I’ll be heading out of town next week to help my brother celebrate a milestone birthday.

Since many of you fabulous readers may be on the road for the 4th of July holiday, or may be getting ready to go on summer vacation, I wanted to share some tips on how to make traveling healthy—and fun!

Believe it or not,

• It’s easier than you currently believe.
• You can eat what you really want and still stay on track.
• You are much stronger than you can possibly imagine—and you will feel awesome about yourself afterwards.

Tip Number 1–You Have to Pre-plan.

Wait! Before you hit the exit button, this doesn’t have to be hard.

All you need to do is think through the obstacles you are going to face and how you are going to handle them. Looking for solutions is MUCH easier before you find yourself confronted with temptation.

Here are things to include in your plan:

Prepare for a Snack Attack

One of the worst things you can do is not eat all day. You are guaranteed that you will overeat and physically pay the price later.

Instead, eat small, frequent meals throughout the day to keep your energy level high and hunger at bay. To do this, you may need to plan ahead and bring some snacks from home.

These could include:

• A baggie of various nuts and dried fruit for a quick and easy trail mix.
• A stash of protein bars or home-made healthy treats.
• If you have access to a cooler or refrigerator, bring along some fat free Greek yogurt, low-fat cheese, and anything else that you might want that needs refrigeration. Often hotels can put a mini-fridge in your room for a small additional fee. This expands the quality and type of snacks you can take if you are driving, or that you can get at a local grocery store once you arrive.

Drink Lots of Water

You need a lot of extra water while traveling. Bringing a refillable bottle is an easy solution. If you don’t like the taste of the tap water, buy bottled water.

If you forget your reusable bottle, just buy a bottle of water and refill it. And skip–or if that will make you feel deprived, go easy on—the alcohol, which just dehydrates you further and will result in a wicked hangover the next day, which will make it harder to stick to your plan.

Eat Only What You Really Love

Include in your plan when you are going to treat yourself. Knowing you have an indulgence coming makes it easier to say “No” to less calorie-worthy options.

When you are relaxed and food is around, it’s easy to mindlessly eat a little–or a lot–of everything.

But all that’s doing is potentially packing on the pounds.

Think through your day and pick the one or two items that you truly love and would feel deprived if you weren’t eating.

Then really savor them.

You’ll discover that it’s the first few bites that are packed with the most flavor. When you truly focus on and enjoy those first bites you are more satisfied and can keep your portions small.

Scope Our Nearby Restaurants

Whether you prefers big chains, or like to sample the local cuisine, the Internet is a great resource for checking out restaurants while on the road.

If you can, check out the on-line menu before you head to dinner so you have planned what you’re going to order. This way, you’ll be less swayed by passing entrees, delicious smells, the bread basket, or a growling tummy to order something less healthy when the waiter finally arrives.

Pack Your Workout Clothes

You may not be able to get in your normal workout, but the important thing is to maintain your habit of moving your body.

With a little creativity and flexibility you can absolutely get in a workout—often without even leaving your room. Not only will you feel better, but it’s easier to get right back into your normal routine if you’ve at least done something while on the road.

Travel workout ideas include:

• Strap on your trainers and walk or run around the block.
• Pack your iPod and dance for 15 to 30 minutes in your room.
• Bringing your computer? Pack a workout DVD that can work out to in the privacy of your room.
• Do weight bearing exercises, such as push-ups, squats, and planks to get you body moving and the blood circulating.
• And if it has one, you can always hit the hotel gym.

Bonus! Most of these workouts can be done in your pajamas if your workout clothes didn’t make it in the bag.

Your workout doesn’t have to be perfect for you to feel better and stay on track.

Getting in some kind of physical activity is particularly important if you are going to be spending a lot of time sitting.

Catch Your Zs

One of the keys for making sure you stay on your wellness track while traveling is to get adequate rest, which can be a challenge in a strange bed hearing noises that you’re not used to, or if you have bright lights peaking through your curtains.

Prepare for these problems by packing an eye pillow or mask, ear plugs, and downloading an app on your cell phone that plays ambient noise, like a fan or rainfall.

You know what adequate rest means for you, so do your best to go to bed at a time that will enable you to get the sleep you need, or if you are just having too good a time, work a nap in the next day.

And if you do find that you ate more than you planned, heeded the call of a bag of potato chips, or needed the sleep more than the workout, don’t beat yourself up.

To achieve optimal wellness, you only need to be consistent, not perfect.

Please share the travel tips that have worked for you! The best way to learn is from each other, and I would love to learn from you!

Together we can do it!