Quick & Easy Ways to Stay Healthy on the Road
Fitting Fitness into Your Busy Schedule
We’ve reached that time again, where the holidays have come and gone but the hearty food, drink, and (hopefully) relaxation have found a way to stick around with us into the new year. For most people, it can be a daunting task to kickstart healthy habits after a lull. It’s an even more difficult undertaking when starting a travel assignment in a new place, working a rigorous schedule, and finding time for yourself. So, for all you allied travelers, we’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to keep you healthy while you’re constantly on the move.
-
Get a Fitness Tracker
We live in a society dominated by technology—there are seemingly infinite ways to document your vitals, food intake, exercise, steps, and even sleeping patterns. Whether you opt for a smart watch that measures your steps and activity or an app that tracks your breathing, you can customize how little or how much you want to monitor. Implementing a fitness tracker into your daily regiment gives you an automated solution to keeping up with your body.
Explore out some of the top available fitness trackers here.
-
Meal Prep Weekly
One of, if not the, most vital components of health is your diet. In an ideal world, you’ve be able to dance around Whole Foods each day and prepare yourself recipes from a nutritionist’s dream. Back in the real world, you must balance long workdays and other tasks with eating, sleeping, and recharging your batteries.
Naturally, this can lead to ordering delivery or grabbing take out for convenience. An excellent way to take back the kitchen and keep yourself sane during your busy week is to spend some time on the weekend prepping meals for the following week. There are tons of easy (and healthy) recipes you can whip up each week, so you’ll never get bored with the same old meal.
Check out some popular meal prepping ideas here.
-
Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate
This one is self-explanatory. As biology class has taught us, the human body is 60% water—our bodies need water to perform crucial functions and keep our organs running smoothly. There isn’t a magic number of ounces or glasses you should drink daily but maintaining a steady consumption of water can boost your energy, facilitate skin and joint health, support weight loss, and (of course) help prevent hangovers. If plain water isn’t cutting it with your taste buds, you can also add lemon to give it some flavor and a dose of vitamin C.
Note: Bring a large water bottle with you to work so you have it nearby!
- Know Your Local Fitness Centers
When you move to a new place for an assignment, you’ll naturally want to explore your surroundings to note key landmarks like grocery stores, restaurants, and attractions. Add fitness centers to your list! It doesn’t have to be limited to Planet Fitness, either—no offense to Planet Fitness.
There are a variety of different places to get your body moving and meet new people. The key is finding something that fits your interests, be it CrossFit, Pilates, yoga, or something new you’ve been wanting to try. Once you find an ideal situation, you can join classes that fit your schedule or create your own fitness regimen. There’s no wrong way to go about it!
Check out these apps to find fitness centers and classes in your area.
Related: 10 Best Apps for Nurses Who Like To Break a Sweat
-
Cut Down on Screen Time Before Bed
As a society, have become supremely attached to our phones. They are incredible smart, multi-faceted, interactive computers at this point—who can blame us? While so much of our lives live in the palm of our hand, accessed at the touch of a finger, they do need a break occasionally.
Reducing screen time, especially before bed, gives your brain an opportunity to go on standby and recharge for the next day. Late hours spent staring at lit screen not only keeps your mind buzzing—making it harder to fall asleep—but also puts additional strain on your eyes. Instead, you might grab your favorite book, audio book, or rain playlist to enjoy as you slip into dreamland, at least a few nights a week.
-
Find Time for Stress-Reducing Activities
What is that one thing that can transport you from a crazy day into a place of tranquility? The answer is different for everyone. The only thing that matters is that it’s your thing. Whether you prefer to curl up with your favorite book, relax in a soothing bubble bath, or hit the nearest hiking trail, you deserve to keep that as a fixture in your life. No matter how stressful or busy your day or week is, carving out some time for yourself is essential for your physical, mental, and emotional health. You give so much to others, now give back to yourself!
These tips are just a few of the simple ways for you to be mindful of your health as you navigate your life and career on the road. Remember, your health and fitness are not set in stone, so it’s important find the things that work best for you—and when in doubt, start small!
Additional Allied Healthcare Resources:
- AMN Passport: Our all-in-one allied app for booking allied travel jobs.
- Refer-a-Friend: Make up to $2,000 per referral.
