7 Tips to stay healthy as a Digital Nomad anywhere in the world
Staying healthy while traveling might seem overwhelming because you’re away from all your routines at home. It may seem difficult to maintain digital nomadic fitness habits during the journey, but no matter where you are, there are many ways to stay healthy without sacrificing pleasure and desires. I will share some tips with familia to stay healthy as living your life as a DN
The main challenge of becoming a digital nomad is that your daily work is never finished (Entrepreneurs). Others have a weird schedule as they are having a 3 AM meeting to match the client's timezone (Freelancers). Or your full-time remote job has a new deadline (Remote workers). To make matters worse, the temptation is everywhere waiting for you, delicious street food, sightseeing, new smells, sounds and new ways of living, street signs, the structure of the city, excitement to explore and I could go on but let me stop here. So in short you could easily sacrifice your health to get pleasure. However, you can just be a little conscious and be productive, focused, explore, eat well, romance, and have a lot of fun while staying healthy and beautiful abroad.
Tip #1: Make your fitness routine “gym independent”
Unfortunately, there are no Global gym memberships available which covers most of the cities and countries where DNs go, there are a few which tried some program but available only in major cities. So it may not be practical for a lot of us. If you are a slowmad and staying 3-6 months you can explore gym options near your Airbnb or hotel.
Alternatively, you can create a 30-minute program that involves bodyweight exercise-consider push-ups, sit-ups, squats and other exercises that do not require equipment. To be organized, try these very useful fitness apps, Sworkit and Seven, only 7 minutes workout. (No excuse please, I will check on you). You can do these things in your room, or you can go to the park and get rid of them in the morning-push-ups in the park are a great way to start your day!
Friendly bonus tip, the best way to prioritize fitness is to make it the first thing you do each day, then have a delicious breakfast and get to work with your favorite music. I get it, you may not always get a chance but try that and let me know how did it go.
Tip #2: Meal prep
The food is, of course, one of the best reasons to travel. I personally when land on a new destination usually on shorter flights I do not eat in the plane. Rather, I wait out and land hungry, I get uber drop my stuff at the Airbnb, and head straight to a local restaurant I was researching in Uber :P boom. After several days of trying local food, street food, fancy dining you need to get back to home cooking, while great food might come at very affordable prices, chances are that not everything we see is healthy, plus, you don’t need to eat like you are on vacation all the time, because you are not on vacation 😊. Some places do offer cheaper to eat out than eat home, again that may not be healthy in the long-run. Now, hear me out, head to a local grocery store or farmer’s market to stock up on some fresh produce and groceries that you can keep at the ready in the kitchen and cook your own meals, is healthier and cheaper.
If you can work harder, take some time to prepare meals early in the week. Cook and store your meals, even if you only eat one meal a day, you can prepare it all week ( I don’t recommend ), Pre-cooking food and preparing meals makes it easy and eliminates the guesswork of "what should I eat for dinner today?!".
However, I do not eat old food as it could bring lethargy in your body. Following my yogic practices, I cook daily and eat within an hour 😊 but hey this is just me. On weekends or whenever I have cravings, I am having full-blown cheat days and nights.
There are Zillion Youtube videos to prepare any cuisine in the world. I would not suggest Gordan Ramsey tho, I feel he is watching and screaming at my bad cooking hahah.
Here is a link for beginner meal prep https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-to-meal-prep
Tip #3: go outside for a long walk
Biking or walking is the best way to explore the city you are in. I am walking on the weeknds like 10-15 KMs. Usually, I walk in each direction from my Airbnb each weekend 😊 Walking also allows you to use your time wisely away from the computer! Off-screen time is really critical for mental and general health. Depending on where you travel, there are usually plenty of opportunities to be outdoors and do some interesting things, fun exercise is twice as much as exercise and you don’t even notice it.
Another idea is that if you are going to a local place instead of driving, then walk or bike. Not only can you exercise, but you can also be environmentally friendly.
Tip #4: stop junk snacking, start healthy snacking
If you are a stress eater, or you like to snack while you work, then don’t eat chips or candy, instead, eat fruit and vegetables, peanuts, dates or other dried fruits they are delicious and way healthier! Usually, there are local healthier snacks as well in most of the destinations. Best way to try local delicacies and satisfy cravings as well.
Tip #5: sit straight, practice good back and neck posture
During the journey, you often have to struggle with uncomfortable seats on airplanes and in hotels and cafes. Airbnb might now have a work desk and chair. (That’s why Nations Remote homes listing have home office to save your posture) Back to the topic, sitting in these nightmarish seats long enough, it is only a matter of time before you realize your neck or back is bad. Remember to sit straight and stretch regularly. If you add 5-10 means systematic yoga posture, it will pay off big time.
Tip #6: Save your eyes, to see the beautiful world
Full-time remote workers having around 10 hours a day screen time, others around 12-14. Then Netflix and chill. We gotta protect our eyes to continue to travel and see this beautiful world 😊. There was a Kickstarter campaign around computer glasses. Well, that could be hard to order and get it shipped while on the roads. The cheaper way is to download the f.lux here. It's free and saves your eyes.
There are other techniques to
- Look away every 15 minutes.
- Use Promodoro timer and take a 5-minute off-screen break (remember no cellphone)
Tip #7: Add a bit of Yoga
3-years ago, I had severe back pain and I could not sit for like 30-minutes on a chair. I started to practice classic yoga and learned to sit and keep my posture straight. The results are dramatic, I now sit 12-14 hours, have no back problem, walk for hours, and feel very strong (tho I am very slim). In short, Yoga works and you should add some form of yoga into your life not only for physical health but also for mental clarity and focus. I will write a separate article for Yoga. Be mindful, wrong yoga is worst than no yoga so please its better to have a yoga teacher or someone guide you for the postures and exercises.
I will continue to add more tips in this article. Please please I would encourage to write articles on Health to earn Karma points and help your people 😊
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