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You?ve spent weeks, months, maybe years, crafting a healthy lifestyle. You do cardio several times a week, lift weights or do other weight-focused exercises regularly. Breakfast is a piece of fruit and a protein-packed smoothie or couple of eggs with a slice of toast. You?ve planned your snacks down to the calorie, and even have a cheat meal on occasion just for good measure. You get eight hours of sleep every night. Everything is going your way. Nothing can stop you.

Until vacation time.

Well, maybe not just vacation time. Maybe you find leaving town for any occasion?a work trip, to visit relatives, to volunteer?to be a difficult time to maintain your routine. You?re not the only one?many people find it difficult to maintain their daily habits when out of the environment that reinforces them. Below are a few tips to help you make better decisions while on vacation, or any time you are traveling:

• Make a food plan. It?s incredibly easy to impulse eat while away from home. Are you used to three squares a day with snacks in between? Think about what those meals usually consist of, and seek it out; for example, going to lunch while away from home. If you usually eat lightly at lunch, stick to the same type of food while away. A salad is pretty easy to find, even at fast food joints. If you prefer a heavy-but-healthy breakfast, have a pep talk with yourself before hitting the hotel breakfast bar. Grab the type of food you would normally have. As for snacks, there are grocery stores everywhere. Nothing says you can?t grab the same snacks you keep at home and instead keep them in your bag.
• Think movement. If the place you are staying provides access to any equipment you are accustomed to, make a plan to use it. Otherwise, don?t worry about getting in the exact workout you?re used to?just think about incorporating regular movement into each day. Body weight exercises, like push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups, are old standbys that will serve you well. For cardio, something as simple as a walk around the block can help keep the blood flowing. I?ve even been known to walk circles around my hotel for half an hour, if I wasn?t sure of the area?s safety or layout.
• Remember to sleep. Stress from the day, hotel cable channels, food or alcohol to excess?all of these can contribute to not getting enough rest. To offset this, try to keep to the same schedule you keep at home. If noises or light bother you, consider investing in a set of earplugs and a comfortable sleep mask. They may not sound good from the luxury of your home, but when traveling, it?s better safe than sleep deprived.

You will come home healthy as the day you left if you can plan ahead, stick to somewhat of a normal routine, and think outside the box.

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Infomercials are evil! I can?t tell you how many times I have sat and watched late night T.V. ads, and cringed, as they promote quick-fix weight loss pills and fad diet remedies that just don?t work. There is not a healthy way to lose 50 pounds in a month, but I am going to share 3 reasonable and easy ways with you that will lead to safe and effective weight loss. And you won?t have to starve yourself — I promise.

1) EAT: Yes, and you?re not reading this wrong. You can eat, but make healthier choices. DON?T eat out at restaurants all the time. DO enjoy three meals a day and a couple of snacks, if you need them. Start with a big breakfast that consists of more than just cereal. While a serving of cold cereal is approximately 150-220 calories, depending on the brand, it will run right through you. In other words, your breakfast won?t last as long and you will get hungrier sooner. Try eating foods with plenty of protein and fat for your first meal of the day. Eggs, ham and sausage will keep your appetite under control a lot longer than a bowl of Captain Crunch or a sugary-soaked donut. Remember, that losing weight relates directly to burning calories. You must burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of body weight. If you make healthier choices, you will be able to eat more and still shed those pounds.

2) AVOID THE FOLLOWING FOOD AND BEVERAGES: Beware of the following foods and drinks: Sweets, white bread, mashed potatoes, fast food, pasta, beer and sodas. I know that many of these items are delicious, but they are loaded with calories. If you take in more calories, you have that much more to burn, which makes weight loss very difficult. Now, I?m not saying give them up completely, but you have to be careful and cutback on these items. I recommend substituting diet soda for regular cola, replacing sweets with fruits and switching to whole wheat pasta and breads. Personally, I am addicted to Mello Yellow, so I allow myself a couple of cans a week. You don?t have to give these foods and beverages up completely, but find creative ways to balance them with a healthy diet.

3) EXERCISE: It?s so much easier to burn calories off, if you are active. Weight lifting helps build muscle mass, which in turn burns fat. Walking and running are great cardio workouts that really burn off the calories, whether you are outdoors or on the treadmills. The best way to approach exercise is to find something you love to do. Personally, I love to play basketball, so I use that as my major source of cardio. It?s a lot easier to keep up an exercise routine when it doesn?t seem like work. Find your passion and you?ll see the transformation in the mirror in virtually no time.

It?s not rocket science, but weight loss isn?t a quick fix either. Eat healthy, avoid ?bad? food choices and get more active. If you follow these three easy steps, you will see the pounds melt away.

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You finish up at the office for the day, hop in your car, and, head on over to the gym for your workout. Finishing up, you take a long satisfyingly refreshing drink of your favorite beverage ? Stop right there!

Maybe you have had a few sips along the way and maybe you have had some things to drink during the day, but are you hydrated? Are you really getting the most out of your workout? Hydration can make the difference in how well you exercise. It matters when you drink and what you drink for general well-being, for your overall hydration, and for your workout.

Let?s start with some basics. Hydrating for your workout should start long before you ever get to the gym. Make sure you are consuming fluids throughout the day. Drink in the hour previous to your workout, preparing yourself for the extra fluid necessary for sweating it out and burning that energy. The Mayo Clinic recommends that men drink 13 cups of fluid a day and women 9 cups of fluid a day, but even they admit that amounts vary per individual. Don?t go by when you are thirsty; if you get to that point, you are already dehydrated.

What about during the workout? It is even more important to keep your fluid levels elevated to have a good workout. According to the American College of Sport?s Medicine?s Health and Fitness Journal?s Beth Stover, M.S. CSCS and Bob Murray, PhD. FACSM ?dehydration decreases blood volume, makes blood?thicker, increases heart rate and makes it more difficult for the body to lose heat,? making exercise more of a challenge.

The fact of it is, if you don?t drink enough you might want to quit early because it is hard to push yourself through the fatigue and heat. A good rule of thumb, according to these experts, is to monitor your weight. If you weigh less after a workout than before, you are not taking in enough fluid during the workout.

There are a lot of different sports drinks out there, confusing us in what we should actually drink. The best thing you can do is to make sure you consume plenty of vitamins and minerals in the things you eat on a daily basis and drink plenty of water you don?t think you are getting enough in your diet, Elaine Magee, MPH, RD of WebMD recommends electrolytes and 14 grams of carbohydrates per 8 oz. of water. Caffeine may seem like a good way to propel yourself through your workout, but it actually dehydrates you.

Start your day out right by consuming  fluids throughout your day and then go hop in your car, head on over to the gym for your workout, taking in fluid as you work that body into a healthy shape.

Works Cited
– Magee, Elaine. ?What to Drink When You Exercise.? Web MD. Web MD, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
– Stover, Beth and Murray, Bob. ?Drink Up!: The Science of Hydration.? ACSM?s Health & Fitness Journal 11.2 (2007): 7-12. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.
– ?Water: How much should you drink every day?? Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, n.d. Web. 23 Feb. 2014.

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?We are very pleased to announce KidCheck?s integration with such a respected company as ABC Financial,? said Alex Smith, KidCheck CEO. ?By coupling instant notification of a member?s current payment status with our secure children?s check-in software, we can help fitness centers and health clubs increase efficiency and save time, as well as provide a positive experience for members using the childcare services.

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