
This post has been on my mind for a few months now as a follow-up to the post about me gaining weight while I was traveling.
I was going to title it, How I Have Lost My Travel Weight, with all of the workouts and new habits that I have employed to get back to a leaner and more muscular me, but in the end I’ve decided I really don’t like this title, or this topic, at all.
Because all throughout my life, I have been way too preoccupied with how I look. I learned this from a society that is obsessed with looks.
Has this celebrity gained weight? Is she pregnant?
10 Celebrities Who Never Seem to Age.
or worse yet:
10 Celebrities Who Have Aged Horribly.
It’s messed up, man.
Every day on my Instagram feed, at the grocery store checkout, and in transit, I am constantly confronted with ‘perfect bodies’ and the same damn aesthetic, often photo shopped or just with amazing angles and lighting,
While I have lost about 10 pounds of fat, I really don’t want that to be the focus here.
I want the topic of this article to be health.
Much of the reason why I gained weight previously is because I was not taking care of myself. I noted in the article about gaining weight that I often looked in the mirror and felt a mountain of self loathing holding me down. I really hated the girl who was looking back at me. That is so sad.
A few months later, I worked my way out of my spiral of self-pity and I had started to lose some of the weight through healthy diet and exercise and most of all, working on self love. This was not an easy road. It took some time before I saw changes but I stuck to it because at the very least, the endorphins felt great.
I tracked my progress in a follow up post, and when I was starting to feel better about my body again, a few really rude comments about my ‘boxy ass’ came through on Instagram and on this blog. I wrote about them a bit on here because I wanted to take the power away from the trolls by exposing the ugly nature of body shaming rather than just pretending it wasn’t happening.
I wish I could say that they didn’t get to me. But I do look in the mirror and wonder about my ass. A few people mentioned that I shouldn’t listen and even others said that I was overreacting and that body shaming is just a normal part of life for women.
But I think it’s only normal because we allow it.
It’s not about being skinny or having the perfect body, it’s about achieving your perfect body – the one that makes you feel good, empowered, and healthy.
So instead of how to get skinny, this post is actually about getting healthier. It is so much more than physical. Being healthy is in large part mental. Here’s what I’m doing to stay leaner, more muscular, and a lot healthier:
- Not making excuses about my diet on the road: In Patagonia I often said that I couldn’t eat healthier because of lack of availability. However I could have gone to greater efforts to cook my own food, and it wouldn’t have hurt if I laid off the ice cream and nightly wine, either.
- Eating whole foods – mostly plants: The easiest way for me to drop weight is to stop eating carbs that don’t occur from whole foods. So I allow lentils, beans, and sweet potatoes, but cut out bread, pasta, and sugars that don’t come from fruits and other whole foods.
- Allow a cheat day: It’s still important to enjoy myself, so cheat days are allowed! Sampling the local cuisine, even the unhealthy stuff, is part of the travel experience. I just limit it more than I used to.
- Finding exercises you really enjoy: Find that thing you look forward to. If you hate running, why run? Maybe you will like dance aerobics, or swimming, or Pilates much more. This is what works for me:
- Finding YouTube workouts that require no equipment and that I enjoy, particularly PopSugar fitness and Blogilates. I also made a playlist for exercises I can even do when I don’t have a mat, so there are no excuses!
- Groupon on the go: I search for classes that I can get discounts to when I know I’ll be in an area for any reasonable length of time.
- I take a weekly pole dancing class now in Berlin. It’s empowering and even though I’m sore for almost a week following each class, I can tell I’m getting way stronger with each passing week.
- Working exercise into travels: Make your vacations active ones! I love to go paddling, like in Manitoba, and swimming, diving, and hiking. In cities in Europe, I walk. I always look for ways to make a trip active, for the nature and for my body. I’m not gonna lie, it helped tremendously that over the summer I had two more or less back-to-back 8-day treks, one in Kyrgyzstan and one in Alaska.
- Alcohol: I probably owe most of my previous weight gain to my drinking habits. Now that I really think about it, I was having at least one drink almost every day when I was traveling, but usually more. I haven’t had any alcohol for over three months now (but that’s another post entirely).
Apart from all of these things, the biggest thing of all was knowing why I was doing it, and why getting healthy was important apart from aesthetics.
