Sitting in the car all day can cut your usual daily calorie burn by as much as four hundred calories! If you’ve got a family road trip planned, use these tips to keep the highway a little healthier.
- Adjust your calorie intake accordingly. You’ll burn four hundred calories less sitting in the car all day, so you should be eating four hundred calories less, too!
- Stock up on drinks. That recirculated air (or open windows) can dry you out and make you thirsty. If you’ve got bottled water and other healthy drinks handy, you won’t be tempted to stop at the drive through for a large soda (and an order of fries).
- Stock up on healthy snacks. Protein usually makes you feel satisfied longer — so choose snacks that are high in protein. If you like to nibble while you drive (I do) be sure to have healthy stuff handy like carrot and celery sticks, grapes, frozen berries, and air-popped popcorn.
- Keep moving while the car is moving. You can roll your neck and shoulders, move your arms, and move your feet (with cruise control) while you drive. The movement will help increase circulation and help you stay alert at the wheel.
- Keep moving when the car is stopped. Don’t just get out of the car and into the booth at the fast food joint! Do some full body stretching, walk around the rest area, or jog in place.
- Drive right past the drive through. Look for a grocery store or a convenience store that will have some healthier options besides burgers and fries. It may be a few extra minutes out of the way, but wouldn’t you rather have a deli-fresh turkey sandwich, a cup of yogurt, and some fruit? It’s way healthier than the fast food on the highway. At the food store, you can also grab more drinks and snacks and ice for your cooler, and other stuff you may have forgotten, like toiletries, garbage bags for the car, and stuff to entertain the passengers.