vacation work outI've been in San Diego the last few days for a work trip, and while I'm not thrilled about stepping on the scale when I get back to Texas tomorrow, I've actually gathered some real wisdom about staying healthy and on goal while traveling away from home. (And it doesn't include eating salads every meal!)

I hope this list helps you when you travel next.

1) Try to book a hotel with a fitness center (that's me in my hotel fitness center this past week in the above photo!). First, how often can you walk into a room with machines and weights at your disposal? Sure, working out doesn't top many people's Ideal Vacation Activity list, but if you carve out just a half hour each day to visit your (included in your stay) fitness center, you're well on your way to keeping vacation pounds at bay.

2) Walk! If you can, choose walking over almost any other form of transportation. I pack comfortable shoes and choose walking over taking a cab or a bus. Sometimes my feet are aching by the time I reach my destination, but I get to stop and take pictures along the way, check out cool areas, and work off a bunch of calories. I never regret it.

3) Enjoy the local food. Don't limit yourself on what you can eat. Limit yourself on how much you eat. Don't add extra meals or late-night snacks to your itinerary and opt for appetizer portions or split meals, but don't limit yourself on the types of food you order.

4) Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Increase the amount of water you drink. This will help if you really are walking all over the city, and it will also curb hunger. Win-win!

5) Incorporate exercise or activities into your trip. A kickboxing class isn't that much fun on vacation but taking a bike tour of the area you're in or hiking a local trail is.

Sometimes you have to travel for work and other times you really deserve a vacation, but either way it's possible to feel good about yourself and your choices while traveling.

What your weight-loss and fitness tips while traveling?

 

Image via Jennie Canzoneri