I really wanted to be stronger. There are a lot of sports that I love doing – like through multi-day hiking where I am carrying roughly 30% of my body weight, and diving where again, I am carrying pretty heavy gear, and recently, pole dancing.
All of these things have a high potential of injuring me if I am not strong enough to do them. The other thing is, if I do not break up my work day by doing some exercise, I tend to isolate myself too much and then I start feeling weird.
I also needed to work on my self-love. Wow, what a journey that has been! The Emotional Freedom Technique and Six Pillars of Self Esteem I mentioned here and the Life Coach I mentioned here have both been so helpful for that, as was the decision to stop having alcohol, which I promise to talk about in a later post.
It also helped to just start. By taking healthy actions every day, then I feel encouraged to take other healthy actions, like going out for walks, meeting up with people and being social, or going to the damn grocery store, and all of those other little things that should be normal activities but for me sometimes are difficult to do.
At this point I have lost the 15 or so pounds of fat that I was carrying around and gained a bit of it back in muscle. I’m happy with where I am, and my only goal is to keep getting healthier.
In the end I hope this is helpful, because I really don’t want this article to come from a place of, everyone should be skinny, everyone should look like me. I don’t like this perpetuation of the idea that only slim bodies are beautiful – not that there’s anything wrong with that, I’m predisposed to be skinny myself – but it’s just one out of many body shapes and sizes.
What do you do in your travel life (and daily life too!) to be healthier?
Crystal Rock says
so inspiring, thank you for this beautiful post.
Yasmine says
Daily meditation, walk everywhere I can (within reason) to explore a city, and Gaia.com for yoga and class videos. I do these in the morning because it starts my day off really well. And they have an offline player. I also try to make my breakfasts (oatmeal; smoothie if possible) and carry some cut veggies, an apple, or almonds in my purse. I’m often at my happiest when travelling because I’m relaxed and it usually helps me better keep in a routine.
Thanks for this post! I love how you keep true to yourself and keep positive.
GG says
Hi Kristin. Well put. You effectively made the focus on a healthy you and not on looks. Based on looking at the links you have provided, the amount of reading you have done on these subjects and the common sense recommendations you make I can tell you that you have not only kept yourself healthier physically but have challenged and exercised your mind. You are showing great wisdom and intelligence. Health is holistic, you are only as strong as your weakest point and you are trying to cover all the angles. A healthy mind and body go hand in hand, and so happy for you and your accomplishments. Congrats on losing the weight, the way you are doing it you will keep it off. Funny thing is I am referring to the emotional weight as much as the physical. Also funny is how so much of beauty shines from those who exude power, love, confidence, and inner peace. Being satisfied with how one looks and physical appearance is part of our nature, but have been pushed too much to the forefront. Feeling strong and empowered is more the ticket. You are not kidding about the alcohol and weight, that is low hanging fruit. And I looked up pole dancing since not heard of that as an exercise and holy cow, wow you must be getting pretty strong! I and others here should try that some time because I have trouble with standard weights for building muscle.. I am more a use your own body weight and stretches type of person (I have to stretch a lot, I am not flexible at all), plus lots of running. I wish I could say something to you about trolls to make you feel better about them, but you seem to be handling it better than I would, honestly if I were in your situation. The only comment is one of scale, it used to be there might be one jerk in a room or in a crowd. Now with the world wide web we are in front of thousands and thousands of people, the 0.001% can make some noise. It will hurt what they say, but you have become so much stronger than that. Won’t be able to keep them away but what you are doing here puts them to shame.
As for my thoughts to contribute (if you have covered any of these, feel free to provide everyone a blue link to them :)):
1. I like using stretch bands (color coded for how much tension). You can do exercises anywhere with those, just need something to wrap around. It helped me regain my strength in my calf muscles, my injured calf became bigger than my healthy one in a few months! Can be used for stretches and strengthening.
2. Sleep: How much sleep do you get Kristin? I imagine traveling, being so active hiking would bring the need for extra of this. However, everyone has their circadian rhythm, more into night than day, need 9 versus 7.5 hours a night, etc. but as a person who has frequently tried to buy time and sleep deprive, it isn’t worth it and it is hard to break the habit. This is one I am working on but this is vital to a healthy you. In addition to length, positioning is vital as so many injuries are a result of poor positioning. Imagine posing for 7 hours while you are awake uncomfortably. That is what many do in their sleep and wonder why they have a sudden jolt of pain in the middle of the following day. Funny thing is I sleep really well when traveling versus at home and feel more in control.
