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Get active when traveling.

The best way to stay in shape and maintain an optimal body composition throughout the year is to be consistent with your diet and exercise routine.

We all know that both business and personal travel can sometimes sabotage even the best of intentions. If you’re trying to lose weight or maintain your current body composition, letting your healthy, active lifestyle plan slip for even a few days can set your results back. Avoiding unnecessary setbacks may help you to finally get the results you desire.

Creating a healthy daily habit takes a lot of time and patience. Just a few days of breaking your routine can mean feeling as though you’re starting from scratch, and getting back on track can be tough. Here are my top tips for not letting anything get in the way of your healthy, active lifestyle, especially when you’re traveling.

9 Tips to Stay In Shape on the Road

Make the most of business travel. Your business or personal travel schedule should not interfere with your dedication and desire to provide your body with balanced nutrition, or prevent you from being active. In fact, business travel in particular can actually be a perfect time for you to maximize your healthy, active lifestyle plan. If you usually have a long commute or hectic family life, being away on a business trip can actually mean that you have extra time on your hands to focus on your goals.

Extra workouts. Once your meetings are done for the day, you can head straight to the gym or perform a simple in-room workout before bed. If your mornings usually involve getting kids off to school and making lunches, you can now enjoy an early morning workout instead.

Find new foods. When you’re away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s much easier to seek out healthy food options, experiment with new foods and plan your snacks for the workday ahead. When you’re in a new city or country, you can get great ideas on how to spice up your weekly menu at home.

Maximize your free time. Use any extra ‘me’ time on a business trip to enjoy an extra workout session or two. Add in some extra walking minutes while checking out the local scenery, or stretch out and decompress in the comfort of your own room.

De-stress. If you exercise a lot and find yourself skipping rest days, use your free time to rejuvenate, get extra sleep and have a relaxing soak in the bath. True relaxation and meditation can positively enhance your overall feeling of wellness and boost your results. You may even find that the extra ‘me’ time helps you to get past an exercise plateau, because rest is such an important part of your fitness journey.

Add an extra day off. A buildup of stress can negatively impact your results just as much as skipping your workout routine. The relationship between stress and weight gain is a common reality for many people. Scheduling in an extra day off, once your work is done, is another way that you can balance your personal time and get yourself de-stressed before returning to your family life.

Active vacation. Your personal vacation is a perfect time to ramp up your activity level. I can’t think of a more perfect time to start a healthy, lifestyle plan. Many people find it difficult to start a new program in the midst of their usual hectic schedule, so as a trainer I often recommend getting started with a new plan while on your personal vacation. I know many people view vacation time as a time to let loose and throw their diet and exercise routine out of the window. However, if you really want to make new, positive changes in your life, your vacation can be a great time to get started on the path to a healthy new you. The great thing is that if your entire family is in need of a healthy start, you can do it together on vacation.

Practice cooking and healthy eating. Learning how to effectively prepare your meal for the week ahead and trying out new healthy recipes is not always practical during a regular workweek. Use your vacation time or weekend to experiment with new dishes. If you’re traveling and staying at a resort or in a hotel, there are often opportunities locally to attend free cooking demos.

Don’t use excuses. If you spend some time while planning your business or vacation travel to get your priorities in order, you won’t have to fall off the healthy train and slow down your results. As someone who travels for work and with family on a regular basis, I have found that there’s no excuse for being lazy and eating poorly. If you look hard enough, you can always find a healthy meal option. And if you plan well enough, you can always squeeze in some form of physical activity.

The best thing you can do to ensure that you stay in shape on the go is to make your health a top priority, regardless of your location or schedule. Being disciplined and consistent as much as possible is what will help you to reach your goals.