Last updated February 19, 2023
Developing a healthy lifestyle is exactly that: a lifestyle. It’s not something you pick up and put down whenever convenient. A healthy lifestyle is a day-to-day structure of habits.
Call it an excuse or taking a break… these healthy habits tend to fall to the wayside when we travel. But they shouldn’t. So, what’s the secret to staying on track? Bulletproof habits.
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You may have a fully executed routine of health at home. Or perhaps you are fervently working toward making healthy habits stick on the daily.
Whichever the case, something happens when we travel. And for the majority, these habits seem to flee the minute we touch down in a new city.
The good news is that it really is possible to stick with your habits and incorporate a healthy travel regime. To help you stay on track, we’ve put together five bulletproof habits that are easy to master and keep top of mind.
1. Get Clear on Your Why
The why is like a seed that, once planted, stays rooted. All it needs to blossom is some water and nurturing in the right soil. Once it sprouts, we just need to believe and trust that we planted the right seed!
Our first bulletproof habit and the most important to start with is knowing your why. It’s your inner compass for when life takes a new path, there’s a detour en route or the skies get a little cloudy. This can happen at home in life due to everyday circumstance; but, especially when we travel.
Travel has the double-edged sword to take us off routine. This can offer both excitement and potential growth for a new environment and surroundings. Yet, it can derail us to where we were intending on going.
Your WHY for healthy habits needs to be deep here, and personal. The core reason you choose needs to be for you and greater than for someone else—and something you’d feel empty without pursuing or fulfilling.
This can, and probably will, take time to develop. It can also morph as you grow and develop. But it’s best to have a starting point to get you going on your journey connected to your truth.
2. Know Your Excuses
Now that you have your WHY for your healthy travel habits, the next bulletproof habit is around getting honest with yourself and coming to terms with some truths that may not be as fun to own up, but are crucial to your successes: your list of excuses.
These are your stinky, murky little knowings that pop in at the worst of moments or attempt to kick you off your path or twist your compass towards discipline.
The reality is, we all have them. Even the most disciplined of us all have excuses that can knock us off our path toward our why. The empowering difference between those that are disciplined and stick to their habits comes down to choice.
In the moments that can make or break us, what do we choose to employ? What is a former habit, or what is the healthier, more aligned one? That choice is like a muscle that strengthens with time and gets easier as we move along closer with our why toward are lifestyle goals.
This is why I’d recommend keeping your habits consistent at home and when you travel. It’s a lot easier to wake-up a similar time, meditate and move your body when you travel if you’re already doing it at home on a daily basis.
The excuses can creep in when you’re on vacation or traveling for work, but you’ll already have strengthened the muscle to acknowledge and stay away from the excuses and veer on the path of your why.
3. Get It All in Writing
What’s better than having an outline clear and ready to go? Having it all in writing—and our third bulletproof habit.
Think of a contract: it’s great in theory, but unless it’s written and signed, it wouldn’t hold up in any court of law. Having a written agreement — even with one’s self — can make a commitment stick stronger than simply telling yourself, “I’m going to…” Why is this?
There’s something neurologically destined that when we put our hand to paper we connect with deeper areas of our minds that process information differently that typing, speaking or thinking a thought.
Further, having your why and excuses written down make it visible. When we see something in our eyesight, we’re more likely to remind ourselves and follow through with it.
Put your list on a post-it, journal, phone wallpaper, dry-erase board, taped paper or even desktop wallpaper to remember and recall and help hold you accountable no matter where you are, at home or on the road.
4. Have a Set Plan
Bulletproof your habits by having a bulletproof plan. If it’s for exercise, have your workout already selected. Have your fitness clothes pulled out or packed. Know where the nearest gym is from your hotel, or where in the hotel it’s located. Choose a hotel near a supermarket or nearest grocer to stock up on fresh produce to snack on.
Plan ahead and have all the resources covered. Especially if you’re traveling, take the time to google and research your location and what’s nearby. Go even as far to see what their restaurants have on the menu and pre-select your meals. It saves time when you’re deciding in the moment and keeps accountable.
5. Schedule Check-Ins
An overlooked part in this process of developing a bulletproof habit plan is assessment. List out your health habits and goals, track your WHY, and all and any excuses. Do this for one month.
Whether you’re at home or traveling for the month, see how it’s going with the plan you have set in action. If it’s working, then continue on, health warrior! If there’s some room for improvement, take the time to investigate why and how you may be falling a penny short of total success.
From there, analyze whether you want to continue working toward the same goal and progress, or reassess if you need to make some adjustments. This can look like updating your WHY, adding to your excuses list, plan ahead for an upcoming trip, or update the location of your written materials, for a few examples.
Remember that your bulletproof plan can (and should) ebb and flow. It can be updated and edited, just like you inhale and exhale. Let this be conscious, and let it flow.
What consistent actions are you taking to create a bulletproof plan for when you travel?
About Vacayou
At Vacayou [pronounced VACAY – YOU], we believe that travel has the power to change lives. The power to revive, rejuvenate and redirect your inner wellness warrior. And that’s why we’re here. Take an online staycation with us and change how you think about travel. Let us make it easier for you to search, discover, and book wellness and active vacations. But we don’t stop there. We are with you every step of the way—before, during and after your journey—to make sure you enjoy the most meaningful vacation ever. Vacayou is wellness travel that meets you right where you are.
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