5 Tricks to staying healthy whilst travelling - Guest Article by Sheila Zhou/USANA

There is no doubt that Australians love to travel. Last year alone Australians went on over nine million international holidays. For many of us though, a holiday unfortunately means unwanted weight gain, with the average Australian gaining around 1.5kg every time they travel.

According to Sheila Zhou, expert Scientist at USANA, leading producer of high quality supplements, “Often when people go on holidays they throw their healthy lifestyle out the window, bingeing on excessive amounts of calories and alcohol, and doing very little exercise. Even if you only do this a few times a year, it all adds up! Luckily there are simple ways to maintain your health while on holidays, without giving up too many of your favourite travelling treats.” 

To help you, Ms. Zhou shares her expert tips for staying healthy while travelling:

---

1.       Swap your shoes. It’s impossible to fully appreciate new places from the backseat of a taxi, so swap your dress shoes for sneakers and explore on foot instead! Simply by making the switch you are burning hundreds more calories, plus you get a better view from up close and personal – a win win!


2.       Pack light. Nobody wants to be carrying around excess baggage while they’re travelling, so often people opt for unhealthy snacks like chocolate bars and chips because they perceive them to be compact and convenient. Swapping these calorie laden snacks for nutritious options like USANA’s Berry Nutty bars, for example, means you can still enjoy a healthy snack without the hassle.
 

3.       Nap away. Between jetlag and jam packed days it’s easy to wear yourself out when you’re travelling. Rather than cramming dozens of activities into each day, where possible try to factor in a nap – especially in the first few days of arriving at your destination. This down time will allow your body to recuperate from the jetlag faster, and let you get the most out of your holiday.

 
4.       Don’t forget your vitamins. The last thing you want while you’re travelling is to get sick. By taking vitamins, such as USANA’s Probiotic capsules, before and during your travels means you’ll keep your immune system functioning at its best and avoid getting any pesky illnesses that could ruin your trip.

 
5.       Stand up. At the end of the day you’re on holidays, and you’ll likely want to have at least one blow out when it comes to eating and drinking. But even just by standing up at a bar or cafe you are burning nine times more calories, plus sitting for long periods of time has been found to be as bad for your health as smoking[4], so standing means you’re not only burning calories, you’re helping your heart too.

To view the full range of USANA Health Sciences nutritional, weight management and personal care products visit www.usana.com.

 
[4] Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Screen-based entertainment time, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular events: Population-based study with ongoing mortality and hospital events follow-up.