It’s really hard to keep your healthy eating habits while you are traveling. It’s almost impossible. You feel like you deserve that pina colada, after all the work you do, amiright?! After a lot of time hacking my health routines I’ve learned a lot about how to travel and not throw all those good habits out the window. I want to share some of what I’ve learned with you so that you can travel and still feel your best.
Traveling with Food
Plan ahead!!! If you know you will be en route for 5 hours then pack several light snacks. However, if you will be traveling for 12 hours,meal prep the night before using a container that separates your meal into sections so that you have enough to last you the entire journey. Always keeping in ming if you are flying that what you bring on is allowed *side note I once brought vacuum sealed corned beef and cabbage on the plane…it was St. Patricks day*
Low maintenance foods that don’t need utensils or refrigeration are your friend:
hard boiled eggs
almond butter packet with sliced apples
avocado, leftover chicken and salsa (just take a few pieces of leftover chicken and mix it with salsa and avocado chunks and you have yourself a delicious meal!)
sliced bell peppers with hummus packets
granola
bananas
aloha greens packets
shakeology packets
grain salad (quinoa and kamut berries are my favorite)
Eating Well While On Vacation
Usually when I go on vacation, most of my rules are bent, but always within healthy boundaries. If I have little control over what I’m eating because I’m at restaurants or someone’s house, I try to load up on the healthiest thing there but still enjoy other foods. When I went away skiing with my family my aunt made a delicious linguini dish. Normally I don’t like the way pasta makes me feel but I didn’t want to deprive myself either on this one occasion, so I took a smaller portion of the linguini and filled the rest of my place with the other veggies that were available. I don’t believe in deprivation but everyone must set their own individual boundaries. It took me a long time to learn what my food boundaries are.
Don’t deprive yourself of anything you really want
Eat those indulgence foods in small amounts
Hangovers on vacation are not fun so set ahead of time how much you are willing to drink and stick to it. I usually am good with no more than one drink in about a 4-5 hour period.
Top Tips for Healthy Travel
Bring your favorite organic tea bags with you. Most places do not have organic tea and I hate being stranded somewhere without tea, so I always keep a few teabags in my purse at all times. It also saves a ton of money bringing your own tea.
Pre-plan your portable and healthy foods to bring with you. I find that granola, nuts, almond butter packets, and powdered greens or protein powder are best.
Balanced indulgence. Don’t deprive yourself but certainly enjoy in moderation. Food and alcohol can be your friend or your enemy. You decide which one it is.
Keep one part of your routine the same, whether it’s the time you wake up in the morning, your daily yoga/meditation practice, or 30 minutes of exercise. Keeping some part of your self-care routine consistent can really help when everything else is thrown off from your travels.
Always take your refillable water bottle. Hydration is often lost in the shuffle of travel. If you don’t have access to filtered water, check out these charcoal water filters you can stick right into any water bottle.
I hope the next trip you take will be a little easier and healthier!
I know how it feels to get stagnant in your practice. I’m a yoga instructor for goodness sake and I still only find that I get my best practice in when I go take a class with someone else. There’s just something about someone else telling you what to do that makes me push myself harder. When I take my practice home with me, I’m so gentle with myself and do mostly stretching and slow asana flows.
A regular yoga practice can easily feel stagnant.
I was teaching a client today and I started to realize that if we do the same practice day after day our muscles get bored and we stop growing. We also start to lose connection with our body because it becomes second nature and we can go through the motions without giving it much thought. So, I started to give cues for more fine tuned alignment, and all of a sudden the same poses felt so different.
There are small tweaks you can make in your regular poses to get more out of your practice.
So I wanted to share some really easy ways to kick up your yoga practice a notch, without adding any more challenging poses. Maybe you’re not ready for headstands, or inversions freak you out. Well this is for you! Do these three things next time you take a yoga class or do your home practice, and you’ll be amazed how different a familiar practice becomes.
Here are 3 simple ways to spice up your yoga practice
Hug Midline– This means that when you are in a standing pose you squeeze your legs in toward one another. Now this won’t mean that they touch. Keep your feet firmly planted directly below your hips, but engage in the muscles of the inner thighs by pulling the legs toward the midline. This simple action will transform seemingly simple or passive poses like mountain pose, forward fold, warrior 1/2, and downward dog. Hold these poses even longer while hugging midline, and you’ll feel so sore the next day! This can also be done in poses where you have weight on your arms such as table top, downward dog, and forearm stand.
Lift Your Toes- This will challenge your balance. First start small my trying it in non balance poses like mountain pose, lunge, or warrior. Not only will it improve your balance, but it will also require you to use more muscles to stabilize, eating you get more bang for your buck in a simple practice. You’re feet and ankles don’t always get strengthened so this is a great way to give some attention to your foundation. Once you are more comfortable try it in balance poses like tree pose!
