Healthy travel tips | How I stayed healthy in Vegas
I recently enjoyed an 8-day getaway to the incredible Las Vegas, Nevada! I'm so pleased with how I continued to maintain my balanced approach to health and fitness while on holidays. In the past, I have been guilty of being an 'All or Nothing' person, so if I made one tiny slip up with my eating or exercise routine when away on holidays, that was it; I didn't even attempt to get back on track and I'd feel terrible for the remainder of the holiday as a result.
But this trip I was able to maintain balance with my nutrition and exercise while still enjoying all the incredible experiences (and foods!) Vegas had to offer. I never once felt deprived or restricted. So I'm going to share with you my healthy travel tips and how I implemented them on my Vegas holiday.
1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! This is so important everyday when your out and about on your holiday, but especially when you are traveling by plane. I made sure I drank at least 250ml of water every hour I was in the air to and from Vegas.
Buy a large bottle of water when you get through airport security, keep this on the plane with you and ask the flight attendants to fill it up for you throughout the flight. I also opted for water whenever they were offering drinks on board. Energy drinks, coffee and alcohol are just going to dehydrate your body, so be sure to steer clear of these when flying.
2. Always have healthy high protein snacks on hand. Never, and I repeat, NEVER, go anywhere without a healthy snack packed in your bag! When your on holidays in a foreign country, you just don't know what sort of foods you'll have access to so its always better to be prepared. Make sure you choose snacks that are high in protein so they will keep you full and fuel all your adventures for the day.
The same also goes for when your travelling on long haul flights - have snacks ready to go! You can bring on board protein bars/balls, packs of nuts and seeds and fruit. I also went as far as buying a healthy plant-based meal from a cafe in the LAX airport for dinner on the flight home because I know airline foods just don't agree with my sensitive tummy.
My favourite travel snacks are:
Happy Way bars
Blue Dinosaur Bars
Raw almonds or cashews
Banana
Loving Earth Chocolate
3. Use the 80:20 approach to eating. Just because you are on holidays, doesn't mean your healthy, balance approach to nutrition has to go out the window. Wherever you go, you'll normally be able to find a relatively healthy option on the menu.
I like to implement the 80:20 approach in my everyday life, so when I was on holidays in Vegas, this was no exception. I didn't want to feel like I was missing out and I definitely wanted to enjoy all the amazing food around me (because after all, I'm a MASSIVE foodie). So what I found worked best was eating healthy during the day (breakfast, Lunch and Snacks) and allowing myself a bit of indulgence at night - whether that was a Nestle Toll House Cookie, some Froyo, or gelato. But if I wanted something sweet and a little naughty throughout the day (I'm looking at you Peanut Butter Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory!) I allowed myself it, no guilt! Its all about balancing healthy choices majority of the time with the occasional treat.
4. Walk everywhere. Not only is this the best way to explore your new, exciting destination, but it is exercise that doesn't even feel like exercise! You'll be so consumed by the new sites and attractions that would won't even realise your actually doing a form of cardio! So opt to walk everywhere (within reasonable distance) on holiday; you'll be amazed at the cool attractions you'll discover along the way with the added bonus of keeping active!
I was easily surpassing 12,000+ steps everyday in Vegas. We walked everywhere - up and down the strip numerous times a day, around the Miracle Mile Shopping Mall (that was connected to our hotel) I swear a dozen times a day, to and from casinos and shows at night and around the huge Premium Las Vegas Shopping Outlets!
5. Utilise the hotel gym or your hotel room for quick, high intensity workouts. On days I wanted to do a little bit extra than just walk, I'd opt for a quick workout in the hotel gym or in my hotel apartment (if I was feeling lazy and didn't want to go down to the gym) - both equally as effective as each other!
My go to workouts in these situations are HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts; because they are short in duration, get me super sweaty and leave me with a great post-workout burn! No workout took longer than 45 minutes, because after all I want to be out there enjoying my holiday, not slogging it out in the gym.
In Vegas, my hotel workouts consisted of either:
10-15 minute HIIT sprints on the treadmill followed by a 10 minute Ab Circuit
Sarah's Day Ebook Sweaty Shredders
Resistance Band Booty Circuits
6. Make your own meals. If your lucky enough to have access to kitchen amenities like I was in my Vegas apartment, make the most of it and prepare some of your own meals! On my first day there, I went to the local supermarket and stocked up on ingredients so I could make a healthy, nutritious breakfast every morning - almond milk, oats, fruit, peanut butter, honey, nuts etc. With these simple ingredients I was able to make overnight oats, porridge and smoothies for my breakfasts each day. But you could easily do the same with other meals - buy pre-made salads and a source of protein (like chicken) and an avocado and you have the perfect homemade salad!
7. Take time for you. Each day, be sure to take some time (it doesn't have to be long, just as little as 10 minutes) for you. Just be with yourself, relax and reflect. This could be done by the pool or in your hotel room, it doesn't matter where. But just take a few moments to connect with yourself, slow down and be present. Take in your new surroundings, experience all your emotions and just be grateful in that moment.