11 tips to be fit and maintain your healthy lifestyle while traveling

What would summer be without a trip to your favourite city or a weekend of festivals and music? It would be boring, I know. But I hear so many people complaining about how hard is to travel, be fit and maintain their healthy lifestyle during this season that I thought about sharing my tips on how to maintain your healthy lifestyle while traveling, too.

1. Walk as much as you can

Walking is a great low-impact activity that burns sugars, tones up leg, abs and makes you feel relaxed while maintaining your healthy lifestyle. When I am traveling for business purposes I try to avoid cabs and tubes – whenever it is possible – and walk to the location instead. If am on vacation I am always bringing with me my essential walking items: comfortable shoes, shorts/leggings, a lightweight raincoat, t-shirts, sweater/jumper and my backpack. Feeling free and comfortable makes walking for long hours less stressful and more enjoyable. Clearly, I also visit places and stop every once in a while to take pictures or shop, but that’s part of the exercise. Walking is a great must for your healthy lifestyle and you can combine visiting + exploring with burning extra calories.

2. Use the stairs

Unfortunately this is not always possible, especially if you are late or have a tight schedule. But I still like the challenge and if I’m not wearing heels or have 5 minutes more I do like to use the stairs rather than the elevator. In Venice we have endless stairs, which makes it a habit for me. And London is not that different with all its tubes, streets and modern buildings. Sometimes I have to take the elevator because of my broken knee, but I’m always happy to try and use the stairs, great for your back and legs.

3. Adapt to the local facilities

If you are traveling you have to acknowledge the situation and understand that it is a change. A temporary one, but it will impact your healthy lifestyle. That’s something you can’t change: different city, different habits, food, language, different people and location. Not your yoga classes, not your kitchen, not your lifestyle. But that doesn’t mean that you cannot adapt and make the most of the local facilities. And I mean (a) health clubs or gyms/pools and (b) anything that the city/place you are visiting can offer you to keep up with your healthy lifestyle. From parks, beaches, the pier, a quiet running area, a climbing wall, an open-air gym at the park, long distances, stairs, etc. I usually check in advance and adapt accordingly. I don’t have kids, so when me and my boyfriend travel we can choose the location based on our own interests, and I’m lucky as he is a former gym instructor who has run 2 NY marathons and has a very sporty approach to traveling. So we like to always pack running shoes and run as part of the exploration process. But if you have a family, my suggestion is to take every chance you have to spend time with your kids and bring them to the park, walk for long hours, play with them and…well…simply move more!

4. Keep it minimal

When I travel my mantra is “Keep it minimal and enjoy the experience”. I would really love to bring all my fancy dresses and designer shoes, my laptop, my books (all of them!), my favourite coffee mug, all the bags and all the sunglasses. But, then, where would all the freedom and fun of letting things (literally!) behind go? Isn’t traveling great because you can let materials things at home and plunge into the new experiences? A minimal luggage always work for us because we really have less to worry about and more mental space is left for the new to come. We make sure to have a list of stuff we need, always include the fitness gear and give preference to lightweight and easy-to-dry clothes (I have an obsession for the Nike DriFit series and my running shoes/walking companions have been Asics for years – really the best, most resistant and comfortable shoes ever – let alone my Birkenstock, which I own in different colours).

5. Exercise quickly

At the end of two weeks of vacation I always find myself happier and healthier. It also happened that I managed to loose weight once. But I don’t splash money on expensive retreats, actually most of the time we travel with our dog so we go the easy and fun way. However, what I do is frequent mini fitness session. I ditch the CrossFit + weights schedule to do more repetitions and work with own bodyweight:

• 1 minute of jumping jacks + 30 side lunges & front 30 lunges + 1 minute of jumping jacks (repeat 2 times)
• 1minute mountain climber + 50 abs (crunches, lat, etc.), repeat 2 times for a total of 100 abs
• 20/25 minutes of yoga
• 5 minutes of meditation

If I don’t have time I split this and do reps and yoga separately (morning and night, for instance). It doesn’t take a lot of space and beginners find apps and videos to guide them through. I don’t have one to suggest, as I don’t follow any apps, but I have my own fitness notebook with sessions and progress tracked that I bring with me when I travel.

6. Run and explore

As I have said, running is a free activity that anyone can do. And when I travel I love to make it part of the fun because it is also a way to live as a local would do.

