Pack Your Bags (Better)! Balance Bar® Helps Summer Travelers Find Lasting Energy While On The Go

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., June 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The official start to summer marks vacation for many, but it's easy to fall off the diet and exercise wagon while traveling. Summer road trips and travel often mean a stop at the drive-through or munching on unhealthy snacks that can get vacation eating off to a disastrous start.

Long hours in beach traffic or sitting on an airplane can also mean cramped legs and limited movement. To help keep your routine healthy and provide lasting energy, Balance Bar®, maker of one of America's original nutrition energy bars, has partnered with Laurel House, The QuickieChick, to offer an action plan to stay on track and maintain a smart balance of fun and health this summer. 

A few of Laurel's QuickieChick tips for keeping energy levels high and feeling balanced while on the go this summer are below, and a full list can be found on Balance.com.

• Pack Some Balance: Pack a Balance Bar® (like Balance Bar® Bare bars or the Double Chocolate Brownie bar) for every day of your trip, including the travel days. By planning ahead, you have a portion-controlled snack for the airport or the car, a few to stash in your bag when you are out exploring your vacation destination, and a couple for breakfast when you have an early start and don't have time to go to a restaurant. (See Laurel's video on how to pack the ultimate travel snack bag here.)

• Workout at the Airport: Air travel can be a workout in and of itself, especially if you do "carry-on only." Just the act of traveling (lugging your bags through a busy airport, getting lost in a foreign train station) can burn an average of 117 calories per hour. Want to burn some more calories? While killing time in the airport, try carry-on bag curls, terminal lunges, calf raises, or wall sits. (Check out Laurel's video with sample exercises here.)

• Brake for Health: Weekend traffic to popular beach and outdoor spots can mean lots of idle time sitting in your car - and that means slowing metabolism and stiff muscles. Take a break every 45 minutes to an hour to get out of the car and stretch. A quick round of lunges, leg and arm stretches will get you quickly refreshed both physically and mentally. Of course, don't derail your diet before you even arrive with high-calorie (and messy) car food. Pack a nutritious cooler with plenty of water, Balance Bars and some fresh fruit. You'll feel much better upon arrival at your destination.

• Drink Skinny: Cocktails can be the ultimate calorie sabotage while on vacation, so watch how many you are having and opt for lower calorie options that still pack a flavor punch. For example, ask for your margaritas "skinny": tequila, fresh squeezed lime (lots of it), agave, and a little fresh juice or a seltzer float if you want.

With more than 20 flavors to choose from, Balance Bar® has summer travelers covered. "Summer is a time for most Americans to relax and stray from their daily routines in all aspects of life, including diet and exercise," said Katia Facchetti, Chief Marketing Officer for NBTY, Inc., the makers of Balance Bar®. "We think it's better to find 'balance,' making sure we enjoy all that summer has to offer even while traveling, by keeping up a healthy lifestyle, fitting in time to exercise and making smart snacking choices."

Balance Bar® and Laurel will be hosting a live, one-hour Twitter chat on the topic on Wednesday, June 26 at 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT. Popular bloggers from Mommy Factor, Have Sippy Will Travel and Chic Runner have also partnered with Balance Bar® and will join the discussion to offer tips for keeping your balance during the busy days of summer.

For more information about Balance Bar®, visit Balance.com, Facebook.com/BalanceBar and Twitter.com/BalanceBar

About Balance Bar
Founded in 1992, Balance Bar®, one of America's original nutrition/energy bars, inspires consumers to lead active, well-rounded and balanced lives by providing great-tasting, convenient nutrition for lasting energy and to help satisfy hunger. Balance Bars are available in five unique product lines (Original, Gold, Dark, Bare and mini) and all 21 flavors are based on the 40/30/30 balanced nutrition model – a proven formula developed by scientists to help stabilize blood sugar levels (already within a normal range) to enjoy lasting balanced energy; 40% of total calories from carbs, 30% from quality protein and 30% from dietary fat. For more information, visit www.Balance.com. Follow Balance Bar® for tips and nutritional information on Facebook (www.facebook.com/BalanceBar) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/BalanceBar).

About NBTY
NBTY is the leading vertically integrated manufacturer, marketer, distributor and retailer of high-quality vitamins, nutritional supplements and related products in the United States, with operations worldwide. NBTY currently markets over 25,000 SKUs under many brands, including Nature's Bounty®, Sundown®, American Health®, Ester-C®, Solgar®, MET-Rx®, Pure Protein®, Balance Bar®, Osteo Bi-Flex®, SISU®, Rexall®, Body Fortress®,  Puritan's Pride®, Vitamin World®, Holland & Barrett®, GNC (UK)®, Physiologics®, and  De Tuinen®. For more information please visit www.nbty.com.

SOURCE Balance Bar