Travel Tips For Slimmer Hips

When travel and/or eating out is a part of our lives, (okay, that's pretty much all of us) we tend to step out of our routines and succumb to undesirable choices and behaviors. In this article, Weight and Wellness Coach, Claudette Pelletier-Hannah shares strategies for maintaining your weight and wellness when you're on the road. “A little planning on the front end saves a lot of work on the rear end. You know what I mean?”

Upon return from vacation, I confessed my less-than-model diet to my faithful friends. They pointed out that “it didn’t appear to hurt me” and “that’s what holidays are all about.” My husband’s perspective was “We didn’t eat that bad.” It’s all relative; I guess. (Yes, relatives had a lot to do with it!) For many people, travel indulgence can mean an unnecessary and unwanted weight gain that takes much longer to take off than it did to put on. It’s also much less fun. Whether your travel is business or pleasure, it is possible for you to stay fit and eat well. The challenge is greater, of course. But let’s not throw in the towel before the chambermaid arrives.  

In this article I will provide a number of travel strategies for maintaining your weight and wellness on the road. I’d also like to share a few of Mireille Guiliano’s philosophies. Guiliano is the much talked about author of “French Women Don’t Get Fat.”  Her book is not about travel, but she is a good role-model - a case in point. As President of Clicquot champagne, she travels extensively. Yet she manages to keep her diminutive figure in check, indulging in fine food and drink along the way. How does she do it? You’ll have to read the book. But wouldn’t I love to wear her little French shoes and tell you from personal experience. “Absolument!”

“When we talk about travel, there are two important parts: 1) where you will stay and how that influences how you exercise and 2) what you eat. In both cases, planning is key. “ 

Choosing Accommodations

There are many things to consider when it comes to where you will stay. The obvious solution is to look for hotels with pools and fitness facilities, VCRs or DVD players for your favorite exercise programs, (consider The Growth Shop’s “Weight Training for Women over 40” and “Yoga for the Flexibility Challenged”) as well as in-house trainers and exercise programs. Then work in the time to actually use them. “C’est simple.”
For those who prefer the outdoors, all you need is a pair of runners and a safe, practical, even scenic hotel location. You’re ready to run or walk. Ask hotel staff for the best routes.

Regardless of where you stay, there are other activity options to consider.

• Pack latex tubes for a portable workout you can do anywhere. Tubes are stretchy, latex strips, which enable strength-training without weights.  
• Pack a skipping rope for a great workout where space allows.
• Simply stretch or do yoga on the bed before you even get up in the morning.  
• Whenever possible, have mobile meetings. Take your colleagues walking.  
• Make use of idle time in airports and cruise - on foot.
• Use the stairs.  
Mme. favors activity you can do in street clothes. She says most French women don’t like sports or go to gyms. This philosophy is in keeping with the current trend to build activity into your daily life - promoted by Canada’s Physical Activity Guide at www.paguide.com.  

Many hotels provide a small bar fridge and a microwave. With a little planning, you can prepare simple meals in your room, like a scrambled egg, hot or cold cereal and yogurt. Remember to pack the necessary dishes.

Eating out

If your normal diet is a good one, try to duplicate it when you’re on the road. If you don’t eat bacon and eggs with a stack of pancakes at home, why eat it when you’re on the road? If you drink milk at home, it’s okay to order it in a restaurant. If, like the French, you enjoy a glass of wine at dinner, go for it. There are two things to consider. Guiliano states, “the key to continued weight loss is keeping one’s compensations just slightly ahead of one’s indulgences.” In other words, more wine? More stairs. Secondly, if you’re going to have it, enjoy it. Guiliano makes the point, “French women take pleasure in staying thin by eating well, while Americans typically see it as a conflict and obsess over it.” Do you see the difference?

Do you eat dessert every day at home? Why are you eating it away from home? Learn to be satisfied from a small taste versus a dessert buffet. Eating out successfully is all about managing the experience. Don’t order blindly from the menu. Ask questions. How is that prepared? Ask for substitutions. Can I get that with fresh vegetables instead? Hold the sauce, a little lemon please.  Order what’s not on the menu - like a 1 1/2 egg omelette (one whole egg with one egg white - all the protein with less fat) Hold the hash browns, which are often just square french fries. Do you eat french fries for breakfast at home?

Even if you’re just ordering a salad, think about how much dressing/fat is required to coat an acre of rabbit food. I recently had lunch out and ordered a salad that arrived on an embarrassing, turkey-sized platter. Yes, I “gobbled” it up. It’s better to order dressing on the side and dip your salad. You will consume much less fat. Remember, it’s not necessary to finish everything that is put in front of you. Show who’s in control, here.  
In restaurants known for large servings, ask your server to bring only half and to pack the other half, or plan to share your meal.

Guiliano says, “French women eat with their heads and they do not leave the table feeling stuffed or guilty.”

Buy take-out from the supermarket instead of fast food restaurants. Barbecued chicken and a prepared salad will leave you feeling satisfied and free of guilt. And you can eat it in the comfort of your room. Here’s another option if you’re sick and tired of restaurants and have some room in your luggage. One of my colleagues packs a rice cooker and steams rice with vegetables, and even salmon. “Voila!” A simple, nutritious one-dish meal.

Always be prepared for unplanned hunger. Pack snacks that allow you to keep your energy up, curb your hunger between meals as well as providing specific foods you don’t typically eat much of in restaurants, like fresh fruit. Energy bars, dried fruit and nuts, eaten in moderation, can keep you on the safe side and away from the cinnamon buns. Don’t forget bottled water.
Every little action counts - in your favor or against it. You choose. Mireille Guiliano says, “learning to eat right is like learning a language.” Personally, eating right comes easily to me. However, I have spent a life time learning French. The reason I speak it at all is largely because it’s important to me and I work at it.  

So when you hit the road, think about what is important to you. If you choose to be prudent, let the focus be self-nurturing versus deprivation. And know that it’s also important to enjoy Grandma Vi’s amazing ginger snap cookies every now and then.

Claudette Pelletier-Hannah, Partner Trainer TGS
Weight and Wellness Coach
Wholly Hannah!
Coaching and Training
Tel: (780) 481-0313
Email: claude@compusmart.ab.ca

Question: No matter what I try, I cannot touch my toes without bending my knees and feeling pain. Can I really increase my flexibility or do I need to accept my body’s limitations?

Answer:

This is a great question! I know that when I see some of the yoga video’s out there, I think to myself…”I could never contort my body like that!”  We all do have a level of flexibility, some of us may never be able to touch our toes and also we can realize that in reality we probably don’t need to. Please work within your capacity, if you have an old injury, work within that limitation – do not re-injure yourself! Go slow, hold the stretches for at least 10 seconds and increase the stretch slowly – it shouldn’t hurt!