm going out to eat or when I'm traveling, is to ask for the dressing on the side. This can save so many calories. It's pretty insane how calorie and fat dense these salad dressings can be when you don't order it on the side. And oftentimes they don't even use nearly like half of the dressing that they give you on the side. And it's awesome because typically what I do like, let's say, for example, it's a grilled chicken salad. If I get Caesar dressing on the side, I will just dip my fork in the Caesar dressing and then I'll go and dip my fork in the salad. And I don't know, I just find it to be delicious. I find it to not be super heavy on my stomach. Oftentimes when people do pour that dressing in the salad, like I mentioned, it's just so much dressing that you typically wouldn't have on a day to day basis, which could then lead you to just feeling blah after your meal. So that's kind of one hack that I took up years ago. And I still do it to this day and I love it. [00:08:02][131.2]
[00:08:03] Number three, stay hydrated. So the one thing that we often tend to forget to do while traveling, and that's simply because, you know, we're having fun. We're likely drinking drinks that maybe we don't drink on a regular basis, is staying hydrated, like really prioritizing that water intake. But it's often times like when we are traveling, that is when we are most dehydrated and it has a lot of different factors. One of them is that we're likely eating higher sodium foods from these restaurants. And so we may also have some digestive issues because we're eating these things that we're not used to. So making hydration a priority is so, so important. And best of all, hydration actually helps us to be more keen and aware of our hunger cues. When you are better hydrated, you are more likely to make wiser food choices to combat those food cravings that you're having. And also you have to keep in mind that water keeps hunger signals in check. It can prevent fatigue, it can keep energy levels stable. All of those things we want when we're on vacation, I mean, in general, but especially when we're on vacation. So I don't know about you, but I am a Stanley girl. I know that is so cliche, but I love the Stanley. There's also tons of different ones. You know, I was looking at one, I believe it's by hydro flask, maybe hydro jug. I think it's my hydro jug and it kind of looks like a Stanley, but it has a straw. And the straw is it can take away, which is actually something that I might look into while traveling simply because I'm kind of a germ freak. And I don't know about you, but like just having the straw open on an airplane or like, you know, just open like when you're traveling, I don't know. I just find it kind of gross. And so if you can either find a cover, I know they do sell the covers for the straws for the Stanley, or if you can find one that kind of tucks away so that you can, you know, try to keep it as clean as possible, but having a water bottle that you can take with you will be so beneficial because it will be super easy for you to just keep refilling it versus, you know, buying a bunch of water bottles that you're going to have to recycle anyways. [00:10:00][117.6]
[00:10:01] Number four, research restaurants. So while eating out, traveling, it's common when you travel, it's common that you're going to eat out. And I don't know about you, but it's actually like one of my favorite parts of traveling. I'm a foodie. I love trying different foods, especially if it's an Italian place. I am there. When we were in New York City last winter, last December, we made it a point to only go to attack. Clean restaurants. Simply because our hotel was right by Little Italy and New York City has some of the absolute best Italian restaurants. And you could probably go. I'm not joking. Like at least six months, if not a full year of trying a new Italian place in the city or around the city and not go to the same place twice, like there are so many different restaurants. And so I love looking at restaurants. I love eating at new restaurants when I go to new places. And one thing that I tend to do if I am really trying to prioritize my nutrition and just feel good and this depends from day to day, right? Like if there's one day that I know we're going to be, you know, maybe we're meeting family for one meal and then I know I'm going to be eating out again with Joshua or with, you know, friends or whatever. Like it's twice in one day. I will tend to research the restaurant and just kind of see like, what's on the menu so that I can kind of decide ahead of time what I plan on getting. And the nice thing about a ton of different restaurants, just depending on where you're at, whether it's a large chain restaurant. Which are especially convenient simply because you can literally Google search the restaurant name plus nutritional information, and it will most likely give you the nutritional information right there. And I personally, you know, when I'm traveling, it's a little bit different, especially if I'm in a place like New York City. I don't go for the chain restaurants. I go for the local just because I know that that's where the delicious food is going to be. But besides that, I actually am pretty hardcore. I chain restaurant girl like my Texas Roadhouse is hands down my literal favorite restaurant. Josh and I eat it once a week at least. It's so, so good. But what I love about larger chain restaurants is that it's really easy to figure out the macros and dishes and to figure out how to customize, if possible. Again, you don't have to go super deep into this if this stresses you out and if this is going to take enjoyment away from your experience. But it is something to keep in mind if you are wanting to stay as close to on track as possible in terms of your nutrition while traveling. [00:12:32][151.2]
