Here’s what some Yoga Health Coaches have to share about summer travel
Before leaving on my first road trip in early June, I reached out to my Yoga Health Coaching friends and colleagues to pick their brain on “best practices” for hitting the road and camping this summer. As Certified Yoga Health Coaches we are all about sharing ideas and tips to make life a little easier. I recently heard someone refer to these as “life hacks”.
Here’s what they have to share (with a few of my own ideas interwoven):
Drink Warm Water
One of my accountability partners, Jamie resides in coastal Maine. She brings along her thermos and fills it the night before with hot water. She knows the importance of sipping warm water in the morning and she doesn’t even have to get out of her sleeping bag. I like to batch task in the kitchen at night (even while camping). When I’m warming water on the stove for warm dishwater, I fill up my thermos – boom. It’s done. Don’t let the smell of coffee lure you in, in the morning. Start the day hydrating with your thermos and you’ll thank yourself later. And you can enjoy a “cuppa” later :).
MOVE
Have you heard of sleeping bag yoga? There are lots of options for stretching in your bag before getting out and up. Bring along an old yoga mat or put on your shoes and bounce around outside to warm up first thing in the morning. It’s hard to not be moving your body while camping, but it’s fun to make a game of it, especially if you have kids or adults who are up for some FUN.
Eat your GREENS
One of the funniest people I know is Grace. She lives in British Columbia with her hubby and kiddos and she juices before her weekend camping or road trips. She makes sure she goes to bed and wakes with the sun, which many times means going to bed when the kids do! We usually pack a green powder to have in the morning after our hot water, since greens can be hard to come by on the road/camping.
Eat a HYDRATING breakfast
My mentor and coach Cate spends half the year in Idaho and half the year on a surf break in Mexico. She makes sure to pack chia seeds and dates for a protein-packed and hydrating breakfast option. Soak the chia overnight with some dates or other dried fruit and start your day right. The dates are also a great alternative to other sweet treats. I personally prefer dates to any performance goo or packaged protein bar and when mixed with pecans – heavenly. We love our chia mornings. It’s easy and so good.
Prepare Food in Advance
Tracey is on the path to be a Yoga Health Coach and teaches yoga in Chicago . She LOVES her kale chips. I find them SUPER expensive to buy, bought with a few minutes of prep and clean up they are worth it. I suggest making your favorite dressing. I love a cashew based dressing that has a cheezy flare. Toss your kale and dehydrate. Make a raw cookie. We make cookie balls or roll them out between sheets of parchment paper for a flat, square cookie. Miles loves them. I usually make up the recipe based on what I have – nuts, seeds, raisins and dates – YUM. Great for a post meal sweet treat. The last go-round, we packed a cooler with fruit, bean thread noodles, miso and pre-chopped veggies for the first night. And a seltzer water, lime and coconut water mocktail is pretty refreshing!
Other considerations:
- Pack an essential oils first aid kit. We used this a lot on our last trip (OnGuard for colds, lavender in the car, etc)
- We use herbs and teas as medicine. In case you eat something that doesn’t settle well have mint, chamomile, ginger tea available. I’m in LOVE with Nectar Apothecary. If you are in the Prescott area, it’s worth stopping in or signing up for one of their many classes!
- I also make sure to bring a CALM along. It comes in a few forms – mental/emotional CALM (super important when traveling with a 2 year old) and also as a calcium/magnesium supplement – HA! It’s great to have on hand if your muscles are sore from a long day on the trail or on the boat – or if you have trouble sleeping.
- Coconut oil is our “GO TO” in the summer. If you’ve been reading my newsletters or been in class with me, you know how much I love oil. We are big on oiling around here. If nothing else, oil your nose and ears at night, especially if it’s dry (hello summer in Prescott).
I’m sure I’ll have more after this next adventure for the birthdays!
Did you know…
a great way to reset your circadian rhythm is to sleep under the stars?
Go camping, get OUT and reset your sleeping patterns and dive into a new rhythm of EASE.
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Rachel Peters is a yoga teacher, yoga health coach, lifestyle and habits expert, easeful living advocate, and lover of wild places. She leads others towards Embodying Ease through a yearlong wellness & lifestyle journey to dissolve perfectionism, embody daily habits that promote mental clarity, overall ease, and deeper connection to life on this wild ride of modern living. Learn MORE today!