I spent several years in outside sales, selling mutual funds. At times it was difficult to maintain my health properly as I traveled. It’s very easy to get cooked up in unhealthy meals and be active on the road. Do not be this person. As a former business traveler I found my job performance always improved if I was maintaining a healthy life on the road. Listed below are simple, effective tips to maintain your proper health as you travel.
- Find fitness friendly hotels – Look for hotels with quality workout equipment. You certainly can get a great workout without using a ton of equipment, but finding a hotel with good equipment helps your motivation.
- Increase your exercise knowledge – One of the reasons people do not spend more time exercising during their travels is because they do not know what exercises are available to them. People often run, which is great, but weather or injury may limit your ability to run. There are a plenty of great cardio and body weight exercises that can easily be done in the comfort of a hotel room. You just have to learn them. The link to my website below provides effective cardio and body weight exercises you can perform in a small space.
- Increase your nutrition knowledge – You do not need to be a nutritionist, but understanding the positives and negatives of different foods is an important part of living healthy on the road. This will make your food choices significantly easier, if you know what you are doing to your body.
- Stay motivated – Write down reasons why you want to be healthier or maintain your health and keep the list close by. This will add to your motivation and keep you from venturing on a “slippery slope” to bad health.
- Do not overeat – It’s easy, when you are eating out, to overeat. This is one of the largest causes of obesity in our society. Stop when you are full and if you are at a restaurant ask the server to remove your plate to avoid continuing picking.
- Remove half the bun – This is one of my favorites. If you are eating a sandwich, take away half the bread. If you have ever noticed, a lot of places give you a whole lot of bun with your sandwich and only half the bread is generally still sufficient.
- Walk when you can – If you’re going to a meeting, and it’s a mile or less walk there (weather permitting), do not drive. A 1 mile walk at a moderate pace (3 mph) could burn roughly 70-80 calories for a 120lb female and 115-125 calories for a 200lb male.
- Pack a lunch – If you are traveling and do not have lunch plans, pack your lunch. This can save you time and money, plus, you’ll avoid unhealthy chain restaurants.
- Get your sleep – Not getting enough sleep can lead to eating high sugar foods for energy and result in sedentary days because you are so tired. Getting a proper night of sleep (consistently) will do wonders for your health and, if you are a business traveler, your job performance.
- Shun the mini bar – Hotel mini bars are tempting and chock full of delicious yet unhealthy snacks. Sometimes people are so hungry they have to eat something. If you are this way, plan ahead and take healthy snacks with you when you travel.
- Pack your equipment – This may sound obvious, but have a checklist of items you need to exercise with, such as, gym clothes, shoes, a resistance tube, weights, and anything else.
- Enjoy your new surroundings – Finding local parks and recreation areas will help you get away from the confinements of your room and clear your head of stress. Plus, they are fun and can be a great experience.
Just because you travel does not mean you can not lead a healthy lifestyle. It just means you may have to think differently. One of my favorite quotes about good health is from Zig Ziglar, who said, “You pay price of bad health; you enjoy the price of good health.”