I realize I blogged about this a few weeks ago. And that’s not by accident. In the last month, I have slept in my own bed a total of 3 nights, ha! :)
I am sure many of you who travel for work can relate. Though it’s been an amazing and fun 30 days, it has also challenged me to get serious about sticking with my healthy eating while being away. Just because we’re traveling doesn’t mean our healthy eating goes on vacation. In fact, I often say that if you can figure out how to live the fat loss lifestyle while traveling, you can do it anywhere. You don’t need to have the perfect home setup with “your gym” and “your kitchen” and your routine. You can teach yourself how to make a few key changes so you don’t blow up when you’re out of town.
Quick recap:
1) Navigate restaurants.
Dont sweat the small stuff–butter, marinade, salt, etc. They may not help you lose weight but they won’t usually put weight on you, AND they can add to the satiety of the meal making you feel fuller for longer. As a rule of thumb however, be sure to stay away from what I call “BBD”– bread, booze and dessert. Choose lean protein and extra veggies every time.
2) Let volume of exercise dictate how much you eat.
Inevitably we work out less when we are traveling. Fine. But we can’t continue eating as if we are still training like crazy. I am not one to count calories (and I’m not starting now!) but I make a conscious effort to reduce my food intake slightly when traveling, simply because I am training less. This is usually not hard, as our appetite is tied so closely to the amount of activity we do.
3) Don’t be afraid to use convenience options.
It’s not always easy just eat real food on the road, so don’t let perfect be the enemy of good. Allow yourself to use bars, shakes, jerky, etc as snacks. Some of my favorite protein bars include Think Thin, Luna Protein, Power Crunch, Quest Natural and.
4) Stay hydrated.
Is this not the HARDEST thing to do when traveling?? And yet, staying hydrated is key when traveling. Flights, later nights, saltier meals, etc, all add up to us easily becoming dehydrated. I recommend grabbing a liter bottle from the hotel gift shop and refilling it with the filtered water from the hotel gym as much as possible. When at restaurants, choose water with lemon (remember, it’s not Wine City just because you’re traveling). This is the hardest thing to stay mindful of while traveling, so just do your best.
Related: 20 Minute Hotel Workout (No Equipment Needed)
