What to Eat While Traveling for Dance Conventions

 by Caroline Lewis-Jones

I often get the question, what do you eat while you are out on the road with a convention? After 17 years, I think I have finally mastered it! There is a misconception that you can’t fly with food or ice, but great news, you can! I have a trusty soft cooler that has become my best friend on the road. There is nothing worse than getting to a hotel and trying to figure out what to eat, right? All my ideas below are plant-based, but you can always modify these to fit your lifestyle needs.

I have made a list of what I bring on the weekends. I typically fly out early Friday morning, so it’s about three days of food:

1. Three Overnight Oats (Recipe visual below)
2. Four Salads in Jars or Burrito in a Jar
3. 6 Pieces of Fruit that will be stable like grapefruits, oranges, and apples
4. Bag of trail mix for judging and quick bites between teaching
5. Dark Chocolate Bar (Yep, sure do) 
6. Juice Plus+ Plant Capsules and Omegas. This is what I have been using for 16 years. 
7. Two gallons of clean drinking water/when I arrive at the destination

Below I have also put a great visual for snack ideas. I think it is important that you prepare before you leave for these dancing weekends. I honestly get super sad when I walk around the convention and I see what kids are eating every weekend. The chicken fingers, French fries, pizza, processed foods are giving you calories, but they offer zero nutrition to your hard-working body.

I take about 45 mins to an hour every Thursday or the day before I leave and get my food ready. Yes, it takes some time, but It fuels me to be the teacher and mentor that I want to be to these young dancers. I recommend starting out slow and just make Overnight Oats for breakfast and some pieces of fruit. Each week gradually add on to what you want to have with you.

If you are driving to your event, think about the possibilities of a large cooler, right? Chia seed pudding, cold veggie pasta, quinoa mixed with veggies, cut up fruit, coconut yogurts, sushi, veggie wraps and more.

I want to empower each of you to try some of these ideas. I promise it will change your game each weekend. You will feel stronger, more fueled, have more vitality, and sleep better.  If we are going to train this hard, we have to start thinking about our longevity and the choices we are making. Create and develop healthy habits. These habits will forever change you as an artistic athlete. My favorite saying is “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?"  I love to say “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to dance?"

If you make a super colorful cooler of food, take a picture and message me on Instagram or FB.@clinelewisjones & I might just send you a treat. (wink, wink). Health is simple, but you have to make it come alive! 

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