7. Plan in advance

I care about my health and healthy lifestyle, this is clear. And even if when I travel for business is not always possible to have everything I want with me, I try to make the most of my breaks, the morning time or any other opportunity to run, do a quick workout without weights, do yoga or walk/run. But when we travel for pleasure we have more freedom and we can choose the right place. So although I know that the idea of an exotic vacation is tempting, one has to comes to terms that some locations/experiences are better for your health than other and then, plan in advance. If you are going on a group trip you might find that there is less time to exercise, and so if you are packing for the whole family. So why complain? Planning is forecasting and acknowledging and it gives you the chance to choose the place fit for your healthy lifestyle.

8. Bring your #healthyfreelancer kit

I have mentioned what the #healthyfreelancer kit is in this article. It’s what I use when I travel (plus a few extra items such as small free weights and my gluten free snacks – but only if we are traveling by car and have the freedom to carry anything we want). At its most basic version, my kit is made of 1 traveling yoga mat, meditation app + music, my fitness notebook, sneakers, fitness underwear and 1 top + 1 pair of shorts or leggings (depending on the weather), one lightweight jacket to be used for running or walking and a book. Why a book? Because to me, living a healthy lifestyle means taking care of my body, spirit and mind. And reading is an extremely relaxing activity that is great for the mind.

9. Eat and drink mindfully

I do try new flavours, salads, fruit or cocktails. But I also try to avoid overeating and messing up the day with a horrible hangover. I give myself permission to eat a bit more, which is great for my soul, but then I counterbalance it with a long walk or by drinking more water. It’s good to relax and enjoy eating, just try to make it a pleasant experience rather than a damaging one.

10. Choose the right hotel

If you have the chance to, choose the right hotel and get free access to the gym/spa/pool. It is always convenient to know that you can exercise while the kids are sleeping or at the end of a walking day (ah, swimming!).

11. Give yourself permission to relax

And finally, enjoy your vacation. Give yourself permission to try new fitness hacks such as running, walking or exercising without weights. Drink more water, explore parks and live a bit the local life. It doesn’t really matter if you won’t win the marathon because you are not running to compete, but to explore, unwind, do something different. It doesn’t matter if rather than aerobics you will be trying yoga in your room for the first time, it won’t be that advanced, but it will challenge your and make your vacations healthier and happier. Give yourself permission to read, nourish the soul, the mind and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

7 reasons to get you running

 

I hope you are loving the new blog and exploring the different sections, can’t wait to share more photographs and articles!

Today I thought that, since we are in the marathons season and although rainy and gloomy summer is still here, it would have been interesting to share a few tips on running.

I started to run because I love parks and cardio exercises, so that was the perfect combination.

Besides, I like to wake up very early in the morning and jog/walk/walk the dog out when the world is still silent and sleepy. Especially in summer. And summer in Italy can be really hot, which is also a good reason to leave early in the morning and make the most of the day. But when I am in the UK things are a bit different, so running indoor becomes the most common option for me.

I know running can be a bit boring and hard some days, but I also think it is beneficial for legs, abs, metabolism and your brain health.

As most sports requiring focus, running is a bit of a  form of meditation, and that’s why it can be hard to switch thoughts off for 60 minutes, but it is also good to clear your mind and get into a positive mood.

Running is also good for your wallet, as it is an almost free sport, and very (very!) good for your metabolism. However, of all the reasons, I chose 7 to convince your start sweating now!

7 reasons to get you running, now. 

1. Change your fitness routine. Gym bunny like me? Then running might be a good reason to vary your regular fitness routine and experiment something new.
2. Perfect for traveling freelancers: if you are traveling for business purposes, running at your local park or in an accessible residential area is a great way to explore your new neighbourhood and make new friends (trust me!), exercise without a gym, relax after a long working day, enjoy a different place.
3. Enjoy music. Love creating playlists and can’t wait to buy THAT new record? Running is perfect to listen to your favourites tracks and even learn new words.
4. Running is a total workout. Did you know that when you run you exercise your core and shoulders, too? Abs, legs, arms, back are all involved in the running movement, let alone the quantity of burned calories! (more here and here)
5. It’s your ‘me’ time. Running is the perfect reason (or excuse) to find some quality ‘me’ time and focus on yourself, goals and dreams. It’s not like pure meditation, but it definitely helps you ditching a busy routine and re-balance priorities.
6. It’s easy. Running is a great and easy workout because (a) you don’t need complicated fitness gear or props and (b) it’s a natural activity we all can do without too much initial training. You can start with 20 and get to 50 minutes very easily. The more you run, the more you will  get to know your style, limits and strengths.
7. Running helps the community. Ever thought about running a marathon to help a charity or local organisation  with fundraising? What about running for a social cause you believe in, isn’t that rewarding and positive? Think about it: feel better, help others, make new connections, change the world.

