How to make holiday trips, healthy trips

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If you want to stay healthy on a business trip or vacation, Chinelo Ngene of Jovago.com has tips that will show you how easy it is to do it.

• Do your research: Doing some personal research about the area you will be staying before your trip can make maintaining your healthy lifestyle a lot easier. You can find nearby grocery stores or health food stores, find out what restaurants are close by and what their menu is like, and what hotels or accommodation options will be best suited for your dietary needs - those who like to cook their own meals will prefer rooms with kitchenettes. If you do your research well, you should have a number of dining options ready for when you finally go on your trip.

• Eat healthy: When you are somewhere new, you probably want to check out the food scene. This is perfectly understandable - part of traveling is exploring and trying out new food is its own type of exploration. If you manage to score a room with a kitchenette, you can make your own breakfast and pack a lunch to enjoy while exploring the city. This way, your breakfast and lunch are sure to be healthy and you can leave the nights for all the exotic food experiments you are willing to indulge in. Even if you do not have a kitchenette in your room, I am sure you can reach some sort of arrangement with the hotel to enable your fitness goals. Just try as much as possible to minimise how often you eat out.

• Sleep: When you are working or having fun, it's easy to shove a good night's rest or any rest at all, into the side-lines without fully realizing just how detrimental sleep deprivation is for your health (yes, even for a few days). Yu should make it a priority to get at least 7 hours of sleep every night. Your body will thank you for this as a well-rested body boosts your immune system.

• Stay active: A great way to keep up your health and fitness regimen is to find activities during your trip that excite you. If you are into yoga, you can find a studio around where you stay, or you can go cycling or surfing. Some sports centres have great promotions for tourists, and some even allow free drop-ins. Not only will you keep your health up, it is also a great way to meet and interact with new people.

• Workout on your own: You can create a workout out of almost every activity, wherever you are; it is one of the things I find great about exercise. You can use the hotel pool or gym equipment, or find a nearby park and use the playground equipment, or even stay in your room and do your squats, lifts and cardio. Even walking is a great way to stay fit - grab a map and explore the city on foot. It may not seem like you are doing something effective but your muscles are getting the workout they need and even that little bit will keep you on track during your trip.

• Drink lots of water: Wherever you are, it is important to stay hydrated. You should have a water bottle you take with you everywhere so you have no problems taking in enough fluids. This tip is especially helpful if you are travelling somewhere hotter than you are used to. Without enough fluids in your system, it is easy to mistake dehydration for hunger, which can cause you to eat more than you should.

• Pack all you need to keep your regimen: You will not need to be reminded to work out on your trip if you have your workout equipment in plain sight. It may seem like extra load, but having the stuff you need to maintain your regimen will cut out all the excuses you would make to boycott your healthy habits for the duration of your trip. To cut down load, you can pack only the lightweight stuff like a skipping rope and dumbbells. If you take vitamins and supplements, be sure to pack those as well.

For more information, go to www.jovago.com