Pack your snack bag

Don’t become a victim of airport food courts and gas station food. While healthier options are becoming more available, nothing beats having your own stash of snacks to turn to. Take along foods with complex carbohydrates, healthy fats, and lean protein that will keep you satisfied. Try roasted chickpeas, a healthy muffin, and some fruit.

Keep it light

Avoid packing more in your luggage than you can handle. Heavy shoulder bags and backpacks add stress to your back, neck, and shoulders which can leave you with aching muscles. Tugging on a large suitcase to get it out of the car or onto the airline scale puts you at risk for a pulled back muscle. When large, heavy bags are required, use correct lifting form and a cart to transport them.

Shoes are essential

Your reason for travel will likely dictate your wardrobe, but that doesn’t mean you can’t come equipped with athletic shoes. Always keep a pair in your carry-on and you won’t have any excuses for not taking a few laps around the airport during your layover.

Stay hydrated

Traveling well-hydrated is a challenge. No one wants to be running to the bathroom multiple times on a long trip, but the dehydrating effects of travel make it necessary to keep drinking. Determine your daily water requirement and stick with it, even when traveling. Also, keep your fluid intake up the day or two before to ensure you are well hydrated before your trip begins.

No stress-snacking

Long lines, crowded airports, and unexpected delays can make travel stressful, which can lead to emotional eating. The rule of “eat only when you are truly hungry” still applies on the road. When you feel stress building, take a second to close your laptop and set down your phone. Read a few pages of your novel or listen to a podcast, or grab a cup of soothing hot tea.

Easy exercise

It’s tempting to abandon your workouts, but exercise will make you feel better both mentally and physically. This doesn’t mean you have to stick to your normal program. Exercising when traveling may mean you have to reduce the time or intensity. Go for a two-mile jog around downtown instead of your usual four-miler. Join a walking tour of the city, or ask your hotel if they partner with fitness centers in the area that offer classes to guests.

Lori Rice, M.S., is a nutritional scientist and author with a passion for healthy cooking, exercise physiology, and food photography.