Running improves your health, makes you loose weight, tones up your body, boost your mind and can connect you to more runners…how many other reasons do you need?

 

5 ways yoga helps translators (and freelancers!)

The following is an article that I wrote for another blog, it was published a year ago.

However, although addressed to fellow translators, I wanted to re-post it here because I think many other freelancers or translators new to my blog will enjoy it.

If you are a freelancer or a small business owner you know how long working hours can be bad for your motivation, posture and health. Hope these tips will help!

• • •

5 WAYS YOGA HELPS TRANSLATORS  

Can yoga really help translators? It won’t happen after 1 hour, but in the long run yoga helps translators:  your body, mind and business. Here are my 5 favourite ways yoga helps translators.

1. Improve focus

 When you practice yoga you are required to (a) concentrate on the present time and (b) synchronise breath and movements, and both require focus. By doing so your mind is literally cutting out all unnecessary details and images while visualises every little part of your body.

By improving your focus yoga helps translators to strengthen memory and increase learning abilities.

2. Become more flexible

Yoga improves flexibility and while stretching your muscles you also relax your body and mind. Breathe deeply and let your lower back and shoulder relax while regaining balance.

The very uncomfortable position we held 10-14 hours a day in front of our laptops can lead to back, neck and shoulders problems and compromises our mobility. Stretching is the first thing we should do when we go to the gym, and yoga helps translators by combining flexibility, movement fluidity and strength.

3. Strengthen muscles

Did you know yoga is great to tone arms, legs and abs?

Try a class of power yoga to have your daily super fix. And it is important to know that, once again, because of our working habits (sitting long hours, etc.) we need to work on shoulders, abs, back and chest to prevent headaches, sitting disease or pinched nerves to mess up with our job.

As a low impact activity, yoga helps translators to work the muscles without a hard impact on joints. On the plus, because of the many balanced positions, we will work on both arms and legs, increasing our heart rate and, as a consequence, making it a very good cardio activity to burn sugar and get rid of body liquids.

4. Increase awareness

Put it simply, self-awareness is learning to know yourself better. From defining your strengths, talent, to understand what is that you really want to achieve, how to get there and live a career you love (truly!), self-awareness comes with yoga practice essentially because when you exercise you are required to get rid of the surrounding reality and focus on your body, mind and spirit.

If you want to change your business, or a part of it, or if there is something you don’t like about being a translator, the first thing you should do is become aware of it.

Get rid of influences and external reality (including comparing yourself to someone else) and become aware of a certain problem/situation.

Acting without awareness is a bit like walking at night with no light and nowhere to go. You need a path and to get it you must sit down and understand where is it and where it will lead you.

5. Help work-life balance

Finding a balance is something really subjective and there is no rule of thumb when it comes to work-life balance, either.

Some people enjoy working long hours and over the weekend, while some others got into translation because of the freedom this profession gave them to manage a family.

 In both cases juggling everything can be annoying and difficult, so yoga helps translators to find their own balance by learning to re-work their life, becoming more aware and visualise themselves and their career.

Think about your practice as a deadline: set goals and track your improvements with a calendar or diary. Progress is good if analysed after a couple of months and you can actually see both issues and improvements.

Bringing a more relaxed approach into your workplace, or understanding how to reorganise your office and make healthy choices are just two examples of how yoga helps translators to reach a better work-life balance.

Business yoga

Oh the things that put you off balance and mess up your freelancing day: a last minute project, a client who refuses to pay you on time, a project that received a bad feedback, a relatively calm period, the stress of diversification, social media, an unpleasant happening…a technical glitch on your website …no coffee!!

Perhaps you have though about giving it up or taking a break from your freelancing business because (a) it’s too unpredictable or (b) it is too stressful or simply because (c) you need a healthier career.

