Amanda Wilde (Host): ​Our busy lives seem incompatible with a healthy lifestyle as it is hard to find time to eat healthy exercise and sleep regularly. But since those are essentials, we are looking at ways to stay healthy while on the go with dietician, Alyssa Frysby.

 This is UAMS Health Talk, a podcast from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. I'm Amanda Wilde. Alyssa, thank you so much for being here to share your tips for staying healthy on the go.

Alyssa Frisby: Thank you for having me.

Host: And we're getting into the summer season, so on-the-go can mean a lot of travel and vacation time. So, as I mentioned in the introduction, we're looking at how to eat healthily, how to exercise and sleep regularly. So to break that down, can we just start with food-- one of my favorite subjects-- and how we can stay healthy while on the go?

Alyssa Frisby: Yes. Food is one of my favorite subjects too. And I think the most important thing to remember when we're thinking about healthy eating is we have to plan ahead and we have to be prepared. Whether it is an individual choice and you're just thinking about meals and snacks for yourself, or you have a busy family schedule and you've got five different people that you are thinking about, it's really important to pick a focus and start with a plan.

It may be as simple as having snacks ready to go that are easy in between meals or easy on the go. We really like a variety of healthy snacks that are going to have protein, fiber, healthy fats, and things that are easy to grab and go. I recommend things like mixed nuts or trail mix, having some dried fruit or fresh fruit. You know, things like bananas, oranges come in their own handy little package. Having whole grain crackers, little peanut butter packets or almond butter packets. Just things that you can mix and match to have a little bit of sweet and savory, but also have that protein, that fiber that comes from those plants. And the healthy fats are going to make you feel full and satisfied.

Host: What about those little snack packs that are pre-made of vegetables? Do you recommend those?

Alyssa Frisby: I actually get those a lot when I am on the go. I really like the different textures of the carrots and the broccoli. And sure, having a little bit of salad dressing in there is a great way to get you to eat your vegetables. I think those are a really good option.

Host: Yeah, you mentioned being full and, I know if I snack on those things, I am much less likely to snack on the things I shouldn't be snacking on. So even though we don't think of vegetables as really filling us up, they really take the edge off. So, that's a great on-the-go suggestion.

Alyssa Frisby: Yeah. And our vegetables are full of fiber and they are pretty low calorie, so it is something that you can eat a lot of and get a lot of volume and feel full. But you kind of have some flexible calories to spend on something that maybe you enjoy a little bit more than those vegetables.

Host: Well, I like that we've talked about a variety of snacks. I also made my own trail mix recently and it was the best trail mix I ever had, and I didn't know what I was doing, but I just chopped up some apricots and almonds and thought that was going to be it. But then, I added a few more things. So, it's something that's fun to make at home if you have kids.

Alyssa Frisby: Definitely. Getting their input can completely change the flavor of the trail mix, but it's nice to use what you might have on hand. And then, knowing that you can add one or two things here and there and change it up so it doesn't get boring.

Host: So, the one thing about being on the go that we've talked about in terms of food is you do have to carve out the time to plan and prep. What kind of time do you think that would take out of a day? Or, I guess, you would do that maybe once a week.

Alyssa Frisby: The more that you do it, the less time it's going to take. It's just like cooking at home. You might be a little inexperienced at first, and it might take a little bit more time. But the more often you do it, you kind of know the drill and you're able to get into more of a routine. You're familiar with your list ,and you can really cut down on the time that it takes to put things together.

And I mentioned having a list and that's going to be the most important place to start in your plan. You have to know what you need and what you're going to get when you're going to the store. So, taking a look at what's in your pantry, what's in your refrigerator, trying to utilize what you have on hand first, and then writing down what you're going to need in order to have the snacks ready to go.

And we talked about trail mix. We talked about the little veggie boxes. You can absolutely make those things yourself and save money. And then, that way you actually get to eat everything that you want to eat because you get to do the choosing.

Host: Exactly. You don't have to go to the store and choose from what is there, you've already taken care of that. And I think that's such a good point about, you know, at first, it might seem like it's taking a bit of time and it will take a little more time. But as you become accustomed to what you're doing and more familiar, it can be much, much faster, which leads me to my next question, which is about physical activity. How do we incorporate physical activity into a busy lifestyle or especially, again, like on vacation and things like that? I mean, isn't that for lazing around?

Alyssa Frisby: First, you have to pick something that you enjoy doing. So, you should never dread or not look forward to your physical activity because when we are physically active, we feel better. So, it doesn't mean that you have to be a marathon runner and get six miles in every single day. Maybe you like dancing or maybe walking or tennis. So, focusing that energy on things that you enjoy doing are going to make that physical activity a lot more fun, and you have to make time for it. So, you have to figure out if 15 minutes is all you have, what are you going to do in that 15 minutes? And sometimes 15 minutes of movement at a time is good enough. So, don't feel bad if you only have a short amount of time during your busy week or when you're on vacation, just taking some time for you. Doing something that you enjoy, that also gets your heart beating a little bit faster, your legs moving can be very, very fulfilling.

Host: Yeah. Fifteen minutes of exercise is infinitely better than none at all. So if you think about the movements you enjoy and where you like to be, some people like to be at the gym because that's very structured. Some people want to hear the birds sing outside. And so, I like your idea that that is also me time, you know?

