Healthy tips for a super summer road trip

You may work hard at home staying healthy and fit. There’s no need to abandon those good habits on vacation.

As you pack the car for a summer road trip, remember that travel can be filled with roadside fast food, convenience stores and lots of sitting with the temptation to reach for unhealthy snacks.

Staying on a healthy path during your journey can be done – if you plan, experts say.

“The idea is to keep to one’s routine and healthy habits as much as possible on the road, just as you do at home,” said Dr. Ian Neeland, a preventive cardiologist and associate professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland.

Preventive cardiologist Dr. Puja Mehta agrees.

“Everything is in the planning,” said Mehta, an associate professor in the Division of Cardiology at Emory University in Atlanta and director of Women’s Translational Cardiovascular Research at the Emory Women’s Heart Center.

Preparing for a healthy trip can be fun and relieve a lot of stress along the way, she said.

Before you go, as you look at maps, read travel guides and figure out your vacation budget, think about your health, too. Consider these tips.

Stay hydrated, but wisely. Travel with water bottles and a cooler rather than stopping for sodas, Mehta said.

Build in breaks. When you’re sitting in the car for hours at a time, blood doesn’t pump as well throughout the body, Neeland said. “It’s a good idea to stop every two or three hours, just to get up and stretch and walk around and get the blood flowing.”

That’s especially true, he said, for people at risk for blood clots, including those who smoke, are pregnant, take birth control pills or have conditions such as obesity, atrial fibrillation or diabetes. Clots can travel to the brain, heart and elsewhere, causing a stroke, heart attack or other damage.

That same advice holds for people with orthopedic problems, Mehta said. “If you’re sitting for hours, it’s not good for your back,” she said. “And if you know you have back pain, bring the back support you need.”

The sun doesn’t shine just at the beach. “It’s blasting through the car window,” Mehta said. “Don’t forget sunscreen and sunglasses while you’re driving.”

“You can get sunburned on your arms and face,” Neeland noted. “It’s also important to protect your eyes from too much UV exposure.”

Where are your meds? Remembering to pack them isn’t enough. A trip disrupts daily schedules, so don’t forget to take medicines at the right times, Neeland said.

And don’t stash them in the trunk, Mehta advised. “A lot of medications are temperature-sensitive,” she said. “If you leave them in a hot car, that’s probably not a good idea. They can lose their effectiveness.”

Keeping them in the passenger compartment keeps them cool – and accessible.

“People have told me, ‘I had the pills, but they were in the suitcase,’ ” Mehta said. “If you have angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart), you might need nitroglycerin. But it doesn’t do you any good if you don’t have access to it.”

Medical conditions don’t stay home. “If you do develop symptoms or issues, it’s important not to say, ‘I’ll wait till we get to wherever we’re going to check it out,’ ” Neeland said. “If it’s serious, it’s important to get it checked out right away. Pull over, call for help or find the nearest emergency room.”

Health and safety go together. Don’t be sleepy while on the road. Change drivers and pull over at night, Neeland said.

Ensure a good night’s sleep by getting at least seven hours a night. Kids need more depending on their age.

Search your cellphone map for a grocery store. Those fast-food emporiums and gas station convenience stores may be right at the highway exit, but they’re probably loaded with unhealthy temptations.

“There’s lot of chips and cookies and candy,” Neeland said. “It’s pretty difficult to find fresh fruit or vegetables at a convenience store.”

As at home, Mehta said, grocery stores balance those temptations with healthy options: fruits, vegetables, nuts and something for everyone.

“When you’re traveling with a family, everybody has a different choice,” she said. “At a grocery store, at least you can try to pick the healthier choices.”