The Nutritional Parallels Between Sheltering at Home and Travelling

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​You’re sitting at home. There’s a lot more time on your hands.  You’re hanging out with your new best friend, Netflix. What’s there to do?  Eat!  And that’s a danger that’s not all that dissimilar to being on the road. 

Not only do you have the opportunity to eat more often now than ever, there’s a natural attraction to comfort foods.  Let’s face it, these are very different times.  Our routines are way off, and we’re fairly cut off from our friends and family.  It can get downright depressing.

It can be the same way on the road.  You’re often out there on your own and it’s easy to go for a less healthy meal.  There’s a lot more easy choices than healthy ones; similar to the grocery store.  Eating healthy is a conscious decision and an effort.  It takes planning and preparation. 
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So, what do we do in times like these?  Fortunately, the same rules apply in situations like this as they would on the road.  Here’s a few ideas to help keep you on track:

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• Keep logging your food – It’s the easiest and hardest thing to do.  It’s hard because once you’re out of the habit, it takes a little effort to get back on it.  However, once you do it’s pretty routine.  An app like MyFitnessPal is a big help.
• Snack but snack healthy – If you want to crunch, a single serving pack of almonds is great.  If you crave sweet, an RX bar or Oikos Triple Zero Greek yogurt is a good choice. 
• Limit your indulgences – We’re all going to be a little off track but if you can make the indulgences to every once in a while, it’s going to have a big result for you.  Perhaps you plan for when you have it and it gives you a reward to work towards.
• Seek support – If your gym has a nutrition coach, there’s nothing wrong for asking for a little help.  They’ll be nothing but understanding.  Also, you can ask a family member to help by giving you reminders when you reach for the less healthy stuff, if that works for you.  It’s important to help each other.  Having a partner that can practice healthy habits with you is also a great help.  We’re all in the same boat.
• Take advantage of resources – Fortunately, at home we have more resources at our disposal.  We have our kitchen.  Sites like Healthy Steps Nutrition have lots of great ideas.  Check out https://healthystepsnutrition.com/healthy-recipes/.  There’s a section for healthy treats. 
• Discipline starts at the grocery store – Simply put, if it’s not in the house (or hotel room on the road), there's a whole lot less temptation.  It’s easy to gravitate towards comfort food right now but if you can maintain that discipline when you’re making your shopping choices, you’ll feel a lot better for it both physically and emotionally in the long term.  Here’s a graphic from Healthy Steps Nutrition of some good choices to have on hand.

• If you go off track, you can always get back on track – One bad day doesn’t have to become a bad week.  You had some ice cream or a couple of cookies?  It's okay.  Start over again tomorrow.  No need to kick yourself.  This definitely happens on the road.  Every day is a new day and a new opportunity.

Let's not forget that healthier foods are going to better support your immune system.  So, staying on track is that much more important these days.

We’re all in uncharted territory. Some of the rules have changed and we’re all reacting to them and trying to find a rhythm and balance. These are just some reminders and suggestions that I hope will help. 
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Please stay safe, stay healthy and stay strong in mind, body and spirit.