I just returned home to Ireland after 6-months in North, Central, and South America. I visited California, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil. Throughout that time, I managed to maintain or improve my health, performance, and body composition. We recently published on this topic
(specific to nutrition) on-site, so check that out for general travel nutrition tips. In this article, I'd like to share with you how I did that, which will include tips that are transferable to your life at home, on holiday, or during extended travels.
To begin, intention is the most important ingredient. When I began traveling, I wanted just two things out of each destination: gym access and WiFi. A few days here and there without those amenities was fine, but I was not going to accept it for longer than that. 'Boring', you may say, but I had to work and train. That's life. Prioritise accordingly.
During the 6-month period, most areas were a bit more rural with fewer supplement stores. Therefore, each time we would visit a larger city (every 2-4 weeks), I would buy 500-1000g protein powder to bring with me for the next segment of the trip. I would then use this protein powder to bolster my protein intake, particularly in locations where it was more difficult to access protein-fortified drinks & bars (most places). The exception to this was Argentina, where some steaks I
ate contained my entire daily protein intake!
Training and eating in suboptimal conditions always involves trade-offs. I knew I wouldn't be able to access jiu-jitsu training facilities regularly, nor would I have consistent equipment availability in the gyms I trained in. I began to do more running, cardio, and mountaineering / hill-walking as a focus during this time.
Many gyms did not have barbells. Many towns did not have martial arts gyms. But everywhere had a road I could run, or a hill I could climb / run up. By having a couple of goals that I juggled, I constantly felt that my training was productive, even if I wasn't getting stronger, fitter, and better at jiu jitsu [at the same time].
Like training, my nutrition also had its
inconsistencies and trade-offs. Food availability varied widely both between and within countries visited, and due to the frequency of location change, I had very little routine with my diet. This can be detrimental, and consistency with diet structure is something I preach to all of my clients. To ameliorate this, I chose to track my nutrition most of the time while traveling, using MyFitnessPal, and utilised strategies such as strategic fasting to assist with caloric management. I did not have a food-scales, and mostly had uncertainty about what was in my meals, but years of nutrition experience has made it much easier to accurately eyeball and thus track semi-accurately. I also used the dining out
strategies that we advise.
It's not easy to keep training and nutrition on point while traveling. I won't lie to you and say that it is not much easier to do so at home. It is. The more consistency you have in your day-to-day routine, gym access, etc., the easier it is to get or stay fit and healthy. But, at the end of the day, it's your mindset that matters most.
I am a fit person, and being that person is a priority for me. Coming back from traveling with 10lbs of extra fat and poor fitness is just not possible. It could not happen. I am not that person.
Because my internal monologue runs like that and my identity is so tightly intertwined with fitness, decision-making related to exercise & diet becomes much, much
easier. Who are you in the confines of your own mind? Do you behave accordingly? This is the most potent driver of health behaviour.
