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Healthy Eating Tips

  1. Invest in a good cooler and fill it with fresh fruits, veggies, and other perishables that might be hard to find on the road. Consider bringing a small camp stove, too, even if you don’t plan to camp, so you can whip up simple, healthy skillet meals when decent restaurants are scarce.
  2. Stay hydrated by keeping a bottle of water by your side and sipping throughout your trip. This will keep your energy up and encourage rest stops, which will also provide a chance to stretch and reset your focus.
  3. Pack bottled kombucha and cold-pressed coffee as alternatives to sodas and energy drinks.
  4. Fill a “pantry” box with nonperishables such as jerky, nuts, bars, and dried fruit.
  5. When possible, grab fresh-pressed veggie juice, which will help keep you hydrated and nourished when produce is in short supply.
  6. Seek out local food co-ops ahead of time via the Internet and scout for farm stands along the way to replenish supplies.
  7. Seek out local eateries and unique food options.

Healthy Movement Tips

  1. When you stop for gas or a bathroom break, take advantage of time out of the car. Plan to do a mini-workout every time you stop (ideally, every two hours).
  2. Do some squat jumps, walking lunges, or other body-weight exercises.
  3. Take along a kettlebell, resistance band, and yoga mat, and cycle through upper-body, lower-body, and core exercises and stretches throughout the day.
  4. Aim for five to 20 minutes per session.
  5. Stop at playgrounds and parks.

Emergency Kit

  1. First-aid kit
  2. Two roadside flares
  3. Quart of oil
  4. Extra fuses
  5. Flashlight
  6. Multipurpose tool commonly containing pliers, wire cutters, a saw, a bottle opener, screwdrivers, files, and an awl
  7. Tire inflator
  8. Rags
  9. Paper towels
  10. Pocket knife
  11. Bear-proof canister to store food
  12. Bear spray
  13. Bottled water
  14. Non-perishable food items like trail mix and protein bars

Campsite Breakfast Recipe

One of the best ways we found to take control of what we ate was to bring along a small camping stove and basic cooking gear, including a small skillet. With that, we were able to cook at least one meal a day on the road. Here’s the simple recipe for our first breakfast on the road, eaten at a campsite near Devils Tower, a 1,200-foot geologic wonder in Wyoming’s Black Hills.

Serves two to three

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbs. cooking oil
  • 1/4 yellow onion, chopped
  • 6 eggs
  • 6 ozs. ground breakfast sausage
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Avocado
  1. Heat the cooking oil in the skillet. Add the onion, cooking it until translucent. Add the sausage, breaking it up and cooking until brown.
  2. Add the chopped peppers and stir to combine until they soften slightly. Add the eggs and stir to combine, cooking until the eggs have set according to your preference.
  3. Serve with avocado slices.

The 10-Minute Kettlebell Circuit

  • Complete 10 reps per side of each exercise in a circuit format, resting as little as necessary between sets.
  • Use a medium-weight kettlebell, choosing a load that you can handle while maintaining good form.
  • Repeat the entire circuit for a total of five rounds, or about 10 minutes.

One-Arm Swing

  • Stand with feet slightly wider than shoulder width and the kettlebell on the floor in front of you. With your weight in your heels, hinge at your hips and reach down to grab the kettlebell in one hand with an overhand grip.
  • Quickly “hike” the kettlebell back and between your legs.
  • Extend your hips, straighten your legs and squeeze your glutes to reverse the movement and propel the kettlebell forward until it reaches about chest height.
  • Guide the kettlebell back, keeping the bell high between your legs.
  • Repeat for 10 reps per side. To switch sides, either hand off the kettlebell in mid-air, or gently return it to the floor and reset.

One-Arm Clean

  • Begin with the same set-up as the kettlebell swing. Hike the kettlebell high between your legs, then use the power of your hips to propel the kettlebell forward.
  • But instead of allowing the kettlebell to swing out in front of you, gently pull the kettlebell to guide it up in of your body, as if pulling on a zipper.
  • Catch the kettlebell in the front rack position, with your wrist straight and the kettlebell resting on your forearm.
  • From the rack position, hike the kettlebell behind you, between your legs, then reverse the motion to re-clean.
  • Repeat for 10 reps per side. To switch sides, either hand off the kettlebell in mid-air, or gently return it to the floor and reset.

Kettlebell Snatch

  • Begin with the same set-up as the kettlebell swing. Hike the kettlebell high between your legs, then use the power of your hips to propel the kettlebell forward.
  • But instead of swinging the kettlebell in front of you, quickly stand up and pop the kettlebell up and over head.
  • After the kettlebell passes your face, punch the weight toward the ceiling and full extend your arm. The kettlebell should gently come to rest on your forearm.
  • Reverse the movement by lightly flicking the kettlebell up and away, then hiking it high between your legs.
  • Repeat for 10 reps per side. To switch sides, either hand off the kettlebell in mid-air, or gently return it to the floor and reset. (See “BREAK IT DOWN: The Kettlebell Snatch” for a detailed look at this technique.)

This article originally appeared as “On the Road” in the January/February 2016 issue.

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