Traveling can be a great way to give your mind a break, have new experiences, relieve stress, and find some much needed happiness before having to get back to your daily grind. Whether you’re traveling for business or you’re finally on that vacay you’ve been dreaming about for months, one of the hardest things to maintain besides healthy eating habits can be a fitness routine. And that means when you get back home, it can be even harder to get back in the groove. But staying fit while you’re away is easier than you think! Here are some easy tips and tricks to stay fit while you’re traveling the world.

Have An Exercising And Eating Plan Before You Go

We’ve all done it. We hit the hotel restaurant way more than we should have and those daily afternoon margaritas at the hotel bar aren’t going to drink themselves. It’s important to have fun and enjoy yourself while traveling, but having a plan to stay healthy and active can help mitigate some of the indulgences many of us partake in while away on vacation. It can also save us from putting on the pounds.

Before you go:

• Make a plan to exercise! Decide how, when, and what you’ll need to exercise before you go. A fitness app like Future can make this super simple with personalized travel workout routines. Read more about that below!
• Pack healthy food and snacks (jerky, bananas, protein bars, etc.)
• Search the local restaurants and hotel menus online for healthy options. See if any of the menus include calorie counts.
• Check with the hotel concierge or your host about local healthy eats.
• Get a room with a fridge to store ingredients for healthy foods and snacks so you don’t have to eat out as often. Yogurt and fresh water are two of my must haves. You can also pop into a local grocery store to stock up. Some hotels may offer this as a service.

Don’t Pressure Yourself To Get In Shape While You’re Away

If you haven’t worked out in ages, starting a new fitness routine while you’re away probably isn’t the best idea, unless that’s your reason for traveling. The best time to get refocused on working out and establishing a routine is at home. This way you’ll have a better idea of what you are interested in doing while you’re away and you can adapt your routine to where you’ll be staying. Getting in shape before you go can also give you more energy to do the activities you’re interested in, like hiking that amazing trail you saw on Pinterest.

If you find it hard to stay motivated like me, the Future app has literally changed my whole fitness lifestyle. As in, I couldn’t stay active to save my life before, and now I get anxious if I don’t workout for more than a day or two.

Check Your Hotel’s Website To Find Out About Their Fitness Facilities

Unless you’re staying at a small inn, bed & breakfast, or a vacation home rental, most modern hotels have at least a small gym onsite. If you know you’ll want access to exercise equipment, be sure to have a look on the hotel’s website before you book to see what equipment and fitness amenities they offer. Besides a gym, a hotel with a pool (indoor or outdoor) can be a great way to stay active. It can also be a treat, if you don’t have one at home.

If your hotel doesn’t have an onsite gym, you may not be totally out of luck.

On a recent trip, I found myself in a beautifully renovated hotel in a big city without a gym. But as a guest I found out that I had full privileges to the YMCA right across the street. If your hotel doesn’t have a gym, ask whether they have a relationship with any local fitness clubs.

Body Weight Training Exercises Are Just As Effective

No gym, no problem! Body weight exercises like plank variations, push-ups, squats, lunges, bicycles, and the hollow-body holds can keep you strong without any fancy equipment. And you can do them anywhere without the need of much space. Pilates and barre are also super effective exercise styles that are based on body weight exercises. Yoga too!

For A Body-Mind Connection Start The Day With Yoga

If you’re looking for a way to relieve extra stress while staying active yoga can be a perfect way to do it. Yoga is a mind-body practice that tones and builds strength, while having you pay attention to your breath. Essentially meditation through movement, yoga is an easy-to-do-anywhere exercise that makes the perfect activity while traveling. All you need is your body and a mat, but even a towel will do.

If you’ve never tried yoga and think it looks too easy, think again. There are a variety of different types of yoga poses (asanas) and styles. While some styles of yoga focus on the restorative benefits like stretching and releasing stress and tension like yin yoga, others like power yoga are designed to build serious strength. A vinyasa yoga flow combines the benefits of both. And let me tell you, they’re not easy. The beauty of yoga is that you don’t need to be perfect. Just get on your mat and start moving. Many resorts offer free yoga classes or checkout YouTube for thousands of free videos from beginner to advanced. You can also check out local studios on your trip.

Get Outside And Try Something New

There’s so many ways to stay active and moving while you’re traveling and it can be super easy to find fun and interesting activities that you wouldn’t normally do.

You can:

• Check your resort for their onsite fitness class schedule.
• Rent or borrow a bike from your hotel to see the sights
• Check out local walking or hiking trails (there’s apps for that)
• Search out local tours like white water rafting, kayaking, surfing, horseback riding, paddle boarding, wind-surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, etc.
• Go skiing! Skiing is an amazing whole body workout plus it’s tons of fun!
  

