It’s becoming more and more common for athletes to travel away from home for training and competition. However, acclimatising to a new environment, changes in schedule, and exposure to new types of food can impact your nutritional goals. Sports nutrition can also be easily forgotten if your competition and training is in an exciting destination with exotic foods. To help you stay on track, we’ve compiled a few tips on how you can meet your nutritional and fitness requirements while travelling:
Plan an eating schedule
It’s always better to plan ahead of your trip. Make sure you do the necessary research, what are the hygiene and food safety risks? Is the accommodation all-inclusive, self-catering, or will you have to depend on restaurants and takeaways? Are you going to be able to find your preferred snacks (especially energy foods)? Knowing this information in advance can help you plan a nutritious eating schedule.
Meet daily vitamin and mineral requirements
Once you’re aware of the catering arrangements of your trip, you’ll know whether you need to pack in your preferred foods and supplements. If you’re travelling internationally, make sure your foods and sports nutrition products are allowed to travel with you (or ahead of you). It’s important to include a lot of protein and amino acids in your diet. Protein helps you resist infection and rebuilds muscles. To avoid burnout, take supplements if your regular diet doesn’t include enough vitamins and minerals.
Keep a healthy balance
If you’re going to be doing a lot of strenuous activity, make sure you strike a balance by eating right and getting adequate amounts of sleep. Your sports nutrition and energy needs might differ when travelling, due to a change in climate or altitude, or a change in the intensity of your training and competition program. Make sure you adjust your eating and sleeping patterns to accommodate these changes. Also, try to keep your sleeping and eating patterns similar to your usual daily routine at home. If it’s impossible to do so, move mealtimes as quickly as possible to the new time-frame.
Stay hydrated
Athletes need to stay hydrated by drinking a lot of water and liquids with electrolytes. If you’re travelling by plane, avoid caffeinated drinks and drink water and juices whenever they are offered to you. The humidity in aircraft cabins is low, so it’s important to stock up on fluids to avoid dehydration. If you have high energy needs, make sure you drink lots of juices or mineral drinks throughout your stay. Alcohol is detrimental to your sports performance, so try to avoid it until after your training or competition.
Stay fit
Travelling to a new destination can be distracting, but don’t forget the purpose of your trip. Make a training schedule and stick to it. If the hotel gym doesn’t appeal to you, find out what else your destination has to offer. Is cycling a popular option? Are there facilities for swimming or running? Even a 30-minute brisk walk in the morning will wake up your muscles and energize you for the day. If you’re travelling a long distance by plane, make sure you stretch your legs regularly to avoid blood clots (this could affect your entire training schedule).
Food safety
Food safety and hygiene can be one of the biggest concerns for travellers. Make sure you wash your hands with soap frequently, especially before eating. If the water is unsafe to drink, stick to bottled water and juices. Avoid ice in drinks, unless you are sure the water is safe for drinking, and brush your teeth with bottled or filtered water. To reduce the risk of gastrointestinal bugs, avoid eating fish, shellfish, and raw vegetables that haven’t been washed. Market foods might be risky, even in safe-sounding destinations. Try to avoid foods that have been uncovered or exposed for extended periods of time.
Majorca is a great destination for travelling athletes. It’s regarded as a cyclist’s paradise, with its warm and sunny climate, long mid-gradient climbs, and well-maintained roads. If you’re travelling to this sunny island, contact us to book your accommodation. We have a range of stunning Majorca hotels that will cater to your fitness and sports nutrition needs. Athletes can hire a bike at our bike rental station and explore the nearby Tramuntana Mountains.