3. Posture: Not really exercise, but if you want to stay limber and strong as you get older this is very important for the back. So any exercises that work on the posture are good. I think though what you are doing Kristin covers this a lot so this may not count as an additional contribution!
4. This might sound not so pleasant, but another important healthy thing which you can avoid by not eating those “not wholesome” carbs is regarding your digestive system. Make sure to eat foods that avoid constipation. Better to be slightly the other way if can’t be “just right”. This is very hard to accomplish in traveling though!
5.Make sure to leave gaps between eating and exercise. All the people in track and field I have dealt with seem to be so impatient with this (and with waiting the necessary time to recover from injuries!).
Hope this stuff is helpful!
Laura says
I usually gain weight when in other countries because of the different food. I cook all my meals myself, but abroad I don’t want to be rude and say no to food I’m invited to. It’s already a balance act being a vegetarian / part-time vegan. You inspired me to pay more attention on what I eat while travelling and to say no to things that don’t make me feel good.
Kristin says
So much respect for maintaining a vegetarian and vegan diet when abroad! That’s something I’d like to lean more towards as well.
Deborah says
Nice post, with helpful information. I think many people struggle with the same thing.
About the bodyshaming: some people are just really stupid.
I love reading your posts en stories.love your personality.
All you can do, is being true to yourself and be the best you can be (and not worrying about the opinion of other people that arent dear to you).
Easily said, i struggle every day with my weight ? , but i’m getting better at it! That’s the best of getting older!
Kristin says
SO TRUE – the older I get the fewer fcks I give about anyone else’s opinion of my body.
Ijana Loss says
Great post! It’s so hard to be healthy on the road. I commend you for doing so well on improving it, making changes like that is not easy and especially not while traveling. I try and find a CrossFit box to drop into wherever I go but traveling is just begging for overindulgence. The alcohol is a big one too; I’ve been thinking I need to stop drinking it as well. I’m living in Germany right now (hey, that makes two of us!) and everyone loves beer here and I’ve kind of jumped on the wagon and perhaps need to tone it down a bit XD
Kristin says
Germany is also home to alkoholfrei beer! But I don’t think it’s all that delicious. Cutting out alcohol has been really good for me in terms of my time being better spent now, my money, my body, everything.
Charlotte McGhee says
Meditation! This is the thing that I’ve been hearing we should all do, but it only clicked recently and I’m so grateful. What a beautiful way to start your day (and shut out the trolls!)
Huzzah for being healthy while traveling (and always!)
Kristin says
Same I’ve only forced myself to make it a daily thing recently and it changed everything.
Elina says
I love your self-reflecting posts, Kristin, the whole reason I’m such a big fan of your blog is that you’re not just doing “10 best things to do in wherever” type of stuff. I really like how you said an ideal body should be YOUR ideal body, not something that someone or something else thinks is ideal – I mean, even if I did have the “perfect” body and someone told me that, it wouldn’t matter at all if it wasn’t the body I was striving for. Staying healthy on the road can be so damn difficult. For me the biggest thing is that I’m missing my usual sports classes (I hate the gym) and that I’m eating sweets like every damn day just to get some energy and cope with travel stress… But even with that I think travelling has actually helped me gain a better body image. My body hasn’t really changed much over the last few years, just my attitude towards it.
Anyway, thanks for writing about important, semi-travel related stuff! Keep doing it please!
Kristin says
Hi Elina, thanks for the feedback! I’m glad you like these posts. I try to cope with the stress more with the gratitude lists. However truth be told I eat a lot of candy lately too! a girl’s gotta live.
Natalia says
Walking is a must when I travel. Where possible, I explore places on foot, sometimes armed with a good podcast. You also see more that way!
c s says
When we travel I try to limit how much and what I eat. At home I do low carb, and I try to continue that abroad. For breakfast I eat eggs and coffee, and maybe a tiny bit of fruit with a small amount of plain yogurt, for a treat. I have had pastries in some countries and just have found they are not that good to me, so I skip them. I also don’t eat lunch, just breakfast and dinner. Being in such beautiful places we walk constantly and I just don’t think about food. I did find one time when we travelled, when I also ate lunch or large amounts of food, then I did gain that time. I don’t drink as it makes me feel awful, so that takes care of the issue for me.
