Hello loves!

As you know from Part I, I recently returned from a fabulous trip to Boston and Spain and I am back feeling GOOD because I kept my healthy habits in tact. (Oh-kuurrrr!)

Also, you may recall my uber-healthy bestie, Kelly, was on the trip (and planned the trip!) and I noticed she has some health and wellness GOLD going on, so I figured why not let everyone benefit from her as well..!?

It’s always good to hear from someone who has their fit lifestyle down.. and who also does not do this for a living (as I do). Kelly has a full time demanding job as a Marketing executive, she manages a large team and has a house and a dog and a very full social and family life. Let’s hear from her!

V: What do you like best about having a healthy lifestyle?

K: The most important part of living a healthy lifestyle is that it gives me the ability to feel good and have the energy to live the life I want to live.

V: Amen to that! What helps you feel like you are in alignment with your health values and priorities?

K: I try to follow my health routine 90% of the time. I’m not perfect and there are days where I don’t exercise when I planned to, or I splurge on food, but overall I feel in alignment when I’m generally following my routing and sticking to my priorities.

V: Do you feel that keeping your routine while traveling is difficult or easy in your opinion?

K: I find it fairly easy. It’s all about discipline and choosing options that align to my priorities I definitely tend to splurge a little more when traveling on vacation, but I generally focus on finding healthy food options and ensuring that I still do strength trainings or aerobic exercise most days. I’ll work out in a hotel gym, explore a city by going for a run, or take a spin class.

V: Yes you do! There were days I didn’t join you on the run, and your consistency was awesome! What defines healthy travel for you? How much does a trip still being healthy matter to you, 1-10?

K: Travel can always be healthy. Healthy travel to me means continuing with my routine. In my day-to-day life healthy priorities are important, so I’d say travel being heathy matters to me very much, so a 9.

V: Was it easy or difficult to be healthy in Spain? Why?

K: It was actually pretty easy to be healthy. Throughout Spain there were so many great restaurants, including specific vegan and vegetarian places. We researched restaurants in advance and looked on Yelp for restaurants with high ratings that aligned to our eating regimens. We had some really great meals! In addition to food, we were at hotels that had gyms and I was able to workout there or go for a run. We also walked A LOT, like everywhere. It was a great way to get additional exercise and explore a new city.

V: We did so much walking (and dancing). We didn’t even let the rain stop us. Go us! What motivates you to stay on track?

K: Feeling good! I know that when I exercise and eat healthy I always feel great, and that’s what’s most important to me.

V: I couldn’t agree more. That’s what it’s all about! Do you have any healthy travel tips you can share that work for you?

K:

  1. Research restaurants in advance and make a list. Find places that have high quality food, fit within your budget and align to a healthy eating regimen.
  2. Take digestive enzymes. When traveling, often your digestive system can get thrown off, especially when crossing time zones. So I’d recommend always bringing and taking digestive enzymes to help.
  3. Be creative and find ways to still incorporate exercise into your days. Either workout at a gym, go for a run, do exercise in your room, or find ways to incorporate more walking into your schedule.
  4. Consider brining melatonin. Traveling across time zones is always tough when it comes to sleeping, and sleep is SO important. The is the first trip I took them a few nights and it was honestly a game changer! It was a natural way to get more sleep, and much needed.
  5. Don’t beat yourself up if you splurge a little and don’t let one little splurge meal throw your whole healthy eating plan out the window.

V: Yes those enzymes and melatonin kept us on track in a great way! I like what you said about not beating yourself up, that’s so important. Do you feel that flexibility is important when it comes to healthy travel? If so, how?

K: Absolutely. I think flexibility is super important, especially when you’re traveling in other countries or with other people. For example, you may not be able to find the exact thing you eat for breakfast typically, but there are other options you can find that are healthy. Same for exercise. Maybe your hotel or AirBnb doesn’t have a gym, but you can always find a way to be flexible like doing exercises in your room or yoga poses. It’s all about being flexible and finding options that work!

V: Do you follow a specific type of diet or exercise plan?

K: I mainly eat pescatarian and limit dairy, processed foods and sweets. Above all, I listen to what my body needs and how it feels. My typical exercise plan is working out 5-5 days a week with a mix of cardio (spinning or running) and weight training.

V: What was your favorite part of the trip?

K: The art, culinary and just exploring each city. I loved the quaint little streets, architecture, and fashion. I also really enjoyed just sitting in a cute little cafe or restaurant and enjoying a nice meal and wine while chatting about life. :)

V: I certainly did, too!

Thank you for your wisdom, Kelly. You are an awesome example of commitment and discipline and always a wonderful travel partner!

For more fun details and photos from our incredible meals and views on that trip, click here.

Xoxo,
Vanessa