July 06, 2014
5 Road Trip Fit Tips
It’s summer time and I am making the drive down east with my parents – something we would do almost every summer when I was a kid, since my entire family on both sides are from Nova Scotia. It’s been at least 7 years since we last drove down together (because I have never done any of the driving before, so it must have been before I had my license), and I was thinking of ways that I could make the 18 hour drive an exercise in, well, exercise – or at least staying healthy. It’s difficult to avoid the pit falls of McDonald’s pit stop options, so to help myself, and anyone else taking a road trip this summer, I’ve come up with 5 quick road trip fit tips:
1. Pack healthy snacks: while you’re on the road you don’t want to be stuck with gas station options of snacks. Be proactive and chop up some fruit and veggies for the road, you’ll be less likely to overeat when you stop for a meal. Plus if you eat an apple rather than a bag of chips, you’re probably more likely to feel energized for the drive.
[caption id="attachment_50536" align="alignnone" width="550"]
My dad's snacks vs. mine. Guess who didn't have a sugar crash.[/caption]
2. Gas station squats: you’re getting out to stretch your legs anyway, you may as well take this opportunity to do at least 10 full squats. Will people look at you weirdly? Yes, but who cares? You’re not from around these parts, and you’ll probably never see them again in your life.
3. Geocaching: this isn’t necessarily a super fitness focused idea, but it will at least get you up and walking, possibly climbing, squatting, and otherwise searching. Geocaching is a really fun idea, it’s basically a treasure hunt that takes place all over the world. People hide a container with a logbook and sometimes a few trinkets; they then enter the coordinates and a description on the website so that others can find the cache. You find it, sign your name, leave something if you take something, and put the cache back where you found it for other geocachers to find. I once took a bus from Ontario to Calgary and found at least one geocache everytime the bus stopped – it really broke up the monotony.
4. Pit stop option: When you pull off the highway for a meal break there are sure to be plenty of unhealthy options, but you don’t need to settle for these. Keep your eyes peeled for the non-McDonald’s options, you’ll probably be able to find a falafel hut, or at least somewhere that will offer a salad if you just drive a bit further than your first food place sighting. Another idea is going to a grocery store for your meal stop. Grocery stores often have a great deli section with hot meals and a multitude of salads, plus you can stock up on healthy snacks.
5. Passenger seat dancing: You would be surprised at how much you can break a sweat with some sweet seated dance moves. My go-to songs were “Happy” by Pharrel Williams and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” – you know you’re getting a real workout when your moves are big enough to attract the attention of passing cars. Note: don’t do this while you’re driving.
Bonus move: contracting your abs in fear that an errant moose will leap out onto the road in front of you, which the amount of signage along the Trans Canada Highway seems to suggest is likely.
My dad's snacks vs. mine. Guess who didn't have a sugar crash.[/caption]
2. Gas station squats: you’re getting out to stretch your legs anyway, you may as well take this opportunity to do at least 10 full squats. Will people look at you weirdly? Yes, but who cares? You’re not from around these parts, and you’ll probably never see them again in your life.
3. Geocaching: this isn’t necessarily a super fitness focused idea, but it will at least get you up and walking, possibly climbing, squatting, and otherwise searching. Geocaching is a really fun idea, it’s basically a treasure hunt that takes place all over the world. People hide a container with a logbook and sometimes a few trinkets; they then enter the coordinates and a description on the website so that others can find the cache. You find it, sign your name, leave something if you take something, and put the cache back where you found it for other geocachers to find. I once took a bus from Ontario to Calgary and found at least one geocache everytime the bus stopped – it really broke up the monotony.
4. Pit stop option: When you pull off the highway for a meal break there are sure to be plenty of unhealthy options, but you don’t need to settle for these. Keep your eyes peeled for the non-McDonald’s options, you’ll probably be able to find a falafel hut, or at least somewhere that will offer a salad if you just drive a bit further than your first food place sighting. Another idea is going to a grocery store for your meal stop. Grocery stores often have a great deli section with hot meals and a multitude of salads, plus you can stock up on healthy snacks.
5. Passenger seat dancing: You would be surprised at how much you can break a sweat with some sweet seated dance moves. My go-to songs were “Happy” by Pharrel Williams and Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy” – you know you’re getting a real workout when your moves are big enough to attract the attention of passing cars. Note: don’t do this while you’re driving.
Bonus move: contracting your abs in fear that an errant moose will leap out onto the road in front of you, which the amount of signage along the Trans Canada Highway seems to suggest is likely.