It’s important to remember that being away from home doesn’t make you immune to bad food choices—greasy food & excessive amounts of sugar have the same effects on your body in another city as they do at home.  That may sound like a really basic principle, but it’s a powerful one.  To overcome this potential shortfall, make the decision to remain conscious about what you feed your body each day.

It’s okay to indulge here and there, but try to reserve your food indulgences for the really special occasions on your trip.  When you focus on fueling up on wholesome meals, you will keep your body healthy and fully functional, and those wholesome meals will help you resist the temptation to make unhealthy choices.

Dining out is almost inevitable while traveling, but that doesn’t mean your health has to suffer for it.  Here are some tips on how to make healthy restaurant choices: 

• Don't be afraid to ask the server how a dish is prepared.
  
• Request salad dressings and sauces on the side. 
  
• Skip the bread basket. 
  
• Substitute steamed vegetables for white potatoes or white rice.
  
• Opt for grilled, sautéed, or baked items over fried foods 
  
• Ask if the chef would be willing to prepare your meal without butter or large amounts of oil. 
  

**If you want to take your planning one step further, you can research restaurants in the area you’re visiting to find which ones have the healthiest options.

Eating healthy while traveling isn’t always easy, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.  

It's fun to explore a new city.  If you do it the right way, exploring a new city can be fun and  fit.  

There's a big difference between seeing a city up close and personal, and staring at it through a car, bus, or taxi window as you drive by inhaling stale vehicle air.   Here are 3 fit (and fun) ways to check out new city that are, not only good for your body, but great ways to explore. 

1.  Walk.  That's right, strap on some comfortable shoes and walk.  You may think walking around a city may sound a bit too obvious or too simple to be considered good fitness, but walking carries some heavy-hitting health benefits.  Research has shown that walking for at least 30 minutes a day can help you reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and improve blood pressure & blood sugar levels.  Walking also allows you to stop and explore a city on a deeper level.  Depending on where you go, a parking place may not be the easiest thing to find--and tour/city buses typically don't stop when you see something cool you want to check out or taking a picture of.  If you explore by foot, you can stop and go as you please. 
  
2.  Hike.  Okay, you may be thinking that hiking is the same thing as walking--not true.  Yes, hiking requires walking, but the two activities are different.  Hiking is when you move from a lower elevation to a higher elevation which requires more effort than walking a relatively smooth/flat path.  If you're up for expending more energy (also known as burning calories) you may want to consider taking a good hike.  More benefits of hiking:  it can give you a birds-eye view of the city you're exploring to help you take it all in... and maybe find a cool place or two to check out when you're done.  Oh, and if you hike high enough, you can take some amazing pictures of the entire city below. 

3.  Bike.  Bike rentals are becoming more and more popular in cities.  Renting a bike will allow you to take a quick or leisurely spin around a city while also keeping your body fit.  Like walking and hiking, biking also torches calories and improves your cardiovascular fitness.  Some added benefits of biking: you can cover more ground more quickly than walking, and it's a great alternative if you need relief for your joints.

So, forget the stale air & vehicle views when you want to check out a new place.  Get ready to breathe in some fresh air, move your body, and find the coolest nooks and crannies of the next city you visit.