Tag: life balance
Healthy Eating While Vacationing

By: Jackie Amende, MS, RDN, LD, University of Idaho FCS Extension Educator
If you are road tripping or traveling abroad to a new and exciting place, you can still enjoy all the fun foods that come with traveling without compromising your healthful eating plan. Here are some tips for your upcoming summer vacation:
- Focus on portion sizes. You don’t have to avoid those new and exciting foods that come with traveling. Share large food portions with your travel partner or go with the small size for just yourself.
- Keep your regular meal times on vacation. It can be easy to graze on food all day while on vacation but try to stick with your usual eating pattern.
- Watch what you’re drinking. Focus on water or other unsweetened beverages. Skip the sweetened and various adult beverages which are often loaded with unnecessary calories.
- Pack non-perishable foods with you. Dried fruit, nuts, and pretzels make for relatively healthy snacks that are nutrient-rich. These non-perishable foods are perfect for a quick snack to satisfy you until your next scheduled meal time.
- If you are road tripping, pack a cooler with fresh pre-cut vegetables and fruits. Try slicing some bell peppers and cutting up some celery sticks. In addition, keep whole fruit or sliced fruit ready to go.
- Be physically active! Get outside and walk to enjoy the sites where you are vacationing. If you are on a road trip, schedule frequent stops where you can get out, stretch your legs, and take a short walk.
With these healthful eating tips, food safety is still a priority, especially if you’re road tripping. Bringing perishable foods with you like meats and cheeses may cause some unwanted foodborne illnesses if these items are not stored properly. Don’t store perishable foods unrefrigerated for longer than 2 hours. If stored in a cooler, make sure coolers are 40 degrees or cooler. In addition, don’t leave your cooler directly in the sun or in the trunk of your car on road trips. Putting the cooler in the backseat of the car will generally be cooler than the trunk. Finally, keep hand sanitizer or moist towelettes with you if you don’t have access to a restroom to wash your hands before and after eating. Now, enjoy your trip!
Want to learn more about healthy eating and/or food safety? University of Idaho Extension teaches many classes and programs in the area, like Eating Healthy on a Budget, Nutrition for Healthy Aging, Diabetes Prevention Program, Dining with Diabetes, and more. Check out the Canyon County UI Extension website at https://www.uidaho.edu/extension/county/canyon/family-consumer or call 208-459-6003 for more information.
Get your sparkle on!
- Make your list and check it twice. Be sure to include healthy holiday gifts to give and receive
- Deck the halls with lots of health. Check out the festive red/green fruits and veggies
- Get your sleep! Check these tips for relaxing sleep during the holiday season
- Recognize what might prompt some of those tough family dynamics that can occur at holiday time
- Create new holiday traditions
- Keep a lid on Ugly Santa
- Keep a holly-jolly wallet
- Keep moving – stay fit through the holidays
- Take time for YOU; don’t overschedule
- Put some meaning back into your holidays!
- Don’t forget your sparkle!
Wage a little hope.
- Take care of your health through good nutrition, sleep, physical activity
- Do a hope audit; know what makes you hopeful and connect with it
- Cultivate hopeful relationships; surround yourself with hopeful people
- Learn to forgive
- Find resilience through meditation, breathing/relaxation exercises
- Look for ways to make hopefulness tangible in your daily life
- Reconnect with nature
- Move through your fears
- Be courageous
- Set tangible goals that help you move beyond barriers
- Remember, in time the things that are pulling you down will pass
Can this just be over?
- Educate yourself on the candidates
- Accept that we all have a right to our opinion
- Accept that you probably will not change another person’s opinion
- Realize that your opinion may be just as “objectionable” to others as theirs is to you!
- Remember – political parties and politics are labels; at the bottom of it all is a person
- Choose how much media you let into your life from polling info, to the evening news, to social media banter
- Take care of yourself; that means step away from a discussion when you need to; don’t engage
- Keep perspective in all things
- Manage your stress and practice good health habits
- Be kind
- Vote!
