Dumb Little Man: How To Maintain Healthy Habits When Traveling

How To Maintain Healthy Habits When Traveling

Posted: 31 Jul 2011 09:02 AM PDT

When I learned that Jay White, the founder of Dumb Little Man, frequently travels in his sales career, this immediately brought back memories of my own business travels during my years in pharmaceutical sales. I was traveling 25% to 50% of my time on overnight trips, sometimes for an entire work week.

Although there are great health tips on this awesome blog, I'm sure that for those of you who travel on business and even for everyone else who has gone somewhere on vacations, you will agree that it's often quite a challenge to maintain healthy habits while away from home. Many people end up either gaining weight or losing weight after their trips and I'm not talking about desired weight changes either.

So here are some tips that I've learned to adopt during my travels to help you stay healthy while away from home.

Get Proper Nutrition
While it's much easier to follow a healthy balanced diet with home cooking, it's often very challenging if you have to eat out for all of you daily meals during travel. Here are some ideas that may seem obvious, but I'd challenge you to think back to your last business trip. How many of these did you really follow?

Avoid hotel breakfasts loaded with fat and salt (sausages, bacon, pastries, fried potatoes)
Start your day with fresh fruit, yogurt and cereals
Definitely pass on fast food breakfasts but don't skip a healthy one
Stay with lighter fare lunches especially if attending conferences all day
Find good salads and lower fat, whole-wheat sandwiches for lunch
Don't overeat at dinner, especially at buffets (or you'll feel it back in your hotel room)
Minimize the amount of fried, fatty foods at restaurants
Drink lots of water with your meals and limit alcohol (hangovers during travel are no fun)
Don't overdo the trips to the coffee shops during the day
Avoid junk snacks - pick up some fresh fruit at local grocers instead
Pack enough multivitamins to last your entire trip as inexpensive diet insurance

Exercise On The Road
As I remember all the big meetings and conferences I've attended, it's incredible just how few travelers stay active on the road. With overeating and inactivity, it's no wonder why many travelers end up gaining weight. So here are some tips to stay active on the road.

Use the hotel/cruise ship gym as even 20 minutes on a cardio machine will help prevent travel weight gain
Do laps in the hotel pool if there is one (always pack your swimwear)
Use the hotel gym weights even if you have to modify some usual exercises
If the neighborhood around the hotel is nice and safe (ask the concierge), take a brisk walk outside
If no gym, do basic calisthenics plus low impact cardio inside your hotel room
Although tempting to socialize into the wee hours, get adequate sleep

It's Possible To Keep Healthy During Travel
So it is indeed possible to keep healthy during your travels. Although you may have to take some extra efforts to get the proper nutrition and enough exercise in during your time away from home, much of the challenge comes from the fact that you have to do what most other travelers will not be doing. You will be among a minority who do eat healthy and take time in the gym. But don't worry about what others are doing as it is your own health that matters.

Happy travels and if you have additional tips on how to stay healthy or are willing to share some of your challenges while away from home, please leave your comments below.

Written on 7/31/2011 by Clint Cora. Clint is a motivational speaker, author and Karate World Champion. See his free 3-part Personal Development Video Series on how to expand your comfort zone to conquer even your most daunting goals in life.

Photo Credit: Matt Phillips

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