By Allie Filmanowicz
Don’t underestimate the power of walking
As you are out exploring your new home or the cities you are visiting, try to walk instead of taking the bus or a taxi. Walking a couple of miles a day is great way to burn some extra calories, experience the city you are in, and save you money!
You don’t need a pastry every morning (but some mornings you definitely do)
Everyone knows the feeling of walking past a pastry shop and being overwhelmingly mesmerized by how good it smells. There are definitely some mornings where the only right choice is to go and get that pastry, but try to avoid making it part of your everyday routine.
Don’t forget that fruits and vegetable are a very important part of any diet
Fruits and vegetables are a very important part of your diet, and sometimes are a little hard to remember to eat when you are out traveling. (PSA: fruit juice with vodka does not count…) By trying to eat at least one fruit or vegetable with every meal you will cut calories and keep your immune system up.
Try not to drink every day
Although FOMO is all too real, especially when you are abroad, drinking every night is a sure fire way to put on some extra weight and break down your immune system. Give your body the break it needs by trying to take a couple days off a week!
If you feel yourself getting sick, don’t ignore it
If your body is starting to send you signs that you are burning the candle at both ends, listen to it! Giving yourself a couple days to rest and recover may seem like the end of the world when your friends are hitting the club, but if you let it go for too long it may actually turn into a serious illness.
Skip late night eating when possible
Everyone loves 4th meal (and if you say you don’t, you are lying). Nothing is better than hitting your favorite late night food spot on the way home from the clubs, BUT your body can do without it. Late night food is usually high in calories and fat, and eating late at night is not good for your metabolism.
Eliminate soda from your daily diet
Soda does nothing for you health-wise; in fact, it does the exact opposite. It’s all sugar, which your body does not need. Switch out soda for a 100% fruit juice, or, even better, some good old-fashioned water.
Don’t smoke
It’s easy to get caught up in the smoking culture that is still so prevalent in Europe, but since we were little it has been drilled into us how unhealthy smoking really is. Don’t pick up another bad habit while you are out here; if you are anything like me you already have enough vices!
Sleeping is important, even if it doesn’t seem like it
Sleeping is the time your body recoups and recovers, so you need to make it a priority. If staying out until 6 am is your thing, make sure you can sleep in. If you have to get up early try to roll in from the clubs before sunrise. Making sleep a priority is one of the easiest ways to stay healthy while you are abroad.
Try to do short at-home workouts a couple times a week
Whether it is some push ups and squats or a circuit routine you find off the internet, it is an easy way to remind your body what working out is without having to go to the gym! Plus, it doesn’t hurt to burn some extra calories a couple time a week.
