staying healthy while traveling

For me, it was definitely easier to stay healthy when I had a routine (hitting the gym and having go to meals), but when I started living abroad, everything changed. It was so easy to over-eat and lose health momentum, especially when my schedule became so varied. I wanted to share a few tips on how to stay healthy while traveling and being on the go. Though I do want to say, at the end of the day don’t knock yourself too hard if you fall out of routine and have a cheat days. Life is about balance!

• Eat your veggies! Especially in China, whenever I am out somewhere and I find fresh vegetables or salad I will order it. It always makes my body feel better and is a good way to add in nutrition when you’re on the go.

• Don’t surround your itinerary around meals. Definitely try local foods and have a few special meals, but you definitely don’t need to pack your whole itinerary (think breakfast / brunch, lunch, dinner) around meals. It really changes the mindset when you make the priority of the day about the activity vs about the food.

• Hit your steps! On the daily, I try to hit around 10k~ steps, but if I’m traveling I feel like it’s easier to hit more (15k+). Also, try to opt out of cabs if you can. Good options are to walk, take public transit, or my new recent favorite bike / scooter! Especially in a big city, it is sometimes faster and a great way to get a feel of the city.

• Avoid carbs if you can. I love noodles, so I never say no to noods (lmfao jk) but I will try to cut down on rice / bread especially when I’m traveling. I feel like it gets really heavy, and I end up being really tired and sluggish afterwards too.

• Plan activities that keep you active! My favorite part of traveling is getting to do fun new activities that I normally wouldn’t get to do back home. For instance, in Iceland I went caving + scuba diving, in Japan I hiked Mt. Fuji, and in Argentina I went kayaking in Patagonia. These activities were so fun to do, a great way to stay active, and honestly such a fun experience!

• Stay hydrated with the right liquids. Being on the go means staying hydrated! I love carrying around my Swell Travel mug (gifted from Ed). It’s wide lid makes it perfect for carrying coffee / tea as well as water. My go to’s for hydration is Americano coffee, tea (recently been loving oolong, jasmine and rose), and tons of water. I’ve been trying to avoid buying coffee in stores (and oddly hotels in China won’t have coffee !!!) so I have been carrying these small packs of Kanu Americano coffee / Nestle and Xiao Guan Cha oolong tea when I need a caffeine boost. It helps save money, keep hydrated, and avoid unnecessary calories from juices and sodas.

• Just because it is in front of you doesn’t mean you need to finish it! Wrap it up and donate it. I love trying different types of food, so when I am traveling I will often order multiple dishes. I learned the hard way that just because it is in front of me doesn’t mean I need to finish it (btw, this doesn’t apply to cocktails. Always finish your cocktails hehe). It doesn’t have to go to waste either! Get it to go; you’ll often find homeless people on the streets you can donate the food to and feed a hungry mouth in the process.

MY WORKOUT

When I have a normal routine, I try to workout 4-5x a week using a variety of weight lifting / body training / cardio for 45 - 1 hour. When you really push yourself (like SORE AF) is when you see the most progress.

• I love doing 2/3 sets of 10/15/20 reps of a workout, and in between high knees / jump step ups (for cardio / keeping heart rate up) for 30~ seconds and then taking a 30 second break. I also love incorporating 5 to 15 minutes of high speed running on the treadmill in between sets.

• Aside from hitting the gym: I bike / walk literally everywhere. My goal is to hit 10k steps a day, and I’ll usually hit around 8k just from going to and from school.

• Being active in sports! For the first time since high school I finally have time for basketball, and joined the Tsinghua Basketball team and it feels so good to get to play again (even though I am 100% still a noob). I’ll also play badminton every once in awhile (because ya know.. when in China) and if I can try to do walks or hikes around scenic places in China!

Workouts I enjoy:

• Arms

  • Curls

  • Reverse bench press

  • Barbell row

  • Row with band

• Abs

  • Oblique lean

  • Side plank

  • Forward plank

  • Bicycle crunch

  • Russian Twist

• Legs / Butt

  • Sumo squats

  • Pulsing squats

  • Lunges with weights

  • Pelvic thrusts

  • Donkey kick

  • Fire hydrant

Setting yourself up for succesS

• Record your progress: It’s amazing how much more motivated you can feel when you see far you’ve come.

  • Set goals: The Apple Watch (thanks Claudene!) has been super instrumental in helping me stick to my goals. (And it’s only $130 Black Friday Sale @ Walmart or $185 @ Apple!) I love competing with my friends, and seeing all the data behind my workouts.

  • Take pictures: It’s sometimes hard to see your progress when you’re measuring on the day to day, but pictures allow you to see all of your hard work and how far you’ve come especially when you’re feeling demotivated.

• Find inspiration: I realized you really don’t need a personal trainer to figure out how to use the gym. There’s so much information out there that makes working out fun.

  • Instagram: I’ll bookmark workouts I see that look fun, fitness outfits that I think are cute and follow fun workout accounts. It’s actually kind of crazy how many great workout accounts there are. I have folders saved for Arms / Butts / Legs and am always finding new exercises I love.

  • Reddit: LOVE r/progresspics and seeing how far people have come with their bodies, R/1200isplenty for really good and easy meal tips, and R/fitness for good workouts.

  • Cute workout clothes: This sounds so dumb but it’s amazing how much more fun I have working out when I feel good. No need to break the bank, but found Fabletics offers really reasonable priced clothing, Equinox has great sales in their sales rack. My favorites as follows…

    • Pants: Lululemon align is my staple (but pricey). Make sure to air dry to avoid piling. No other yoga pants gives my butt the recognition it deserves! I’m also a huge fan of Outdoor Voices CloudKnit Sweatpants, that material is super light and airy!

    • Tops: Taobao (haha) has all my favorite workout tops. I have been loving workout tanks and wrap tops. Bc I have had to slim down my closet a lot the last few months because of my moves I’ve been using these tops for #everyday too AHA

    • Shoes: Nike Free TR8 Training shoes (I couldn’t find my design…) has been my staple gym shoe. In general, I love gym shoes that are white and laceless. I also have Adidas + APL, but I always find myself going back to the Nike Free’s… they have traveled with me to 3+ countries this year! HOKAs (a recent find) is my favorite walking running shoe.

      • Outside of the gym, Teva Waterproof Hiking Boot (in black) has been my go-to for hiking + adventures. Used this to climb Mt. Fuji, Patagonia, and Macchu Picchu, but classy and light weight enough to roam streets of Berlin and Iceland!

  • Pre-work energy drinks: Obsessed with CELSIUS and Alani Nu, 10 calories for the whole can (I usually drink half per workout) and it gives me the energy boost I need when I’m feeling sluggish.

  • Protein powder: MusclePharm Cookies N Cream is delicious and a great post-work drink for them gainz. heh

Healthy eating

• Calories In, Calories Out (CICO): Kind of crazy as this is #1 common sense, but never hit me until this year. Eat less than what you burn!

• Intermittent Fasting (IF): Can switch up with One Meal a Day (OMAD) but basically eating in certain windows. Eating in windows helps your body achieve autophagy (your body’s way of “self-cleaning”). I find that it helps really well with my digestive system, makes me feel alert, and honestly has helped with clearing up my skin.

• Healthy snacks galore! 2019 was about reframing seeing food as “something fun to eat” to “something to keep my body alive (lol)”. I don’t really believe in diets like “keto” because I’m all about setting a process that feels sustainable. Diets are great for short term weight loss, but I find that it doesn’t pass the test of time.