Healthy road trip snacks and habits

Summer's coming and for many people that means road trips. Everyone loves a good road trip whether it's visiting family, going camping or exploring new places. But do you really want to put all your healthy hard work on the back burner on the way?

I've put a few tips together for healthy snacks and habits on the road...

Before you start

Clean the car inside and out! The last thing you want to be driving in is a reminder of your recent shopping trip or last week's commuting; the smell of wet dog, the sweaty gym gear or just yesterday's coffee cups! A clean and fresh smelling car is a great way to start the trip off feeling healthy and clean yourselves.

Prepare some snacks. There's a good chance you'll want to eat on the way and you should definitely be hydrating to keep your brain in gear! The best foods for when you're spending half the day sat folded in half is veg and fruit. Chop up a bunch of carrots, bell peppers, celery and add some baby tomatoes to a ziplock bag; keep it fresh by not drying the veg off once you've rinsed it and keeping the bag sealed. In another bag put some slices of apple, pear and other moist fruits. If you know you 'need' sweet or savour snacks on the road, then buy some healthy dark chocolate and consider baking some fruit slices. I like to make up a bag of trail mix type snacks - don't buy them, they're full of salt and/or sugar. Buy the nuts, seeds and dried berries you like, throw in a handful of dark chocolate chips and enjoy!

Prep a music playlist. Remember when we used to make tapes of favourite tunes to listen to on the road? (Well, some of us do...) Rather than spend half the day trying to find a decent radio station that will ply you with commercials; make up a playlist of energetic and vibrant music to keep your mood high while driving. If you have a favourite 'workout' playlist, that can often help keep up with the motivation to stay healthy.

Fill up with gas the night before you go so as not to tempt yourself with bought snacks. And if you need gas along the way - buy gas, use the bathrooms but keep out of the store - there's nothing in there for you - nothing! 

On the way

Stop at the Supermarket not roadside diner. If you run out of food and get hungry; don't stop at cheap chain restaurants; pull into a supermarket. It doesn't need to be a health food store; there's plenty of good eating options in any supermarket. But stay on the perimeter of the store and resist the aisles as that's where they keep the crap!

Take rest breaks in the middle of nowhere. Look out for parks and take 10 minutes walking a trail or taking photos of whatever the park has to offer. Have a picnic; it takes no longer than being served in a roadside cafe and you'll feel far more refreshed and revitalized after a break in the fresh air rather than a hot and greasy cafe full of fried food.  Don't stop in towns to rest unless there's a particular sight you want to see. All towns and cities want your money; they draw you in with their advertising billboards and brightly lit eateries.

Don't get stressed!!! Easy for me to say right... Well, think about it for a minute; you can't change what happens out on the road but you can change how you react to it. Decide now not to let other drivers wind you up and if there's traffic hold ups, so what - you can't fix them so just relax and go with the flow. Shift in your seat, turn off the cruise control, use both hands and keep even the smallest movement going. Relax your neck and roll your head from side to side - but keep your eyes on the road, don't relax too much and nod off...

Enjoy the trip! Years ago people used to take a drive purely for the enjoyment of it. I know we all think we live in this crazy busy world where we have to rush around like we're on fire, (at least that's what everyone keeps telling us...) but are we really? There are no highway robbers anymore and most vehicles are pretty reliable and will get you where you're going with no problems. So enjoy the time away from work, home, the city and revel in your own little world...