[00:12:33] Number five, Intermittent fasting. So this is something that Joshua and I do when we're traveling. And again, it just kind of depends on the schedule. One thing I will say ahead of time is if you have struggled or are currently struggling with an eating and body image disorder, I would highly recommend you do not do this because this can trigger some feelings of, you know, going long periods of time and not eating. That can trigger some feelings for people. And so I just want you to be very keen and very socially aware as well as self-aware as to if this strategy is for you or not. But I'm just kind of going to outline what it is. So by skipping, you know, the first meal or like breakfast, the snack that you would have between breakfast and lunch, you're able to really use those macros towards lunches and dinners. And this is where, especially if we're staying at a hotel that has a gym and we're going to work out and I had a larger meal at night, then typically in the morning, like I'll still be full from that meal. And what I love to do is get, you know, at least 8 to 12 ounces of water in and really focus on my hydration, maybe have some coffee, head downstairs, get a workout in, and then, you know, by the time that happens, you know, if it's mid-morning or if it's lunchtime, then you're able to have your first meal at lunch and you're able to kind of save some of those calories that you would have had for breakfast, for lunch and dinner. And again, this is a strategy that will work for some, but for other people, this won't work. So really be keen to that, really be self aware. And again, just remember that at the end of the day, I want you to have fun while traveling. I don't want you to feel so restricted. That is the whole point of macro canning, in my opinion, is that you have the flexibility to be able to properly fuel your body with whatever foods you want and that you don't have to deprive yourself of food. And that's one of the most beautiful things. But with that being said, if you do want to stay on track closely with your nutrition, you are going to have to put some work in to that, especially if you are traveling. So intermittent fasting can be great. You know, one thing that again just can be really helpful is if you skip breakfast, especially if you had a larger dinner and you just you wake up and you're not hungry, you're maybe at a hotel, it's not really convenient to have a breakfast. I mean, you can totally skip that. And then you do have more calories macronutrients to work for work from for the rest of the day. So that is a tip that has helped us, especially when we're traveling and we're having those bigger meals for dinner. [00:15:04][150.9]
[00:15:04] Number six is stay relaxed. So being relaxed is so important because it actually has a direct impact on our digestion, which is crazy, right? Like, I feel like God has just totally created our bodies in such an intricate design. But in fact, some studies have shown that stress and anxiety can negatively affect our. Positive process. So when you're in a state of relaxation, your body's parasympathetic nervous system, often referred to as the rest and digest system, is actually activated. So this state promotes optimal digestion. And as a result, the food is actually broken down and more efficiently and nutrient absorption is enhanced, which is pretty cool. Studies have also shown that people often don't gain as much weight during vacations compared to other times. And some experts actually say that this could be attributed to that relaxation factor. So when you're on vacation, you're typically in a different environment. You're engaging in leisure activities and possibly reducing those stress levels, especially if this is, you know, a vacation for fun. And this can lead to a more relaxed approach to eating and decrease focus on rigid dietary restrictions. So just remember, when you go over your macros, you don't eat perfectly, be okay with it. The guilt is only going to make things worse. So enjoy the food. Just relax. Remember, at the end of the day, it is better to have a positive attitude and really understand that you will make mistakes. And so rather than beating yourself up, learn to give yourself grace. Remember that you're human. We all mess up. It's a part of the learning process. [00:16:34][89.5]
