To help you maintain a healthy lifestyle amidst a busy schedule or frequent travels, we’ve gathered thirteen insightful tips from professionals, including a dentist and an anesthesiologist. From incorporating micro-movement breaks to adapting routines to different situations, these experts share their prioritized healthy habits and how they integrate them into their routines.
- Incorporate Micro-Movement Breaks
- Stay Active with Regular Exercise
- Embrace Small, Consistent Actions
- Stick to Routines While Traveling
- Practice Mindfulness Meditation
- Maintain a Regular Yoga Practice
- Bring Your Own Healthy Food
- Combine Multiple Healthy Practices
- Adjust to Time Zones and Maintain Hygiene
- Simplify Your Health Goals
- Walk as Much as Possible
- Prioritize Skincare
- Adapt Routines to Different Situations
Incorporate Micro-Movement Breaks
As a dentist and clinic owner, a packed schedule often leaves little time for extended workout sessions. However, what’s less commonly known is that incorporating micro-movement breaks throughout the day can be highly beneficial.
In between patient appointments or during brief breaks, quick and discreet micro-movements are performed. These can include simple stretches, bodyweight exercises like squats or lunges, or even brief moments of deep breathing exercises.
For instance, while reviewing patient records or waiting for an instrument to sterilize, a set of squats or shoulder stretches might be performed. During these micro-movement breaks, there is also an opportunity to focus on posture, which is crucial in this line of work.
These micro-movement breaks help prevent the physical strain that can come from prolonged periods of sitting or repetitive tasks and boost energy levels and mental clarity.
Jennifer Silver, Dentist and Clinic Owner, Macleod Trail Dental
Stay Active with Regular Exercise
Maintaining healthy habits on the go or with a busy schedule can be challenging, but it’s essential. One habit I prioritize is regular exercise.
To integrate it into my routine, I often opt for quick, equipment-free workouts that I can do in my hotel room or a nearby park. I also pack workout clothes and sneakers as a travel essential, so I’m always prepared. Plus, I make it a point to choose active options, like walking instead of taking cabs or using stairs instead of elevators when possible. It’s about finding creative ways to stay active even when life gets hectic.
Nabil Salib, Urgent Care Specialist, MyDoc Urgent Care
Embrace Small, Consistent Actions
A strategy that works wonders is to remember that doing something is always better than doing nothing, no matter how small. Working out is something to keep consistent. But when always on the go, fitting in a full one-hour workout can be tough. So what to do? Lower the bar, but never skip it. Maybe it’s a quick 15-minute cardio or a few push-ups in the hotel room. The point is, it gets done, no matter how small.
This approach has helped in more ways than just staying in shape. Whether writing an outline for the next article when there’s no time for a full draft or sending out two emails instead of ten, these small wins add up. Over time, it’s helped stick to plans and made one feel more accountable to oneself.
So, if running from one thing to the next, remember that a little win is far better than none at all. That way, the momentum keeps going, and it’s easier to stick to your goals.
Heythem Naji, Psychologist, heythemnaji.com
Stick to Routines While Traveling
I prioritize working out when I travel. So, let’s say I steer off my healthy eating because there is not much healthy food at an event, conference, or some type of gathering. Working out helps me keep the effects to a bare minimum so I do not gain a boatload of weight. I also make sure I stick to my routines, like what time I get up and go to bed. I also make sure I do not stray too far from the track, or it will be hard to get back on track.
Jimmy Clare, Motivational Speaker, Autism Advocate, Founder, CrazyFitnessGuy
Practice Mindfulness Meditation
One of my go-to healthy habits, whether I’m traveling or very busy at work, is practicing mindfulness meditation. I always dedicate at least 30 minutes first thing in the morning to center myself. This regular practice not only sharpens my focus but also helps me manage my stress better and connect more deeply with my team and clients.
Following this, I find myself more grounded, ready to start the day with clarity and calmness. I’d recommend this practice to anyone, even those with a hectic lifestyle. It’s a small investment of time that, over the long run, offers immense benefits, both mentally and emotionally.
Bayu Prihandito, Psychology Expert, Life Coach, Founder, Life Architekture
Maintain a Regular Yoga Practice
One of the healthy habits I prioritize is practicing yoga regularly. It not only helps me stay physically fit, but also keeps me mentally grounded, especially when dealing with the stresses of constant travel.
Before embarking on a trip, I research yoga studios or classes available at my destination. Many cities offer drop-in classes or have yoga studios conveniently located near hotels or popular areas. I always make sure to pack the essentials for my practice, which usually includes a travel-sized yoga mat, comfortable workout clothes, and a reusable water bottle to stay hydrated.
Just like any other appointment or activity during my travels, I schedule specific times for my yoga practice, ensuring that I allocate time for it amidst my busy travel itinerary. If I can’t find a nearby yoga studio or class that fits my schedule, I turn to online resources such as yoga apps and websites that offer guided yoga sessions, making it easy to practice in the comfort of my hotel room.
Hammer Tsui, Travel Blogger, A Fun Couple
Bring Your Own Healthy Food
Something that many people seem to forget is that, unlike liquids, you may bring your own food on an airplane. Preparing a fresh salad at home or even just slicing some cucumbers and other veggies and bringing them with you on your flight is not only a healthy thing to do, but it also saves you from eating the more unhealthy airplane food; it is a win-win.