Close your eyes– Not only will this bring your awareness inside and limit the external distractions, but it will also force you to rely on your own body awareness for balance and movement. We often know how we are moving only because we can see ourselves, but try moving from a place of feeling. This will challenge your balance and also force you to use more muscles and really explore your body in a new way.
I challenge you! The next time you do your practice try out these three actions. Suddenly forward fold and downward dog feel like a whole new experience.
Raise your hand if you love winter. …(Bueller?) Thought so. It most people’s least favorite time of year. But after you read this, my hope is that you feel a little differently. Winter self-care routines are uniquely essential during this season because we have unique needs.
In this season we take a cue from nature. The life force around us retreats inward and is in rest and reflect mode. Though our modern lives dictate otherwise, if we listen to our innermost wisdom, it’s telling us to do the same. Have you ever gotten home from work and it’s only 5:30 but since it’s dark you find yourself sluggishly heating up a bowl of soup, cuddling up on the couch and going to bed at 9 o’clock? You’re not lazy! It’s you body’s way of saying “slow the eff down sister!” (Ok you’re inner wisdom might be a little gentler than that.)
Regardless, you know that feeling that comes on as “meh” and ends with “God, I’m just so drained!” I’ve long resisted these feelings, and even judged myself for them. However, I’ve come to realize it’s not a bad thing to have an inner guidance system that’s trying to tell me the best way to treat myself. Instead of fighting these urges we can learn to flow with the season, and reap all of it’s benefits.
How do we do this?
First let’s notice what’s going on in nature and why. The earth strips herself of excess. She releases what has lived out it’s purpose and reverts back to the basics. She is raw, exposed, and unwelcoming, almost as if to say “leave me alone!” She’s quite literally chilling out. After a yearly cycle of new life in the spring, vibrance in the summer, and abundance in the fall she’s taking a much needed vacation. We also live out our lives in cycles; daily, monthly, yearly, and lifetime. We ebb and flow from outward energy, to inward retreating. It’s the nature of the universe. Without allowing ourselves to flow through these cycles we become unwell and out of balance.
So we look to mother nature and imitate her. Something in us deeply desires to slow down, be still, and reflect upon the past year. We need this in order to flourish when spring comes again.
Designing a self-care routine is essential in maintaining a happy and healthy life. But, self-care that reflects the energy of each season, well now you’re a self-care over achiever! Implementing this winter self-care ritual into your daily or weekly routine will greatly impact the way you move through this season, which can often be difficult to embrace.
Tips for Winter Self Care
Your body needs so much extra love and attention this time of year. Our bodies are more susceptible to illness, fatigue, and stress. Yes, it’s a harsh season, but by doing this self care you can glide through winter effortlessly.
Winter Movement
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that in the cooler months our bodies need to move to build up heat. While it may be the hardest time of year to move your body, it may be the most essential. Because we can get a bit stagnant, our bodies can feel heavy and tired, and heat building movement is the antidote.
On the flip side we can often get run down and stressed (especially during the holidays) which is when a slow, grounding Yin Yoga practice will be essential to your overall wellness.
Seasonal Food
It seems innate that in the colder months we crave warmer foods. I think we all get that; but let’s take it a step further. Winter can be characterized as dry and windy, which may lead us to need more moist and grounding foods like heavy stews and roasted root vegetables. The food we eat this time of year can greatly enhance our ability to adapt to the harsher climate. Not to mention, strengthen our immune system to fight off whatever is going around (and something is always going around!)
While many places this time of year don’t have fresh produce (I really do miss the farmsteads right now) there are still many foods that are aligned with the comfy and warm feelings of the winter. This is the time of year to up your intake of healthy fats, dark leafy greens, and roasted root vegetables.
Reflection
This time of year, as nature does, we too turn inward and prepare for the coming spring by resting and reflecting. When you pay more attention to your inner thoughts and desires, you begin to open up to the abundant possibilities, and are capable of creating the life of your dreams. The key is getting quiet enough that you can hear what that little voice of wisdom is saying to you. As the the New Year brings with it a renewed sense of “clean slate-ness”, we are given the opportunity to up our game, better our habits, manifest our desires, and act on our dreams.
I urge you to make a regular practice during the winter months of journaling. You can write about feelings that come up for you and explore what unknown triggers bring you into a dark place. This is a safe time to explore the darker sides of yourself. If something in your life has made you sad, angry, or disappointed it is safe to explore and experience those feelings now. Winter is naturally a dark time, so do’t feel guilty if you experience your own mental winter at times
Rest & Restore
Do you often feel like you’re beginning to come down with something, but after you chill for a bit or take a nap you feel better. Maybe you weren’t sick after all but just needed a break. Without listening to our bodies when we need to recharge, we set ourselves up for illness, stress, and exhaustion. This time of year our bodies naturally need more time to rest. There’s less sunlight and less energy in the air. Give yourself to take it easier this season.
