6 Tips on How to Stay Healthy on a Road Trip

Road trip…. just hearing that term can conjure up all kinds of thoughts. Is it driving through gorgeous scenery; stopping at the out-the-way little restaurant; or cranking the music with the window down as you sing along, feeling the freedom of the open road? It could be all of those things. What is it for you? Does taking a road trip excite you or does the endless sitting in a car or RV cause your body to ache before you start? Well, keep reading for our 6 tips on how to stay healthy on a road trip.

I love taking road trips. We just came off a 4 month RV trip across the US. (Check out some of our posts on our travels) And although the trip was awesome and we loved all the experiences and people we were blessed to meet, there was the problem of trying to stay healthy along the way. And talking with other RVers and road trippers, it seemed a common problem. So I thought I’d share our 6 tips on how to stay healthy on a road trip. Hopefully, these will keep your body and mind going strong as you let the freedom of the open road blow through your hair and refresh your soul!

1. Walking Can Help You Stay Healthy on a Road Trip:

The first tip on how to stay healthy on a road trip is walking. Walking is one of the easiest and best ways to stay active on the road. Walking is great for overall body health. It can help improve and maintain cardiovascular health, keep circulation and muscle tone healthy, especially in the legs, can help to clear a muddled mind, and is something just about anyone can do. To gain these health benefits, be sure to walk briskly; a slow, leisurely stroll is great when you want to view an art gallery or walk hand in hand along a beach, but you’ll need to add some brisk walking too.

Being on a road trip typically means you are sitting for long stretches of time. But there are definitely stops as well. Take advantage of each of those stops. Whether at a gas station, a meal time stop, or a site to see, try to take at least 10-15 minutes to walk.

Another easy way to add more walking is to park as far away from an entrance to a park or historical site you are checking out, instead of the closest spot. This way, you have to walk more to get where you want to be. 🙂

Whether you are in an RV and have your own lodging or in a car staying in motels, you can always get up earlier and take a 30 minute walk before starting back on the road. Try doing this at least every other day. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle the next ‘can’t miss’ site, or ‘world’s tallest goat tower’. 😉

2. Stay Healthy on a Road Trip with Weights and Resistance Bands:

Walking, by itself, is not quite enough exercise to adequately maintain muscle and overall health. So using weights is highly recommended and the next tip on how to stay healthy on a road trip. I’m not talking big heavy weight lifting. We’ll leave that at the gym. But bringing along some 5-10 lb weights and/or resistance bands will help in maintaining some muscle tone and strength. Especially as we mature, our muscles naturally begin to atrophy. This is normal, but not something we really want to happen. It’s important to add resistance when we exercise to keep our muscles strong.

Try doing 15-30 minutes of resistance training at least 3 times a week, or every other day. This can be done with 5-10 lbs weights, resistance bands or your own body weight. Exercises such as squats, lunges, kickboxing moves, and even sit-ups can be improved by adding weights or bands.

But even if you don’t have weights, using your own body weight in exercises like push-ups or planks, deep squats and lunges, and leg extensions will help keep your overall muscles healthier. And make it easier to hike those great scenic trails you find!

3. Keep Healthy on a Road Trip with Yoga

This tip is one of my favorites. While the first two are so important, yoga adds another aspect to your healthy road trip body. Nothing beats yoga for flexibility, strength and calm. Yoga isn’t just wrapping yourself into a pretzel. There is flow to it, a smoothness and a fluid movement that is very nourishing to the body and the mind. And there is the breathing associated with yoga that expands your lungs, brings oxygen to your body and breaths in freshness and calmness to your whole being.

But having a place to do your practice can be a challenge. On our RV trip, I found I could just fit my mat between the dinette and wall of our RV. I had to adjust some of the poses to fit completely on my mat, but I could still do a great sequence. So for my readers who are RVing, you should be able to find a 3×6 square of space you can lay out your mat, especially if you have a slide out.

For you car road trippers, motel rooms generally have space next to a bed to lay out your mat. Again, these may not be ideal spots, but making the commitment and effort to stay healthy on the road is worth it!

Check out a Local Yoga Studio:

Another option, although there is money involved, is to find a local yoga studio in the town you are staying in. To be honest, I was never able to try this option, although it was always on my mind and radar. I didn’t find studios convenient to where we were staying. And I was doing my own practice in the RV.

However, it would be great to visit a yoga studio a few times while on the road, to add some new ideas to your practice, be in the company of fellow yogis and have the room to stretch out completely. But even if taking a class is not a viable option, I highly recommend fitting some yoga into your daily routine, or at least 3 times a week.

4. Eat Light & Healthy on your road trip, but allow freedom to enjoy local food.

We love food. Are you with me here? Especially finding some awesome local food to try. However, too much of a good thing is…well…too much. 😉 Definitely allow yourself the freedom and the grace to enjoy some local food. It’s part of the experience. But be aware of your portions and how often you indulge. Once in awhile is fine. But for the majority of your meals, keep them light and simple.

RV Food Choices for staying healthy on a road trip:

If you are in an RV, it’s much simpler to keep fresh, healthy food available. Always have lots fresh fruit and vegetables. Keep your snacks on the lighter end. No heavy chips or sugar filled foods. Plan your meals, at least your dinners to always include some dark leafy greens and small protein portions. Good snacks while on the road can be fruit, protein bars (try to avoid soy protein, especially for females over 50), carrots and other raw veggies, nuts, yogurt, and wholegrain crackers and cheese. These can also make for quick, healthy lunches on the go.