Actually, you can have a healthier career without quitting freelancing. With business yoga. Not familiar? Let’s apply a few principles together.

1. Be flexible with yourself

Although I believe in planning as a form of progress and a way to control life a bit, most of the things happening to a freelancer don’t come with an invitation and are often unplanned. From clients walking away with no apparent reason, to a stressful event, you CAN plan, but you CAN’T control life.

So just learn to bend, bend a bit more, even more and then to bounce back as a flexible bamboo. Because flexibility is important to absorb and digest business happenings and it gives the chance to learn and progress without giving up on your dreams.

2. Set your business intentions

Why are you freelancing? Have your goals and intentions changed in the past year? Maybe the answer is yes: your life has progressed and you have realised that the reason fuelling your passion have changed. You have different business intention based on your experience and the state of your freelance business.

Tip: lists are great tools to help you (a) check your milestones and (c) check how life is changing your goals & plans.

Create regular lists, set new intentions, reach them or give voice to your fears and needs, visualise what is the ultimate goal, let the list help you get there.

3. Keep on practicing 

Practice makes perfect, in yoga as in freelancing. If you are not happy about the quality of your projects, then exercise. You don’t need a freelancing assignment, just explore, try, create and apply your ability.

4. Live and (love) the project 

In yoga we say that living the moment is key to appreciate the present and make the most of our nature.

I would suggest that, as freelancers, we learn to live and love the present project more. Because this celebration of the busy professional is damaging the way we manage out freelance business. Let’s take 2 more minutes to focus on the project and make it our friend, live it, understand it and the client. A calmer approach leaves space to conversation, exchange, teaching & learning, progress and new possibilities.

5. Be positive about what you can do

This says all. If you are thinking about quitting maybe just take a break rather than trash all you have done so far. It’s fear speaking, not you.

Find another temp job to pay your bills if that is the problem, or go back to step 2 and change your priorities & intentions, but don’t be harsh with yourself because that will kill your motivation for other projects you are planning to get into, too.

6. Let the client go

Some people are just not meant to be working with you; they just bring toxic vibes into your life, let them go and focus on more positive experiences.

7. Get into the freelancing zone

You would not practice yoga without a little preparation and purification.

So you would not freelancer without preparation and focus. Even though we love working from home, we know that the people around us don’t always understand and can make it a very unpleasant experience.

Just create your home-based office with all the attention and professionalism you would put into an office-based job, set clear rules, stick to a few vital daily habits regarding your office hours and healthy routines, make sure to be flexible and ready to work hard.

7 tips to improve your healthy habits

Ever wondered why is your healthy habit not working? Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your new exercise routine.

1. Go local

Distance can be an excuse: you are too tired to get on the bus again, it’s too cold, you don’t feel like walking 20 minutes to the gym, the yoga studio has limited car access and you don’t want to take the tube, there is a strike, the children will be back in 40, it’s 5 PM already, it’s just so so so far.

Tip: choose a gym/studio that is not too far from where you live or work. If you are relocating or planning to, then check the area. When I move I always make sure to take a look at parks, gyms and other sport facilities because I know that freelancing means many last-minute issues.

Extra tip: If you are on a temporary assignment longer than 1 month or are in-housing for a client, take the lunch break as a chance to explore the area and find out pay-as-you-go studios where you can get a temporary pass while you are in the area.

2. Meditate

Slip 5 minutes of mediation in your daily routine to help your brain disconnect from the external environment, calm down, silence negative thoughts and re-balance your priorities.

Meditation has the magic power of making you more aware of your body and its state. Focus on every smallest part of it, see it as it is, love it. The more aware you become, the more you will learn to stick to your priorities and let your body guide you.

3. Be on time

If you exercise at same time it will be easier for your brain to create a new habit, research has showed.

So try to schedule regular exercise sessions or attend the same classes. Having a gym buddy or a PT can help as well to keep on on track. You don’t really want to let them down, right?

4. Be determined

It takes up to 3 months to get into a new habit. Hold on and keep on trying: the results will pay off.

Not sure? Go back to tip 2. 🙂

5. Be gentle

Some days are just meh. Be gentle: give yourself time. Just enjoy the small progresses and learn to be patient.

6. Update your fitness program

Upgrade your fitness program or progress to a new routine. After a while muscles familiarise and memorise repetitions, making efforts less effective.

