You may have developed great eating and exercise habits as part of your normal, non-festive routine, but visiting family, friends or holidaying over Christmas can derail even the best intentions. Here are some tried and true ways to stay healthy when travelling.

Keep Active

When it comes to staying active when travelling, 12 WBT fitness lead Daniel Swanbury’s number one rule is easy: take your workout gear with you. “If you don’t pack at least some gear you definitely won’t do any exercise,” says Dan. “Also consider packing an exercise band or skipping rope to spice things up.”

Make exercise fun! When you’re travelling, you’re somewhere different, with new scenery and places to see. “Get out and make exercise your chance to see the local area,” says Dan. “Ask around to find a nearby running track or oval and exercise there.”

This will also counteract any extended periods of time you might spend indoors, visiting family members or travelling in a car or on a plane. Exercising outdoors gives you the chance to take in some much-needed fresh air.

Schedule Your Workouts

When you’re away from home you’re usually busy, but it’s still important to make time to work out.

In the same way that you schedule your exercise during your normal routine, take a few moments to pick out some free time in your travel schedule to work out.

“If the worst comes to the worst, you can cram in a hotel-room workout using bodyweight exercises before you go to bed or as soon as you wake up. Pick four exercises and complete 50 reps of each in any order or combination,” says Dan.

Rain, hail or shine, make that workout happen. “With more and more hotels having free WiFi, you have no excuses. The 12WBT Workout Videos can be accessed anywhere in the world and can be done anywhere – even in your hotel room.”

Plan Your Day

Trying the local cuisine and specialities is a big part of holiday fun! 12WBT dietitian Georgie Moore says you don’t have to deny yourself completely – you just need to do a little planning.

“Decide which meal you want to be your main one and then work the others around it,” she says. “For example, if there’s a seafood platter you’re really keen to share with your friends or family, book it in for lunch. Then choose lighter meals for both breakfast and dinner to compensate.”

Embrace Local Fruit and Veggies

Summer is the time of amazing stone fruits, berries and incredibly fresh, colourful vegies, so make the most of them.

“Try to incorporate something seasonal into every meal,” says Georgie. “Breakfast could be a peach with some blueberries and strawberries, a dollop of yoghurt and a sprinkle of muesli. Lunch could be a fresh, seasonal salad with grilled haloumi, and dinner could be a piece of fresh salmon or tuna, grilled to perfection and served with colourful veggies.”

Remember the plate rule: fill half of your plate with vegies (preferably the green leafy variety), a quarter with lean protein and a quarter with carbohydrates (think noodles, pasta or pumpkin). This is an easy way to make sure your plate is balanced and nutritious.

Be Informed

When you’re travelling, chances are you may have to stop at a fast-food outlet at some point. But that’s not an excuse to go off the rails. Food outlets across Australia that have more than 20 outlets must display the kilojoule count of all their menu items. To convert kilojoules to calories, just divide by 4.2. Use these numbers to help you guide your food choice.

Georgie has this advice: “When choosing takeaway foods I always advise my clients to choose the size you want to be. For example, if you want to be a small size, order a small serve!”