Monday Blues?
- Identify the problem; if your work leaves you feeling underappreciated, stressed, and overwhelmed – name it and claim it; then you can start dealing with it
- Don’t dwell on Mondays like a looming dark cloud that dumps on your weekend
- Get sunlight and fresh air on your weekend – refresh!
- Be ready for Monday … start on Sunday by getting your food and clothes lined out; synch up your calendar
- Dress like you want to be at work – it makes a difference!
- Practice good self-care – don’t overdo Sunday with heavy foods/drinks
- Get some sleep! Lack of shut eye makes everything and everyone more difficult
- Focus on the things you are excited about in the week ahead
- Eat a good breakfast
- Try not to over-pack your weekend; have some down time
- Have a positive attitude; use positive self-talk while you drive into work
- Maintain a manageable Monday work schedule – keep it light when you can
Techno-Stress?
- Those constantly accessible via cell phones were the most likely to report mental health issues
- Men who use computers intensively were more likely to develop sleeping problems
- Frequently using a computer without breaks further increases the risk of stress, sleeping problems, and depressive symptoms in women
- Read more…
- Reclaim your bedroom!
- Exercise regularly
- Watch your caffeine and alcohol intake before bedtime
- See a doctor or sleep professional if your problems persist
Distracted, unfocused, preoccupied?
- Manage Your TMI Overload
- Know the warning signs of “smartphone addiction”
- Take control of technology
- Don’t let technology addiction take over your life
- Know the three main types of driving distractions
- Cellphones, texting, and driving
- Mobile phone use: a growing problem of driver distraction
- Distracted Driving: One Call Can Change Everything
How’s your well-being?
- Work out
- Calm the chaos
- Eat and drink good stuff
- Enjoy quality “me” time
- Enjoy quality “we” time
- Love where you live
- Love where you work
- Look good
- Be happy
Reflections
- What happened in 2015 that you will remember for the rest of your life?
- What are you most proud of accomplishing?
- What do you wish you had done more of … or less of?
- What was the biggest risk you took?
- What was the smartest decision you made?
- What was the most unexpected joy or obstacle?
- What was the nicest thing someone did for you?
- What was the nicest thing you did for someone else?
- What would you change about 2015, if you could?
- What was the biggest personal change you made?
- How has your wellness journey changed?
- Who or what had the biggest impact on your life?
- How are you different this year than last?
- What are the top three fun or exciting events you participated in?
- What do you need to let go of?
- Pick three words that describe 2015 for you
- Ask your significant other to choose three words that he/she thinks describes your year … discuss!
- For what are you most grateful?
Financial Wellness
How’s your sleep?
- Create the Ideal Bedroom
- Choose the Right Mattress, Pillows and Sheets
- Use these Sleep Tips
- Sleep Smarter
Damage control?
- Make a budget for entertainment, food, and gifts
- Schedule exercise; put it on your calendar
- Prepare at least one healthy meal every day
- Quit the “clean plate club”
- Eat slowly; savor your food
- Have a plan before you arrive at a buffet or office potluck
- Meet with friends around events, not food
- Let go of perfectionism!
- Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should; guard your time
- De-stress with three yoga tips
- Slow down, take a breath; be in the moment, not on your way to the next moment!
Got stress?
- Meditate – it’s a mini vacation!
- Practice deep breathing
- Practice yoga
- Spend time with positive people
- Connect – get (or give) a hug!
- Get up and move – stretch it out
- Get some sunlight
- Take a nap
- Change your environment – take a 5 minute walk
- Read a book
- Take a day trip
Holiday Pressure Cooker?
- Be realistic about what you can accomplish this season
- Simplify your holiday plans
- Make a budget…and stick to it!
- Be active whenever you can
- Take a minute – sit, close your eyes, breathe
- Get 7-8 hours of sleep most nights
- Eat nutritious meals when you can
- Ask for hlep when you need it
- Forgive and forget
- Use the Stress Center resources. There are tip sheets, video clips, books, articles, and powerpoints.