Help, Traveling to Midwest--Diet & Exercise away from home
I'm going to be traveling to the Midwest for 2.5 weeks very soon for a family wedding. I am a little stressed because I've been really great at home about eating healthy and exercising; I'm now half way to my goal!
The last few times I've been in the Midwest, the food choices seemed to all be loaded with fat, salt and sugar. Maybe it is just my family's cooking style, or maybe it's their restaurant choices, but I can't remember having any healthy options. In Portland, OR, it's seems like there are healthy options everywhere.
Also being so busy, and away from a gym, I'm concerned about losing ground on the fitness I have been able to achieve in the last several weeks.
Any advice?
May I ask which state you are traveling to? There are, of course, many places where the food choices aren't that great. But just as I assume there are many places where you live, there are also many in the Midwest which have pretty decent, healthy food choices.
If you are staying with family, and thus will be eating more with them, why not stop by a local farmers market or something and buy some of your own food? Try making meals for your family, or just yourself. That way you can still maintain your own eating habits. Either way, just try and make similar choices in the Midwest as you would where you live.
As for exercise...again, it depends on where you are going, but there tend to be (all the places I have been, lived, etc.) plenty of good walking/running/biking trails. And if you are anywhere near some bluffs (assuming you are in a state that isn't flat), go hiking! It's a beautiful time of year.
As lunaropal already suggested: for cardio walking/running/biking are good options.
I went for a little vacation just a week ago and my body pump teacher wrote me up some good exercises to keep on track, the only thing I needed was a pair of handweights, here goes:
SQUATS (hold weights on shoulders):
- 20 reps w/feet hip-width apart
- 20 reps w/feet wider, toes turned out
- 20 pulses
- 20 squats w/leg lift (as you come up from the squat, lift your leg out to
the side, alternating legs.
CHEST (flat on your back, hold weights over the middle of your chest):
bench press:
- 20 presses and 20 high pulses, 20 more presses and 20 low pulses. Take a quick break to stretch and then repeat.
push-ups:
- 3 sets of 10
BACK:
one arm row: bend over (knees bent), put one hand on your thigh for support, hold weight in the other hand and pull your arm up, elbow going straight back (does that make sense?). Do 10 reps on each side, repeat 3 times.
TRICEPS:
- kickbacks: 10 reps, 10 pulses on each side. Repeat 3 times
- dips: 20 reps. Repeat 3 times.
- behind the neck press/overhead press: 10 reps. Repeat 3 times.
BICEPS:
- curls: 20 reps, 20 pulses. Repeat 3 times.
- hammer curls: 20 reps, 20 pulses. Repeat 3 times.
LUNGES:
- put the weights on your shoulders. 20 reps, 20 pulses on each side.
Repeat 3 times.
SHOULDERS:
- rear delt raise (on one knee, lean over): 10 singles, 10 up quick, down
slow, 10 more singles.
- side raise: 10 singles, 10 up quick, down slow, 10 more singles.
- front raise: alternate arms, 10 reps on each arm. Repeat 3 times.
- overhead press: 10 reps, 10 up quick, down slow, 10 more reps.
ABS:
- crunches - LOTS of them !!! Go for 100 reps.
- oblique crunches: cross one leg over, opposite shoulder to knee. 25 reps
on each side.
- heal drops -knees up at 90 degree angle, flex feet and lower your heals
toward the floor. Keep your lower back pushing down toward the floor. Go
for 25 reps - SLOWLY.
I'm going to Grand Rapids MI, and then to rural northern Indiana. We'll be flying, so I won't be able to take any exercise equiptment (except my tennis shoes!).
I know we are going to be super busy, and will probably be eating at fast food a lot (last time we sure did!). I should research the chains in the area and see what the best choices are.

So you can log your weight -- which allows you to do the following:
- Plot your weight curve
- Analyze the trend of your weight (see under Recent in the figure above)
- Determine the projected target date (see under Overall in the figure above)
