Unlike what most people think, you don’t have to lose momentum on your health and wellness goals when you travel abroad. Keeping up with your mental and physical health abroad is easier than most people think. With a bit of creativity and preparation, you can ensure you support your mind and body adequately as you travel. Here are five tips for maintaining your health goals while travelling abroad.
Find A Way To Exercise Each Day
Many people don’t even think about exercising when they travel. Instead, they’re sightseeing, experiencing the nightlife, trying different food, and immersing themselves in the culture. And don’t forget the time spent capturing the perfect Instagram photo and detailing everything about the trip on social media.
Where do you find the time to exercise in a jam-packed travelling experience? The short answer is: wherever you can. It’s easy to neglect partaking in intentional physical activity that gets the heart rate going when travelling abroad. It’s much more fun to do the above.
But finding a way to exercise each day during travel is incredibly important for maintaining good health. You’ll feel more energised throughout the day, improve your muscle strength, and better your endurance.
Set a goal for how much you want to exercise while travelling. For example, do you want to get a workout in each day or a few times throughout the week?
Then, get creative with how you achieve that exercise goal. Mix up your routine with gym workouts, cardio on the beach, dancing, and taking walking or biking tours of the area.
Regular exercise while travelling abroad will help keep you physically well and able to enjoy yourself fully.
Hyperfocus On Hydration
If there’s one thing that can be a bit of a shock to people travelling abroad, it’s the weather. From the humidity to the heat/cold to the air quality to how the weather changes, it all makes hydration much more critical.
When you’re hydrated, it helps regulate your body’s temperature. Water also carries oxygen and nutrients throughout your body, moistens tissues and joints, and regularises blood pressure. In other words, staying hydrated enables your body to function.
Ensure you’re drinking plenty of water while travelling abroad. For every sip of a sugary drink you take, consume twice as much water. Set reminders on your phone for water breaks. Also, have a glass of water with every meal.
Pay Attention To What You’re Eating
In addition to hyper-focusing on hydration, pay close attention to what you’re eating. A nutritious diet is critical for good health. However, when travelling abroad, trying new cuisines and indulging in delicacies is part of the experience.
Of course, we want you to enjoy yourself. But we want you to do so without compromising your health. So, do your best to get at least three nutritious meals daily. At the very least, never skip breakfast. If you find yourself snacking, make sure it’s on something healthy like nuts or dried fruits.
Each meal should be balanced with protein, vegetables, fruits, carbs, and healthy fats. Now, the specific protein, vegetables, fruits, carbs, and healthy fats you eat at each meal are up to you. You can absolutely experience the country’s cuisine by experimenting with traditional food choices in each category.
Also, don’t feel like you have to completely axe sweets. Please enjoy them in moderation and don’t feel guilty about it.
Take Care Of Your Mental Health
There’s so much focus on the physical body when it comes to health goals while travelling abroad, but your mental health is important too. Sometimes, being far from home can make you feel alone and stressed out. It can exacerbate anxiety, depression, and other mental health conditions too.
Prioritising your mental health while travelling abroad can help you manage the above more seamlessly. You can take care of your mental health as you travel by:
- Keeping in touch with your therapist while you’re gone
- Keeping a travel journal
- Implementing mindfulness activities each day
- Taking any medication as directed
- Staying in touch with friends and family during your travels
- Embracing new experiences and people
- Using your coping mechanisms for your mental health challenges
- Taking breaks throughout each day
- Immersing yourself in the country’s natural habitats
Doing things that feed your soul can also help your mental health and overall well being while travelling abroad.
Do Things That Feed Your Soul
One of the best things you can do for your physical, mental, and emotional health while travelling abroad is to feed your soul. The more meaningful the experience is to you, the better it is for your holistic health.
So, learn the culture and connect with the locals. Consider doing some volunteer work. Try new things and face fears. Whatever it is that will help you feel like you’re getting the most from your experience, do it with conviction.
Conclusion
Travelling abroad is one of the most extraordinary experiences someone can have. As much as we want you to immerse yourself in the journey fully, we also want you to take care of yourself so that you have the best time possible. Implement the five tips above to ensure your health goals while travelling abroad remain a priority .