  Bring A Travel Mat Or Lightweight Accessories

  When you’re traveling, space can be tight in your luggage, as well as in your hotel room, so bringing a bunch of fitness equipment with you isn’t really an option. But simple resistance bands are something you can pack that will give you a great workout. They’re super lightweight and take up very little space in your luggage. Resistance training is great for toning and building muscle, plus you can do a variety of exercises with these to spice up your body weight routine.

  Travel exercise or yoga mats which are lightweight and fold into your luggage are great if you’re planning on doing daily yoga or body weight routines. In a pinch, a bath towel can be a great stand in.

Get ready for power bowls, spiralized veggies, ancient grains and more.

 Some of the trendiest foods that are popping up on Pinterest and appearing on 2016 food trend lists may just help you eat better in the year ahead.

Here are six food trends to get on board with in 2016:

1. Power bowls

Bowls are the new plates. All sorts of creative one-dish meals are being served in a bowl with various monikers – protein bowls, Buddha bowls, broth bowls, quinoa bowls and globowls – for globally inspired bowl meals. The same rules apply to breakfast bowls, which are being dubbed smoothie bowls, acai bowls and Banzai bowls. Just do a search on Pinterest, and you’ll be bowled over.

For lunch and dinner, power bowls are edging out the entrée salad. Served cold or warm, bowl meals combine all sorts of vegetables with whole grains such as quinoa, farro, brown rice or soba noodles and a protein source, including grilled meats, eggs, beans, nuts, cheese or tofu. Sliced avocado often makes a starring appearance on top. One of the best parts: Instead of a creamy salad dressing, power bowls are dressed up with a flavor-packed sauce that ties it all together. In the morning, breakfast bowls can help you check off fruit, yogurt and whole grains in one easy meal.

2. Spiralized vegetables

There are lots of tools available now to transform vegetables into pasta-like noodles. These nutrient-rich pasta-imposters are a tremendous way to eat more vegetables – and, of course, they can help you cut down on calories and refined grains, if that’s a goal. You don’t need to invest in a large spiralizing machine (although I love mine). The less expensive julienne peelers work just fine. Some of the best vegetables to turn into noodles are butternut squash, carrots, turnips, beets and zucchini – known as zoodles. Top with marinara or pesto sauce, make an Asian-inspired noodle bowl or use as a base for a salad or casserole.

The good thing about this explosive trend is how you can now find packages of ready-made spiralized vegetables in some supermarkets, and they’re showing up on more menus and salad bars. Cookbooks and blogs are devoted to spiralized vegetables, so you’ll never be short of recipes. This is a trend that definitely has staying power.

3. Ancient grains

Isn’t it great that what’s old is new again? All sorts of whole grains with ancient pedigrees are being embraced by restaurants and are more widely available in supermarkets. Quinoa darted to the top of the heap, but 2016 will be a time for other ancient grains to shine – including teff, millet, amaranth, spelt, kamut, kaniwa, freekeh and farro.

Ancient grains definitely deserve a spot on your plates (or bowls) in 2016. Rich in fiber, protein, B vitamins and other nutrients, ancient grains can be swapped for pasta or rice in dishes, added to salads and power bowls, and prepared like oatmeal for a warm breakfast bowl topped with fruit and nuts.

4. Pulses

Beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas are getting new respect. The United Nations has declared 2016 the International Year of Pulses, which will bring broader awareness of these dry seed crops for their stellar nutritional profile and positive impact on the environment. Let’s hope the celebration will inspire more people to build meals around pulses.

One of my favorites is the humble chickpea. Perhaps best known as the primary ingredient in hummus, chickpeas are gaining fame beyond this iconic Lebanese dip. Trending recipes include roasted chickpeas as a snack, chickpea curries and stews, pilafs, salads and falafel – which many trend-trackers believe will be a break-out star in 2016. Chefs are also cooking more often with chickpeas. In fact, chickpeas are up 290 percent on restaurant menus since 2005, according to Dataessentials’ MenuTrends report.

5. Healthy fats

Fat may fully shred its devilish reputation in 2016. Now there’s scientific consensus that the type of fat we eat is more important than the amount. So instead of low-fat, the focus is on healthy fats – the unsaturated kind that’s found in olive oil, fatty fish such as salmon, olives, nuts and seeds. Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of the healthy fats trend has been the avocado – chocked full of monounsaturated fats.