Besides the health benefits, this little practice contributes to a more sustainable travel experience. The absence of single-use plastic wrappers and containers from in-flight meals means you’re actively reducing your environmental footprint. By enjoying your meal from a reusable container, you’re aligning your travel habits with a greener mindset, making your flight satisfying for your taste buds and your eco-conscious soul. It is basically a win-win-win situation!
Chris Oberman, Blogger, Moving Jack
Combine Multiple Healthy Practices
Maintaining healthy habits amid frequent travel and a demanding schedule presents a challenge for various professionals. In a daily routine, which often involves transitioning between home, client meetings, and other locations, I make a concerted effort to incorporate several healthy practices when the situation allows. It can go from simple exercises, inclusion of nutrient-rich items, to prioritizing sugar-free food items, like replacing a regular tea with sugar-free or jaggery tea.
However, the test arises when professional obligations lead to new cities and staying healthy becomes challenging. To address this, carrying essential food items during outstation trips, adopting a preventive approach, is a good practice. Additionally, efforts to follow a structured dietary rotation, which helps stay on course, are made. While these efforts require dedication and mindfulness, it is believed that the effort invested regularly will ultimately pay off.
Toral Gala, Senior Manager, NamanHR
Adjust to Time Zones and Maintain Hygiene
As a frequent traveler, it’s easy to break away from a normal routine and forget about all habits, from getting enough sleep to maintaining proper hygiene.
One thing to do when going from Europe to the US is adjust to the new time zone beforehand. This can be done quite simply: one week before the trip, start going to bed an hour later and wake up an hour later than usual. Short daytime naps can be of great help, too. After all, jet lag is anything but a joke and something to take seriously when traveling frequently.
As for hygiene, try to wash hands whenever and wherever possible. The exposure to bacteria and germs when traveling is enormous—I learned this the hard way—so carrying hand sanitizer and wet wipes all the time is essential. There won’t always be a faucet and soap everywhere.
Anna Krizova, Travel Enthusiast – Therapist, Camino Adventures
Simplify Your Health Goals
By making the healthy habit easy to do, it doesn’t matter if you’re traveling or busy. In his book on habits, James Clear discusses how to break down our goals into simple habits. So, if your goal is to go to the gym, make it a habit to put on your gym shoes and walk to the front door. That’s it.
By setting up the building blocks of a habit, you set yourself up for success. Once you’ve established that one small habit, you can build on it to reach your goal. I’ve established a 30-minute workout routine that I can do anywhere. It includes air squats, push-ups, and a jump rope.
By focusing on using body weight, I don’t have to have any equipment, and a jump rope is light—easy to bring anywhere. I have multiple ropes that I keep in a travel bag, so I don’t forget. If I did, I could do jumping jacks. It’s important to establish a foundation of good habits now so that when you’re busy or traveling, you know how to continue your self-care.
Elisha Peterson MD, MEd, FAAP, FASA, Anesthesiologist and Pain Medicine Physician, Elisha Peterson MD PLLC
Walk as Much as Possible
My number-one tip for staying healthy with a busy schedule is to walk as much as I can, wherever I am. I make sure to wear shoes that are good for walking long distances. I always book hotels within walking distance of my destinations, and I use the small breaks in my day, like waiting for a flight, as opportunities to stretch my legs.
I like to combine walking with activities like making work calls or listening to podcasts and music. It not only keeps me active but also allows me to discover new places when I’m traveling. It’s a simple strategy that helps me stay healthy and enjoy my surroundings more.
Larissa Brown, Career Counsellor for Teenagers, Careers That Matter
Prioritize Skincare
Prioritize skincare! Skin is our largest organ. And since it is our only outward-facing organ, that organ which we present to the world, it is closely tied to our self-esteem, especially as we age.
Taking care of your outsides greatly affects how you care for your insides, and vice versa. It’s a positive feedback loop. If we are taking care of our skin and our outward appearance, we are far less likely to plop down in front of the TV with a bag of Doritos. It changes what we do with our day. And if we are taking care of our insides with nutritious foods, stress management, sleep prioritization, etc., then our outsides will shine from within.
Darnell Cox, Gerontologist and Healthy Aging Coach, LiveYoung Lifestyle
Adapt Routines to Different Situations
Ensure your routine can be adapted to different situations, and give yourself the grace to be flexible with your goals while traveling or experiencing a busy spell.
Maintaining a weekly program of resistance training and cardio to stay fit is beneficial. Instead of letting travel derail this, alternative routines can be developed to use while away from home.
Does the hotel gym only have a limited weight selection? Prepare a high-volume, low-weight routine to compensate. Does the hotel not have a gym? Throw some resistance bands into your carry-on and focus on bodyweight exercises. Expecting serious jet lag? Keep it low-intensity. Worried you won’t get your steps in? Pick a hotel that gives you a 20-minute walk to the conference center.
While these may not be as optimal as a routine for advancing health goals, the mental health boost from simply keeping up with good habits can be a great motivator. This can reduce the stress of travel and maintain progress in different situations.
Tom Lloyd, Founder and Managing Partner, tllo
