How do you stay fit and look great when you’re in the air and out of your usual comfort zone? Vitality coach and health guru Nikki Fogden-Moore shares her 4 secret tips to wellness on the fly.
Health and vitality coach Nikki Fogden-Moore estimates she spends around five days a month at her home base of Noosa on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast.
The rest of the time the author, speaker and fitness expert is bouncing around the world, leading retreats in Namotu, Fiji, hosting workshops in Australia’s major cities or meeting clients in LA.
Yep, she’s one busy lady, but get a load of her glowing skin and endless energy and you’d never guess she catches flights like most of us ride buses. Sigh.
We asked Nikki, who’s gearing up to launch her new book, Fitpreneur, in Aspen in January, her secrets to staying fit and healthy on the go.
1. Forget routine
Keeping fit while you travel is all about adapting, says Nikki. “I don’t have this strict regime of ‘I have to do an hour of exercise’, I listen to my body and then I pull from my mental ‘hard drive’ of exercises and create a routine that fits my week,” she explains.
To create your own workout library, start mastering basic exercises that you can pull out on the go, like push-ups, squats and planks. “If you just master an exercise a week and you practise that exercise then by the end of the year you have 52 exercises in your mental hard drive,” Nikki says. “Focus on doing a handful of these moves with great technique and you’ll only need a 15-minute window to get a great workout done from the comfort of your hotel room.”
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2. Pack light
Going for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it trip? Don’t even bother packing your running shoes. “When I can’t fit anything in my suitcase, what I do is ensure I have something comfortable for yoga and core exercises in my room,” Nikki tips.
If you’ve got a little more time and space to play with, sneakers and a skipping rope will keep you busy. “A skipping rope is always fantastic and super light,” Nikki says, and those runners will come in handy when you’re so wiped all you can think about is espresso.
“Sometimes I’m so tired that I just get up, put my running shoes on and go on a coffee hunt. That’s my exercise; I’m out for half an hour and I don’t even realise it because I’m searching down cool coffee shops in Beverly Hills. Don’t think of fitness as a chore when you’re travelling, think of it as a curiosity.”
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3. Keep it fresh
Use Nikki’s fool-proof food rule when travelling to avoid a blowout: “Instead of thinking about the ‘can’t haves’, think about the fresh food philosophy, where the food is as fresh as possible,” she tips. “When you order off the menu, order food that is as close as possible to its natural state. Then the meals that you can control you know you’re getting good nutrition.”
Yummo! Stocking up on these little numbers ??? #pineapples #vitality #healthy #sunshinecoast
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Overcompensate with water when you’re in the air, and don’t think you have to eat the in-flight meals just because they’re available, she adds. “I go with how I feel, I don’t eat just because food is put in front of me.”
Travel with a stash of healthy snack bars (Nikki likes Paleo Bars and the BodyScience range) for emergencies.
4. Chill out with nano breaks
There’s nothing like travel to send your stress levels soaring. To stay zen amid the hot mess that is airports, transfers and over-planned itineraries, take what Nikki calls ‘nano breaks’ – little doses of quiet time.
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“I think meditation can be misconstrued because people think you have to sit cross-legged in a robe, but you don’t. You just need moments where you can wind down,” she explains. “I take a few moments here and there and if I can’t sleep I use that time meditate.”
Try the Omvana app for a bank of guided meditations that start at just three minutes.