Your body is intelligent and flexible, which is also the reason it can develop new habits and also change its DNA though an active lifestyle.

If you work for the long term, then make sure to stress all muscles and push your limits because after a while your body will just adapt.

7. Reward yourself

You made it: time to celebrate and enjoy the results.

Summer 2015: what are you doing to live the present?

I am in the middle of a removal, sweating the hell out of my body on the treadmill 4 times a week and have recently updated my workout program (will write an article about that, too), I am planning September activities and scheduling assignments abroad until the end of this year.

And half of my vacation time is gone. Sigh.

But, if you look closer the glass is still half full, because I can do something good with the next part of my holiday.

So what is that a healthy freelancer could do to make this season fully healthy?

I have just read the awesome blog from the lovely Cailen and found inspiration in this article she wrote about the things that are making her life happy these days.

And what is that can make a freelancer happy when it about to relax?

Yes.

Breathe. Enjoy the free time.

If you are a freelancer you know how important time is. Time is money. Literally.

That’s why having free time (read it out loud: F-R-E-E) for you makes summer, and vacations in general, so important.

There is a lesson that mindfulness teaches us when it comes to time: stop for a moment and be present. Forget the past, don’t worry about the future and focus on the present.

Slow down, listen to your body, breath and heartbeat. Be your heartbeat. Ok this last it’s one of my quotes, but you get the point.

Focus. Listen. Be. #healthyfreelancer

So what is that you are doing to make the most out of your free time and live the present moment?

What I am reading…

I am compulsive reader – some of you know I can walk in a library and spend more than I would on shoes! – but fast pace browsing is not aligned with summer. It doesn’t even recall the idea of relaxed, passionate, slow summer reading. Right?

So, I have given myself a bit of a pause these weeks and decided to focus only on 1 (hardest 5 minutes of my life!) summer book. Rule 1, no business related topics, rule 2: make it magic. And in the end I found this little nice reading by the lovely Gala Darling which is called Radical Self Love.

Beautiful, positive and well written. It’s one of those comforting readings that bring inspiration and #selflove back in your life.

Radical Self Love

What ‘s my mantra…

Be resilient, patient and present.  

What I am cleaning my body with…

Cool mint green tea by Pukka Herbs during the day, coconut water for breakfast or after the gym and litres of fresh water.

I am also enjoying tons of seasonal fruits (blueberries, watermelon, etc.) added to my breakfast or as a pre-workout snack.

Aka: vitamins & antioxidants galore!

What I am relaxing with…

Silence and an app called Calm to help out with my meditation (5-10 minutes a day).

Where I am finding inspiration from…

Meditation, wandering around the city with my Nikon and writing on my Moleskine diary while on the train.

Sara

Blueberries for your skin

Blueberries remind me of summer mornings at the beach, fresh smoothies and clear water. But did you know blueberries are great for your skin, too?

Rich in fibers and vitamins (C and A), blueberries contribute to the reduction of wrinkles thanks to the benefits of the collagen contained in this tiny blue fruit. Collagen reduces wrinkles, maintain your skin toned and as an antioxidant, helps to fight the damages caused by the sun.

The combination vitamin C + collagen, is particularly effective as the former boost the effects of the latter so to make blueberries the ideal allies for your skin.

Sara

We are on Instagram!

Starting this week, I have updated my Instagram profile and so you will be able to follow The Healthy Freelancer there, too.

In The Healthy Kitchen – breakfast packed with antioxidants and vitamins! #healthyfreelancer

I have always been inspired by super detailed and yummy food pics, breathtaking yoga poses, cool fitness pics. Besides, the Instagram health & fitness community is so big, supportive and fresh that I hope you will like my account and get in touch very soon! 🙂

The Healthy Freelancer is a place for healthy tips, there you will find nutrition, fitness, yoga and lifestyle pics I take with my iPhone 6 or Nikon D5000. I try to reduce the usage of filters to a minimum, while instead I like to play with different angles and features.

Yoga on the go #healthyfreelancer

What’s great about healthy people on Instagram is also the long series of monthly challenges and hashtags.

Did you know that a single GOOD, targeted hashtag can attract more followers that a a general one? We have one (#healthyfreelancer) and I’d be HAPPY if you could use it to share your healthy pics on Instagram!

My #aerial class in London ❤ | #healthyfreelancer

In the meantime, come check the new profile and join the movement!

Sara