Taking 6FIT on the Road

Spring 6FIT is here, and I am so happy that it is! This 6FIT has forced me to stay on track and make sure I take care of me during a stressful season. A new challenge for me this 6FIT was that the first week I was going to be out of town. Since I am a stay at home who rarely travels, this was a unique challenge for me. How was I going to stick with 6FIT on the road?! I knew exactly whom I wanted to go to for advice, a fellow 6Fitter Kirsten Olean. Kirsten has been on a couple of my 6FIT teams, and a fellow virtual DanceFitter for the last couple of years. I admire her for her ability to juggle a career, motherhood and an active lifestyle. Here is her great advice on how we can live a 6FIT lifestyle no matter where we are!

Tell us a little bit about yourself…
I'm a New England girl, having grown up outside of Boston, but I've been in the DC area for over 20 years now. I am a city girl, and live in NE Washington, DC.  I work as the Director of Meetings for an association, and am very active within my industry, serving on boards and such I am a mom to a four year old who is a true piece of work and keeps me guessing (and laughing or crying!) every day.  I love music and have been known to go through withdrawal if I haven't seen a live gig in a while.  I'm a foodie who loves red wine, so thankfully I also like to exercise!
 
What are a few lessons you have learned to help you stay 6FIT friendly while traveling?
 Two key things for me when traveling:  Be realistic and plan ahead.  Workout clothes take up luggage space, so I try to be realistic about how many workouts I can get in.  For some trips, I know I just can't get it in because of long hours at work, so I leave the gear at home.  The Virtual DanceFIT classes are great for travel because I can do them wherever I am (although sometimes the time zones present a challenge) and now most hotels have mats available to use in your room.  I use water bottles for weights (and then drink them when I'm done!).  To plan ahead, I pack non-perishable snacks in my suitcase like Larabars, Kind bars, nuts and single-serve peanut butter so I can always have something healthy with me.  If I'm going to be there for a while (some of my meetings are a week or more), I ask for a small fridge in my room and hit the grocery store to grab things like celery and carrots and bananas or other fruit. I always load up my carry on with lots of snack options since you never know what you'll find at the airport - but my go-to is yogurt and fruit which you can usually find anywhere.  I also find that breakfast is usually the meal you can most control (usually lunch and dinner are out with colleagues or members but breakfast is on your own) so I try to always make the right choices then, so at least I start my day off right, regardless of what might happen later. 
 
What do you love most about 6FIT?
 6FIT and this awesome community of supportive women have helped me to be proud of my healthy lifestyle, and that actually makes it easier to travel.  I'm up front about my choices when I need to be, and people respect that.  If it's 6FIT time, I will just say  "I'm involved in a 6-week health and fitness challenge, and this week's challenge is no bread" so they can be sensitive to restaurant choices or understand why I'm skipping happy hour to get in a workout before meeting them for dinner.  Or at lunch, I'll say something like "I'm going to have a salad so that I can indulge at dinner tonight" or something that explains why I don't want to share the calamari or dessert or whatever is being offered. For a long time, I felt self-conscious about my adherence to whatever diet I was on, but now I make my own healthy choices and it is much more relaxing.  But most importantly, the principle of 80/20 that I learned in 6FIT makes me feel a-ok about enjoying a great meal, a decadent dessert or an extra glass of really good wine - whether on the road or at home.  I embrace the indulgence when it happens!
 
Thanks to Kirsten’s advice, I was set for my week- long trip to California with my husband (kids free!). I packed my water bottle so I was able to fill it before we left the hotel in the morning, and throughout the day.

For snacks we were able to find local farmers stands as we traveled on the highway. The fresh strawberries were delicious!

The week was great, and it was easy to fit in exercise with walking in the city or on the beach. My husband and I even rented bikes so we could bike Golden Gate Park.