Escapees May-June 2023

Veggies —Broccoli is a personal favorite, loaded with vitamins and anti-aging prop erties, even if they aren’t the most fun, they certainly pack a healthy punch. Spinach is another great one, I add it to my eggs every morning. Limit corn and potatoes. Grass fed meat —Whether you eat meat or not is a personal choice, red meat is a great source of B vitamins and minerals, just try to make sure it’s grass fed and prefera bly local. Eggs —With six grams of protein and all the nutrients to turn a cell into a chicken, eggs are a superfood and a great addition to your diet; try to buy local! Dairy —The only dairy I eat and recom mend is grass-fed butter. Grains —I also try to limit grains, but a few good options are Ezekiel bread (grain free) black rice and quinoa. Snacks —In my opinion, a world without snacks is not a world I want to live in, but there are de fi nitely limited options. I recom mend making your own! I love to make chia pudding (easy online recipes) apple chips and roasted chickpeas. But sometimes you just want a store-bought snack. For those days, I always recommend checking the ingredient labels. The ingredient labels are written in order, so the fi rst ingredient is always what is most abundant in the food, if the fi rst few ingredients are sugar, wheat fl our or a chemical you’ve never heard of, it’s best to stay clear. Siete Foods is a great brand option for crunchy treats. Drink Water! Seriously, it goes without saying, but staying hydrated is most important. I don’t mean Gatorade Zero, Lacroix or Vitamin Water. Sports drinks are loaded with sugar and the sugar free options are just as bad with arti fi cial sweetener. Sparkling waters also contain PFAs (toxic, arti fi cial chemicals.) I stick to water, magnesium supplements for electrolytes, and 2–3 cups of green tea per day for antioxidants and to get the metabolism going. Strength Training Now that you have an idea of how to clean up your diet, next comes the exercise. The thought of working out can weigh on

KELLEY WELCH is 34-years old and has been on the road full time for two years, cruising the West in a travel trailer with her husband and dog. She got her fi rst job at a gym at 16-years old and has never looked back. Fitness has been her passion for decades. When she’s not hitting the weights, Kelley spends her time exploring, telling jokes and being silly and saving her 11-pound Yorkie from rattlesnakes. system happy and regulated. Staying fi t on the road is a journey to be proud of. We live such a unique and beautiful lifestyle, aligning your health with it just makes sense. Stay patient and consistent and you can have it all. you and become an obligation you dread. It doesn’t have to be that way, you’d be surprised how quickly you can tone up with just 20–30 minutes a day. Finding an accessible gym isn’t a reality for most on the road. But, you don’t need a gym to get the results, you simply need some weights and a little time. Buying multiple sets of weights when you’re traveling in a rig doesn’t seem practical, but there are still options! I purchased Bow fl ex Select Tech Dumbbells and it changed the game. They are adjust able from 5–52 pounds with heavier weight options. Focus on strength training, four to fi ve times per week, switching muscle groups to avoid burn out and fatigue. Need direction? YouTube and social media have an endless amount of resources to use as a guide and for help with form. My biggest results came when I put away the running shoes and picked up the weights. That’s right, less cardio, more strength training equals greater results. Plus, it’s more fun getting strong than it is getting skinny. Of course, lifting for 20 minutes and then sitting for the rest of the day isn’t ideal, so try to incorporate a good 30–60 minute walk, too. In this lifestyle there is no short age of places to walk! The last important step to staying fi t on the road is strengthening the mind and body connection. After my strength training, I always make sure to stretch and cool down. The body wants to stretch, give it what it needs! After stretching I recommend medi tation or cold exposure to keep the nervous

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ESCAPEES Magazine May/June 2023