Healthy Food Choices for a Car Road Trip:

For my car road trippers, most of this is applicable to you other than you can’t usually make your own meals. But you can have an ice chest in the car. So be sure to fill it with the healthy choices above, and not the sugary sodas, fat-filled chips, or processed foods. When you do go out to restaurants, don’t be so rigid as to not enjoy some local fare, but just not at every meal.

Make simple meal choices that have vegetables or fruit as the main ingredient; look at the calorie count in menus; be especially aware of the trap of salads. Although I am a big salad eater and love to order them, salads can be notorious for having lots of hidden calories. Especially with all the dressings, extra meat and cheeses, croutons etc. Salads are a great option, but check the nutrition stats before ordering. Fish and veggie entrees are usually your best option.

5. Avoid Convenience and Fast Food:

This is so important to stay healthy on the road. It is sooooooo easy to grab that convenient bag of chips, that stick of nitrate-filled beef stick, that Big Gulp of soda, that fat-filled gas station burrito. But can I just say….DON’T! Resist the temptation for that quick snack or convenience meal. It’s not worth it! Not only are those types of foods very unhealthy, full of sugar, fat, and chemicals, there is hardly any nutritional value. They can be great fillers and satisfy your hunger for a bit, but you will not feel good after eating it. Do yourself, your body, and your mind a favor. Avoid those convenience foods.

Fast Food Restaurants:

Fast food restaurants are pretty much the same. Not much nutrition and way too much fat, sugar and salt. However, with that said, there can be some healthier choices, especially for my car road tripper readers out there. Of course, there are the salads. But as stated before, check the calorie count. And salads all the time can get boring….. Here’s a small list of some healthier fast food options for those times when you really just need a quick meal.

• McDonald’s – Artisan grilled chicken sandwich (380 calories, 6 grams of fat and 36 grams of protein). Being grilled instead of fried, this is a decent choice for some good protein. Add a piece of fruit or some raw veggies to round out the meal.
• Taco Bell – Steak fresco soft taco (150 calories, 4 grams fat and 10 grams protein) Check out the calorie and protein count on these tacos. You could have 2 or 3 and still be in the good range. Again, add a piece of fruit to balance out the taco.
• Starbucks – Spinach, feta & cage-free egg-white breakfast wrap (290 calories, 10 grams of fat and 19 grams of protein) I love Starbucks, but it can be a calorie rich place. This meal choice is a decent option on the go. But try to go with the plain coffee rather than the sugar-laced, high calorie Frappuccino. Yes, I know they are so good, but please don’t make it a daily habit. 😉
• Chipotle – Steak burrito bowl with fajita vegetables, black beans and fresh tomato salsa (325 calories, 7.5 grams of fat and 30 grams of protein) Chipotle can be a fairly healthy option, especially because you can pick and choose the ingredients that go into your meal. But as with all of these restaurants, check out their nutritional menu to be sure you are making a good choice.

6. Remember your Supplements:

Finally, road trips can be somewhat hard on the body. It’s a change in routine; lots of sitting in sometimes uncomfortable car seats; and often a change in diet. So adding some good, quality supplements is a great idea. Following is a list of my favorites. Note: I really love Anya Vien’s Living Traditionally site. She has some great information and products to live healthier.

• Tumeric – This bright orange root is known for its strong anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties. Research has shown it has numerous health benefits for many various diseases as well as overall functional health. You can use a powdered form to sprinkle in food or a capsule form to make it easier and less messy. (Note: Tumeric powder can stain so be aware of spilling on clothing etc.) Check out these two links for more information. Living Traditionally ; 1MD
• Wheatgrass – Great for overall health and nutrition and loaded with vitamins and minerals. It also balances pH Levels. It’s recommended to take wheatgrass daily. I love to use it in smoothies, which by the way, is an awesome way to start the day with a nutrient dense choice. Living traditionally has it in powdered form.
• Spirulina – Great for weight-loss, immunity and over all nutrition and loaded with vitamins, proteins and antioxidants. Mix up some spirulina with your morning smoothie in addition to the wheatgrass. It’ll be a bright green way to kick start your day. You’ll love it!
• Probiotics – This is especially important because road trips can wreak havoc on our digestive system. Keep things moving and healthy by adding probiotics every day. You can add them either as a capsule supplement or through things like kombucha or sauerkraut.
• Water, water, water – I cannot stress enough how important drinking water is. Our bodies are made of a majority of water and we need to replenish it daily. As a guideline, every person should drink half your body weight in water daily. Let’s say you are 140 lbs. Then you should be drinking 70 ounces of water a day. If you don’t love water, try adding some lemon or lime slices, or use sparkling water like Perrier. Or for a less expensive per bottle option without the waste, buy a Soda Stream just for the carbonation. However, don’t add the sugary syrups. We want good, pure water! 🙂

Staying healthy on the road isn’t hard but it takes some effort and commitment. But remember to be flexible. The previous list is not a set of rules to be rigidly followed, but some guidelines to keep in mind as you enjoy your road trip. Remember, you are on a trip to enjoy life, experience new places and have some freedom. So feel free to indulge once in awhile. But indulge with some reservation.

Allow yourself the freedom to try out that fried hush puppy, or two scoop, freshly made ice cream cone. And if you overindulge one day, be sure to eat more healthy and lighter for the next couple days. It’s a matter of balance, grace and smart choices.

Here’s hoping you have an awesome, healthy, extraordinary next road trip. If you have some thoughts or ideas of your own, I’d love to hear them. I’m always up for new ideas. Till then, keep living and making your Someday, Today!

Did you love reading the post? Then don’t miss any more good stuff! Subscribe to our blog below and you’ll receive new content delivered right to your inbox. And we promise…no spam, just fun and inspiration. 🙂