I hope you are able to take some time for yourself this winter. If you would like to get more tips for winter self-care including seasonal recipes, a winter yin yoga sequence, and an at home retreat for winter be sure to subscribe below and I will send over my free guide to winter self-care.
The thing I love most about this turkey chili is how fast it is. I have to give credit to my boyfriend who created this turkey chili recipe. One night he said he was going to make a pot of turkey chili for dinner, and then like 20 minutes later it was ready. I couldn’t believe it. Normally chilis and stews take so long to prepare and then on top of that they take a lot of time to cook. Whatever he did, it was magical.
It seems innate that in the colder months we crave warmer foods…duh. But winter can be characterized as dry and windy, which may lead us to need more moist and grounding foods like heavy stews and roasted root vegetables. The food we eat this time of year can greatly enhance our ability to adapt to the harsher climate. Not to mention, strengthen our immune system to fight off whatever is going around- and there’s always something going around!
This turkey chili has since become a staple in our house during the winter months.
It’s a Sunday night type of dinner that’s quick enough to make on a weeknight.
Ingredients
1 lb turkey
1/2 onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of red kidney beans
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tbsp oregano
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
*Optional toppings* Sour cream and cheese
Directions
Sauté 1 pound of ground turkey on medium-high heat until browned. Once browned drain any excess fluid.
Then add the rest of the ingredients to the pan: 1/2 of a small onion chopped, 2 cloves of chopped garlic, 1 green bell pepper chopped, 1 can of diced tomatoes, 1 can of red kidney beans, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp oregano, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes.
Stir until fully mixed and simmer for 15-20 until sauce thickens.
Top with sour cream and cheese when ready to serve.
Yin Yoga refers to gentle and slow movements, poses held for longer periods of time, and a general sense of turning inward. Since it doesn’t take much energy, yin yoga is perfect for when you are feeling sick, run down, or over stimulated. It encourages circulation and energy flow to the joints and internal organs through passive poses that require little muscle engagement. When held for several minutes the poses place pressure on energetic pathways called meridians (think acupressure points) activating energy flow along these pathways. This helps to bring us into balance energetically. Since yin yoga is a quiet practice, it’s best done with soft music or complete silence.
How is Yin Yoga different from regular yoga?
While most modern yoga practices incorporate movements that flow from one pose to the next, yin yoga is slow and still. Rather than engaging in muscles to build strength (like in plank) yin yoga focuses on relaxing muscles in poses that are held for longer duration. Some forms of yoga are very stimulating, enhancing muscles, and building strength. There are tremendous benefits of this, however, if this is all you do, something is missing. Yin yoga targets more deeper connective tissues like ligaments, joints, and bones, to increase mobility and flexibility. This is why Yin Yoga is great for the aging population. It’s a quiet and simple practice, though simple doesn’t mean easy!
Why do Yin Yoga?
Though you won’t expect to build up a sweat in a yin yoga class, what you will gain is increased flexibility, relaxation, and inner peace.Yin yoga can help improve energy flow to internal organs, as well as joints and deeper connective tissue that often gets tight as we age if not taken care of. Yin yoga also helps us live in the present moment, and deeply explore what’s happening right now. This is essential considering the hectic, stressed out world we live in. I feel like I need a yin yoga class every time I turn on the news.
Some general guidelines to remember when trying Yin Yoga for the first time:
Come to each pose with sensitivity to the limitations of your body. Go to your appropriate edge- that place between it being too easy and too painful.
Relax your muscles in each pose. Tensing up will stop the flow of energy, so feel your skin soften up a bit and maybe back off a little if you find yourself tensing up in a pose.
While it may look easy, most people find it challenging to be still for long periods of time, so I recommend starting by holding each pose for 1-2 minutes and gradually working your way up to 5 minutes per pose.
Deep emotions can surface when you become more reflective and aware of your thoughts. This is a good thing. Whatever thoughts and emotions come up during these poses, let it come up. We can’t eliminate our thoughts but we can make peace with them.
Hi, I’m Caroline! Welcome to Bloom & Spark, an intuition led, wellness based lifestyle blog. With a focus on mindfulness and sustainability this space is for creating authentic engagement in what it means to live well. Here you will find insights and lifestyle tips for yoga & meditation, simple recipes, purposeful living, and realistic sustainability. Manifesting Generator, Gemini,
