Packing All the Essentials

Toothbrush. Check. Uniforms. Check. Granola Bars. Wait, what? Drivers, pit crew members, and the wives and kids for some, are loading up the RVs, team buses, and private planes in route to the NASCAR season opener. The essentials like hygiene products, and clothes for at the track and away from the track are always remembered to be packed in their closest on wheels but one item tends to get left behind – snacks! Although, not just any snacks but nutritional snacks that provide enough energy to get through the lengthy drive and 12 hour plus days at the track.

As a driver or pit crew member, it’s very easy to forget to eat, especially when trying to get from point A to point B the quickest or working long hours at the track.  The temperature can be unbearable and the thought of eating a chilidog or turkey leg from the concession stand can cause some dry heaving just thinking about it. So the natural thought is to deny your body the fuel it’s craving and just wait it out until you leave the track for the day. Or you simply forget to eat due to the hectic pace the day may provide.

While I’m not a driver or pit crew member, I to need to fuel my body when I travel or am out of my typical daily routine, therefore, I pack a goody bag full of a couple granola bars, an apple and a 100-calorie sweet treat. However, I wasn’t always this overly prepared. I used to think, like many, that my meals coincide with a certain time. Some days it would be 10:30 AM and I would be starving but refuse eat because lunch time wasn’t until 12 PM. Don’t laugh at me, I know you’ve thought like this before if not more than once. Truth is I was hurting myself more than helping. By snacking, not on chips but rather a 200-calorie or less nutritional snack, your metabolism is given that extra boost of energy it was starving for. Even more of a plus is that you now won’t feel deprived when lunch comes around forcing yourself to over eat to compensate for denying your body so long for food.

I may be able to fit a lot of things in my purse, but the goody bag of granola bars and fruit takes up a mere fraction, so erase “not enough space” from your list of excuses.  I’ve heard all these excuses – it’s too hot, I’m too busy, or don’t have enough room - way to often. Therefore, like a good girlfriend, I packed my boyfriend a goody bag full of granola bars and 100 calorie treats for his sweet tooth as he embarks on the new race season, forcing him to get real creative on why he forgot to eat that day or downed a bag of Cheetos during the rain delay. 

Need some healthy snack ideas? I recently did my own nutritional bar taste testing experiment. These are all great on-the-go snack options for those long road trips or to take to the track. Just like the racecar, your body needs a pit stop for a little extra fuel to get to victory lane.

About Just Learn Balance

Just Learn Balance, JLB for short, is the one-stop-shop for race teams looking to stand out from the rest. With a desire for living a healthy lifestyle and a love for racing, founder Jamie Brown combined her two passions to form JLB. The company focuses on the three C’s: Challenge, Change, and Create.  JLB challenges the inner winner in future and current drivers, and crewmen, by getting their body in athlete form. JLB changes a client’s perception of food and dieting into a healthy way of living. Finally, JLB creates marketing material that highlights why our clients are winners. For questions or comments about JLB, please contact justlearnbalance@gmail.com