Road Trip Exercising and Eating Tips

CMini07

Hi, everyone!

I am headed on a 16+ hours road trip next month and would love to hear your tips for eating well and exercising while on the road. It's something I've started giving some thought to and wanted to see if anyone wanted to share what has worked for them in the past. TIA!

CoachJen71

I pack a lunchbox for the front seat and a cooler in the back with pregweighed and portioned snacks and meals. If I plan to eat out, I do it at supper so that I don't feel deprived in the evening. (I can't remember the last time I had breakfast out for that reason!)

Exercise on car trips for me is just getting steps to rest stops and a walk when I get where I am going. I suppose if I went away longer than a weekend, I would do my bodyweight routines.

MorganMoreaux

^these are great suggestions! Whenever possible when traveling I try to pack my own snacks - a lot of fresh fruits, sandwiches, and lower calorie organic boxed meals like soups and veggie mixes that can be nuked at the hotel. You can check the eateries you will pass en route and figure out your meal options in advance as well. Have fun!

jdhcm2006

CoachJen71 wrote: »

I pack a lunchbox for the front seat and a cooler in the back with pregweighed and portioned snacks and meals. If I plan to eat out, I do it at supper so that I don't feel deprived in the evening. (I can't remember the last time I had breakfast out for that reason!)

Exercise on car trips for me is just getting steps to rest stops and a walk when I get where I am going. I suppose if I went away longer than a weekend, I would do my bodyweight routines.

Agreed with this. Pack pre-measured snacks. I would put them in plastic ziplock bags and write the portion size on it. I drank nothing but water or if I needed an energy boost a 4 hour energy drink or coffee/hot chocolate mix b/c I hate the taste of coffee but I will drink it if I'm on a road trip and I'm driving or I'm the person who's meant to help keep the person driving awake.

I always stretched when I was getting gas b/c you get kind of cramped sitting in the same position for hours on end.

I also would try to shave off calories throughout the week be it by extra workouts or eating a little less every day or a combo of both. That way I had some extra calories to work with that weekend.

But I also just let myself eat what I wanted in reason. I realized that it was 2 days out of the month which in the grand scheme of things is not going to make or break your progress. So if I wanted some Starbursts, I had some. When we went out to dinner, I enjoyed myself. And when I got home, I got back to business the next day.

losergood2011

I have to head out on a roadtrip for business next month and am loving this post! It is a great reminder to pack a small cooler and to portion out my phase specific snacks! thanks all!!

jcsgirl86

I pack pre-measured snacks also. For workouts, I'll fit in walks/runs as I can and Darebee.com has some great workout printables and many of them are body weight exercises so there is no equipment needed. This summer when we went on vacation, I printed several of those workouts to follow while we were gone. I'll also sometimes take some workout bands with me because they pack small and are a good change from weights.

elisa123gal

great thread..as i ponder future trips and how to exercise.. how about resistance bands for the hotel room. And maybe find a youtube 15 minute cardio workout you can do in your hotel room? Packing the snacks is a great idea.

Trish1c

Every couple of hours stop at a rest stop & at least take a walk around it.

saramichelle89

Measure and pack your meals and store them in a cooler. Bring lots of water, though annoying to hit the rest stop. Staying hydrated while traveling is a must. Do something to help you forget that you are truly driving, and bored in a car. You will stop mindless snacking that way. Reading, listening to podcasts, talk on the phone, nap, chew gum.. Resist the urge to hit the gas stations, instead go to a rest area. Gas stations conveniently place all of the "snacks" well before you walk to the rest room. It is hard to pass up on those because you see them. Just pee and leave! lol.

As for exercise, hotels usually have gyms. Or you can walk outside around the hotel. Find a local gym using your iphone map.

AnnPT77

CathyMini1 wrote: »

Hi, everyone!

I am headed on a 16+ hours road trip next month and would love to hear your tips for eating well and exercising while on the road. It's something I've started giving some thought to and wanted to see if anyone wanted to share what has worked for them in the past. TIA!

The advice you've already gotten is better than the advice I'm about to offer, but I'm going to give it anyway, as you didn't mention the circumstances of your travel.

I go on trips with a group of friends, some of whom are very focused on stopping at convenience stores for a snack, or eating at fast food chains while on the road. This adds to the challenge, for me. I really don't want to sit in the car eating my box lunch, while everyone else goes inside to eat. (I'm weak that way !)

So, in advance of the first such trip during weight loss, I identified several major fast food chains where I could get something that worked for me (I'm vegetarian as well as calorie/nutrition conscious, so this can be more complicated), and that were also places I knew my fast-foodie friends liked. I knew what I'd order before I even got there. They were willing for me to steer us to these places vs. others with only really bad choices.

Then, at convenience store stops, if I really felt the urge to buy a snack, I would go for a Greek yogurt, or some V8 juice, or something like that - something that made a solid nutritional contribution for its calories, or simply didn't have a big bundle of calories.

So, cooler & your own snacks is better, but if there's a social context like mine . . . .

sst036

I drove across the southern states in May/June (~6-8h per day), and despite being somewhat concerned about how everyone I know puts on weight on holiday in America, managed to eat at various fast food places without gaining weight. The trick was always having a full bottle of ice cold water. First thing we did was stop at Walmart and got a 3 gallon cooler, which we kept topped up with ice and water everyday. It was brilliant and meant that I didn't waste calories on drinks.