Part 32 - Nutrition and Travel
This month I intend to break away from my previous thread of training advice and provide a one-off instalment, all about nutrition and travel. In a previous article I talked about embracing the culinary traditions of the places you visit, always bearing in mind your body's responses and requirements. After doing a little travelling of my own I feel it is necessary to expand on this seemingly simple idea!
Story Highlights
- Fitness Classes on the Road
- Local Delicacies
- What You Need
Fitness Classes on the Road
Yes my friends - I have been on holiday. You can't see the tan from there but trust me, it's a good one! My tour of the Côte d'Azur included several stops - so remote that there wasn't even a standard French marché for basic healthy living provisions. Spending my first night in a hotel by Nice Airport - I made the most of my alone time by attending a couple of nearby fitness classes. I had always wanted to see how they were delivered in French and how the health club culture operates in a different country. It's just as good as the UK and even if you can't follow the language, you can still mimic the moves, so it's worth a go.
Local Delicacies
Starving, I found a cheap and cheerful French brasserie where I bought my first ever genuine - Salade Niçeoise. This offers a wonderful array of vitamin-rich, Mediterranean produce – a great work out for your insides! Too many people on holiday make the mistake of sun bathing too much and not eating enough. Eating less does not make you healthier! When I was limited to sweet continental breakfasts of croissants, jam and hot chocolate – I was left seriously lacking in energy and motivation.
The associated benefits of eating enough can be felt almost instantly and in order to get a satisfying range of such nutrients, well, you simply have to eat a reasonable amount! Never before had I refrained from exercise for fear of not making it through a session.
What You Need
Eating out on holiday should not be seen as a financial burden but rather - an opportunity to explore a local diet. In essence the challenge is to find what you need - given the produce on offer. Sometimes this may mean going out of your way, or even stocking up beforehand - so a little bit of planning can seriously be worth the effort. This story nicely illustrates many of the previous points I've made - regarding diet and exercise abroad, and despite the hunger, I really did have a great holiday. Next time however I will be taking a notably bigger lunchbox.
- David Haw