One avocado trend that rises above all others is avocado toast – smashed avocado on toasted bread, often sprinkled with hot sauce or topped with a fried or poached egg. The avocado and egg combination will continue to be big in 2016 – avocado egg salad, avocado deviled eggs and baked eggs in an avocado half. Other trending avocado recipes outside of the classic guacamole include baked avocado fries, avocado sushi, hummus, pasta sauce and salad dressing. Popular sweet applications include avocado in puddings, smoothies, brownies, cheesecake, ice cream and mug cakes.

6. Plant-based meals

The mega trend for 2016 will be the glorification of vegetables. And I couldn’t be happier. This is not about turning vegan or demonizing meat. Instead, it’s about appreciating a new view of veggies. Now vegetables have become the star of the center of the plate, not simply a side dish. In fact, at Al’s Place in San Francisco – which was Bon Appetit’s top restaurant of the year, and is one of many new vegetable-forward eateries – the meat is considered the side.

Now “steaks” of roasted cauliflower or butternut squash are standing in for rib-eyes. Mushrooms are subbing for ground beef. Lasagnas are being layered with spinach and eggplant. Vegetable cookbooks are best-sellers, Pinterest boards are dedicated to meatless meals and some of the most popular blogs specialize in plant-centered cuisine. So you’ll have lots of veggie inspiration in the year ahead. Be sure to check out some of the vegetables predicted to be popular in 2016: kohlrabi, kalettes, parsnips, purslane, colorful squashes, broccoflower, rainbow carrots and seaweed.

Blog by: Janet Helm, MS, RDN, is registered dietitian/nutritionist who specializes in nutrition and culinary communications. She’s the author of a book with Cooking Light magazine: “The Food Lover’s Healthy Habits Cookbook,” and is co-founder of the Nutrition Blog Network and Healthy Aperture. You can connect with her on Twitter @janethelm and through her blog Nutrition Unplugged.

A dog’s behavior becomes a problem when it turns destructive or aggravating. A pup trying to break free of its training collar to attack others while you’re out on a walk with him is an example of a behavioral problem.

Below are more problems and their solutions.

1. Barking

Barking is undoubtedly a dog’s most straightforward form of communication. The furry buddies are known to bark mostly to give alerts, but when does the barking become aggravating? When your neighbor has complained three times in a day because the terrier won’t stop barking.

Solution

• Barking usually arises from anxiety in dogs. Cuddle your pup and make him as comfortable as you can to help him relax. If this doesn’t work, seek experts’ help.

2. Digging

Dogs can dig from boredom or find some odd canine satisfaction. Either way, you don’t want to come home to your green lawn unearthed in ugly patches.

Solution

• Do away with the source
• Set an exercise schedule for your dog
• Set aside a specific space for digging, e.g., the corner of your backyard. You can confine your pet there in an exercise pen so they can unearth freely without turning out the entire backyard. A sandbox will equally suffice if you don’t have enough backyard space to spare.

3. Begging

Have you ever been eating while someone stared straight at you with imploring eyes? If you have, bet you did not like the feeling. Likewise, a dog begging at your feet while you gobble down your hot dog is as unsettling as a bad habit can be.

Solution

• Begging in dogs is easier prevented than cured. If you have a puppy, don’t drop the pup food portions from your plate during its first training stages whenever you’re at the table. A dog should only feed on his dish.
• For older dogs with this habit, confine him in his crate whenever you are eating and do not give in to its barks and whines. He will eventually adapt to the arrangement.

4. Chewing

Dogs love to chew on random stuff, and that’s considered normal. Chewing becoming a behavior problem is where the pup chews excessively, causing damage to your property. Boredom, anxiety, curiosity, and teething in puppies are some of the reasons that cause dogs to chew

Solution

• Procure chew toys from your local dog store. These are designed purposely for canines, and they run no risk of hurting their teeth while at it.
• Limit your dog’s room access and store valuable stuff far from its reach.
• Consistently take your dog out to exercise and to take part in physical activities.

5. Aggression

Aggressive tendencies in dogs don’t always manifest in sudden attacks, scratching, or biting. Your pooch jumping at you whenever you’re about to give him food is aggressiveness. So is growling and overly guarding his food while feeding, baring its teeth at you whenever you try to take your item from him, or angrily barking at other dogs whenever he’s out on a walk.

Solution

The truth is, putting an end to a dog’s aggressiveness isn’t unchallenging; in fact, you may not be able to do it entirely on your own. Do your research.

• Find a dog behaviorist or a professional in the field. consistent training and close monitoring will help the dog improve

Note: if aggressive behavior isn’t controlled, the dog may one day attack someone or another dog and cause serious injuries. Thus, aggression shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Final Thoughts

While some habits, like begging and digging, can be prevented earlier, others like barking and aggression, almost can’t. Please Learn your dog’s problem and solve it effectively.