Kristin says
Oh man I actually have to do the opposite – I eat all throughout the day, but small meals. I get hangry otherwise!
Erica says
I got super excited when I read you’ve started pole dancing! I’m glad to hear you’re in love with it, it tends to have an oddly healing effect on people.
I’ve been poleing for 4 years and I currently teach it at a studio just outside Toronto, so if you’re ever in Toronto and looking to get a practice in….. 🙂
Kristin says
Absolutely! It’s a new obsession for sure. Just started doing twice per week. I have never been this strong in my life I’m loving it!
Skyler says
Thanks for posting about this Kristin! I’ve been traveling 9 months now and while at first I saw myself thinning down from the daily active life that is travel (vs sitting at my office desk all day), you’re 1000% right about the alcohol and eating. They’re starting to show. It’s so tough when being social at hostels and meeting new friends because the bonding usually occurs over eating and drinking. I just ordered a travel yoga mat and am trying to work on adding meditation into my daily life. Because in the end, it’s really not about being skinny but instead about self care. It’s not easy, it requires effort that is totally worth it. Thanks for giving me the encouragement I needed.
Keep kicking ass girl,
Skyler
Kristin says
Glad you connected with it Skyler! Yeah it can be hard with the pressures associated with hostel bonding being over drinks. I wonder how it’ll be when I’m back in hostels but abstaining. I’m curious to see!
Brian says
Wow, great post! I’m not on the road that much anymore, but I wish I will be soon enough 🙂 Thanks for the tips, they will surely come in handy for many people!
Erin says
Really enjoyed your post! I have been following Cassie and blogilates for years! When I lived with my parents I would do her workout videos in my bedroom. I don’t do her workouts anymore, but still follow her blog posts. I found that what I truly enjoy the most is group fitness classes such as barre, TRX, spin, as well as yoga. To be honest I am super lazy and I would prefer to show up and do what I’m told as opposed to planning my own workout and having to think about it! I’m glad to hear that you have been learning to love yourself better and look forward to hearing about why you quit alcohol.
Pearl Accountants says
Very nice. Its a useful post with helpful information. I think most of the people have got problem with the same thing. thank you Kristin.
Charlotte says
Great blogpost! I think your ass is perfectly fine. 😉 Just discovered your blog and exploring all the articles, and you are totally awesome for doing al those epic hikes! <3
Kristin says
Thank you! Much love.
Goldie says
I love how she really shows us what she really eats (healthy) unlike other models claiming they eat pizza and junk food (unhealthy) which means that they properly had slice of pizza for the entire day or in other words starving themselves.
Jessica Hill says
Nice post! It’s so hard to motivate yourself to keep healthy while traveling, but if it’s for longer periods of time, then you have no choice but to establish SOME sort of routine, right?! 😉
Kristin says
That’s what I found!
Martina Baum says
This was such a good read. Thanks for sharing this very important tips when traveling. This helped a lot.
travautood says
Travel beyond limits is something that is beyond someone imagination. It’s sink or swim on the road. You either get better at making friends or you end up alone, crying each night into a pillow. You learn to make friends out of strangers and get more comfortable talking to new people. When I first started traveling, I was kind of an introvert and uncomfortable talking to those I didn’t know. Now, I’ll happily talk to strangers like we’ve been best friends for years. Travel not only makes you comfortable talking to strangers, it makes you better at it too. After talking to people all the time, the same questions get boring. You start to even bore yourself. After a while, you don’t care about where people are from, where they are going, how long they’ve been traveling.
DMoose says
So much respect for maintaining a vegetarian and vegan diet when abroad! That’s something I’d like to lean more towards as well.
Kristin says
I haven’t been able to in the past year to be totally honest. It was taking a huge toll on my health only being able to eat bread, iceberg lettuce, or fries in so many places and it was causing me to gain weight and break out. Now I have a more balanced diet but I don’t eat meat unless I know the source and know that it’s had the right kind of life.
Ngeh Sow Rou says
I love how she really shows us what she really eats (healthy) unlike other models claiming they eat pizza and junk food (unhealthy) which means that they properly had slice of pizza for the entire day or in other words starving themselves.