[00:16:34] Which leads me to number seven, which is find the right balance. So one of the most effective strategies that you can do is to designate one meal as your vacation meal. So this is a time when you allow yourself to indulge. You savor the food without worrying at all or excessively about how it might impact your macros, your body composition. Really setting aside this meal you can fully experience enjoy it without the consent thought of Oh my gosh, is this going to bring me back in my goals that I'm reaching so hard for? Is this going to make me gain weight? It's important to know that not every meal of the day needs to be a vacation meal. So I kind of like to allow myself like one vacation meal once a day or once every other day and just be like, what the heck do I want to eat and just allow myself to enjoy it? You know, I do that for all of the meals, but you guys know what I'm talking about. Like maybe getting the full dish of pasta instead of maybe the half dish of pasta and salad that you would maybe normally get. Because let's be real, Like, it's going to be delicious. And if you are eating those vacation meals for every single meal, you're likely not going to enjoy your vacation as much simply because you're probably going to feel really lethargic and you're not going to feel as energetic to allow yourself to enjoy this vacation to the fullest. So instead really adopting kind of a more balanced approach. So, for example, you may consider designating like every third meal as a vacation meal or every, you know, every day or every other day having one. And this is, again, just going to allow you to enjoy a variety of foods and experiences while maintaining some degree of structure to your macro counting or just being intentional where you are in nutrition. [00:18:16][101.6]
[00:18:17] And lastly, number eight, realize that one week of not having your macros perfect is okay, and this is what I say when I get asleep. But what if I go over my macros all traveling? Like the reality of the matter is that simply by paying attention to your macros, whether how imperfect you did is going to be a whole heck of a lot better than not paying attention at all, like being somewhat attentive to it. So again, I don't want you to stress and be like, Oh my gosh, I need to have my macros perfectly on vacation. To be honest, that's just not realistic, especially if you're going to have fun and not focus so much on your nutrition. Again, this really does go back to kind of what your goals are. If you are strictly training for something and you are needing to get that nutrition completely dialed in, then yes, you're likely going to have to spend some time and effort in terms of your nutrition and really dialing that in on vacation. But for the majority of us, we just want to, you know, eat in a balanced way. We want to have a sustainable lifestyle and we want to enjoy ourselves, but not to the point where we're feeling so lethargic and we're just not enjoying it at all because we don't have energy. And so if you are even slightly being aware and keen to it, that again is going to be better than not paying attention to it at all. So don't stress whatever you did, do the best that you can and let that be enough. Be proud of yourself for even trying. [00:19:37][80.6]
[00:19:38] So let me quickly recap those eight tips that I talked about in today's episode. Number one, focus on protein and protein only if nothing else. Number two, manage your hunger. Number three, stay hydrated. Number four, research restaurants. Number five, intermittent fasting. Again, this is for a select few of people. Be very self-aware if this is a strategy for you or not. Number six, stay relaxed. Number seven, find the right balance. And number eight, realize that one week of not having your macros perfect is okay. [00:20:09][30.9]
[00:20:10] Again, do not forget to tune in to part one if you haven't already. I will link it in the show notes. And stay tuned for part three, where next week I'm going to be talking about how to stay on track while traveling with your fitness. So that is a big question that. Many people ask, What do you do for fitness? Do you work out at all? Do you not work out? What's kind of your take on it? So that is what I'm going to be going into. If you are wanting to learn how to properly fuel your body and you don't already know, you know, what's the proper amount of protein, carbs and fats that your body needs based on your goals and where kind of where you're at and what your goals are. I do have a program for you. You can learn more. I will link you in the show notes. It is called Macro Counting Made simple Online Academy. And not only in this academy do we help you calculate your macros. We also kind of help you navigate your way through the different phases of macro counting to see those optimal results. And I also share how macro counting can be so simple, hence the name, and so that you can seamlessly integrated into your everyday life. [00:21:13][63.2]
[00:21:13] So if you want to learn more about that and gain instant access, you can go to macro accounting made simple dot com or check out the link in the show notes as I've linked it there. Again, if you have a friend or a coworker or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this specific episode, I just ask that you share it out with them. Also, be sure to bookmark and save this episode. So if you are traveling, whether it's in the near future or far future, you'll have this in your toolbox. You'll have this in your saved episodes that you can easily go and tune into it again. Once you get closer to preparing for that trip. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day. Thanks so much for tuning in. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. [00:21:52][38.7]
[00:22:00] All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie. A lot better. Yes. It's with an name in the middle for that daily poser workout. Real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:22:00][0.0]
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