Alyssa Frisby: And sometimes when we're thinking about vacation or traveling, it can be a little bit harder to get that physical activity in, especially if our travel isn't based on physical activity. So, I like to think about using it as an opportunity to try something new. So, I have traveled before and contacted local running clubs and running stores when I'm in a city or state that I've never been to before to see if they have group meetups where I can be around people who run the same pace, walk the same pace, but I'm in a safe environment, and I know that there will be people there who can guide me in doing the exercise. So, that's been a really fun way for me to have a little bit of structure when I'm traveling and I get to try something new.

Host: And you get to use the resources in the town you're in, which kind of lets you in on that particular place you're at. So, you're a little more connected to where you are. On the other side of physical activity is sleep, which I think is highly underrated. I know we all need regular sleep. But we do have busy lives. What are your recommendations regarding sleep? That can be a real tough one.

Alyssa Frisby: It is something that people kind of put on the back burner when they're thinking about holistic health and doing all these great things to make ourselves feel better and be healthier. But it is just as important as nutrition and physical activity. Without adequate sleep, your body can't recover from your daily activities. Your food cravings can skyrocket. Bad sleep just really has a negative impact on our overall health. So, prioritizing having enough hours to actually sleep, knowing that you might have to set your own bedtime and you are going to have to wake up to an alarm in the morning.

It's really important to plan enough time to get adequate sleep. And you want to set yourself up for success by getting into a routine. So, we've heard you should avoid screens before bed. You shouldn't watch TV or be on your phone. Those actually are really important tips for healthy sleep. We do kind of want to shut our brains off a little bit early before we get into bed. And we can do other activities like reading or meditating or spending time with our loved ones rather than looking at those screens.

Host: Cuddling with your pet.

Alyssa Frisby: Definitely, especially if you've been gone all day with your busy life, spend some time with your pet.

Host: So, the key there is routine. And I think it's so true. I'm thinking, you know, there are nights-- I tend to be a night owl and there are nights I just don't think I'm tired enough to go to bed. I'm like, "I don't know how I'm going to sleep tonight." But you know what? If I get ready for bed and lay down in bed, it's like my body knows, "Oh, we're in bed now," and I suddenly am able to sleep. So, I love the suggestion of a regular routine if you can work that in. And then, there's stress too. Stress is one of the things that keeps us awake. Stress is a big part of normal life, it seems. What are your suggestions about stress and how to manage that while you're on the go?

Alyssa Frisby: Stress has such an impact on everything health-related from our immune function to our digestion, to our sleep quality, things like our blood pressure. We really want to focus on limiting stress as much as possible. And some of the tips that I shared before, like the planning and the preparing and being ready are really going to cut down on the amount of stress that we encounter, and there are things out of our control that are going to happen. So, having stress-reducing techniques, so things like deep breathing, meditation, just taking a break to kind of unplug for a little bit are going to be really great ways to reduce stress.

Host: And like exercise, it can be 15 minutes here or there, or even less.

Alyssa Frisby: Right. Just focusing on your breathing for a minute or two can really, really impact stress reduction and just make us feel more relaxed. And if you build this buffer time into your schedule, whether it's your daily routine or your travel where you're not constantly on the go and you can relax a little bit more with your time, I think that's a really great underrated way to limit stress.

Host: Just a couple other things. We all know it's important to stay hydrated, but are most people drinking enough?

Alyssa Frisby: Most people are not drinking enough water. I'll say that confidently. I recommend, you know, taking your body weight in pounds, dividing it in half, and that's about how many ounces of water or non-caffeinated, non-added sugar beverages that you should be getting in a day. And if you are exercising, if you're in a hot and humid environment like Arkansas, you're going to need more fluids throughout the day. And doing things like carrying a reusable water bottle, filling it up before you leave the house instead of waiting until you get to your destination, can be really helpful in increasing that water intake. And then it can also be less stressful because you have your fluids on hand.

Host: What does staying hydrated do for you?

Alyssa Frisby: This really helps with our overall energy levels, feeling good, making sure that we're staying regular. It really has a lot of benefits for something that is zero calories and no caffeine when you're thinking about things specifically like water. It's like liquid gold.

Host: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Sometimes simpler is the way to go. Are there any other tips you want to throw in here, Alyssa? I think we've covered some really good ones.

Alyssa Frisby: I definitely think that practicing mindfulness is something that's not cheesy and something that we could all do a little bit more of. Whether that mindfulness is centered around the foods that we're eating, the physical activity that we're getting in, the sleep that we're prioritizing, just understanding that they all work as kind of a network and they work together. And we do want to take a little bit more time for ourselves each day. And it doesn't have to be hours and hours. It can be the two minutes of breathing, the 15 minutes of activity. But if you are thinking about meeting your needs and thinking about yourself coming up with a plan, then you are able to put that energy into these small little tips that can help you be healthier.

Host: And the healthier you are, the more able you are to act in the world and help others. So if you are sacrificing your health to do for others, it's not really as helpful as you taking care of .

Alyssa Frisby: Right. I think that that's a wonderful statement. And you want to be mindful and not perfect. So, aim for progress, not perfection. You know, enjoy yourself from time to time. But remember that you should have a plan for little things you can do for your overall health.

Host: And do them regularly. Thank you, Alyssa, for these very accessible suggestions on how to stay healthy while on the go.

Alyssa Frisby: Oh, thank you.

Host: That was dietician Alyssa Frysby. To learn more about Culinary Medicine at UAMS, visit culinarymedicine.uams.edu. If you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out the entire podcast library for other topics of interest. This is UAMS Health Talk, a podcast from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.