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James and I are sitting in Lance right now in our remote camping spot high atop Gifford Pinchot National Forest.

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I’m watching the gnomes (AKA James) make whole grain pancakes with fresh raspberries for our breakfast. I’m pretty sure this is the most remote spot we’ve ever camped. I feel like I’m in the rainforest, and if I look carefully I might see a monkey or sloth high up in the trees just like when we were in Costa Rica. Took us a couple hours to get here…climbing crazy steep grades with sharp switchbacks . No kidding…two hours of climbs and turns. Well worth it in the end.

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I don’t normally eat pancakes for breakfast, so I’m looking forward to these. Something about being on an RV trip, we like to switch things up. That’s the whole appeal of traveling anyways, right? Keeping life interesting, changing up our environment and normal routines…

And THAT’S why it’s so easy to fall off the fitness wagon when traveling. We get that I-Can-Do-Whatever attitude when we hit the road, and allow ourselves way too much slack justifying it with “well it’s temporary, just until trip’s over”. I get it. Even as a fitness pro I battle that mindset myself. Here are two big ways I keep the Vacation Mode Mindset under control.

The “One and Done” Rule:

Think of this rule as allowing you one cheat a day. So, you stop at a roadside orchard stand and the caramel apples are calling your name. Have it, savor it, put a photo of it on your Instagram (by the way, hashtag #thefitrv on your trip pics so I can see!!!). Now you’re cut off till tomorrow. The rest of your meals and snacks on the trip are healthful and reasonably portioned affairs, because YOU are a responsible person and a fit RVer. Me, I usually save my One and Done for my fave Matcha Tea Coconut Milk Latte from Starbucks. Yummo. Except I don’t see a Starbucks up here anywhere. This could be a problem.

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Amp Up Your Exercise Pre-Trip:

Have you ever heard of the Principle of Periodization? It’s a training strategy where you continue to build your fitness, let’s say over a period of 8 weeks, increasing your training intensity as you progress, so that your fitness peaks at the very end. Then, you take a week (or so) of recovery before starting all over again. James and I use that all the time before our trips. When we know we’ve got an upcoming trip, we amp up our workouts so that we find ourselves in a “recovery” phase during the trip. Think of it sort of like stocking up on your fitness before hitting the road. That way, there’s some wiggle room and you can still maintain your current fitness levels.

 

So there you have it. Two simple ways you can keep your RV travels healthed-up and FitRV-approved.  And now, my pancakes are done and our bikes are getting lonely. Can’t wait to hit the trails and look for those monkeys…

Safe and healthy travels, everyone! See you in Pomona!

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