Any Advice for Frequent Travelers?

Run4Martini

I have to Travel ALOT for work, I'm on the road 60% of the time. At home I am better with cooking for myself and getting to the gym, but when I am in hotels It's harder to work out and I have to look hard to find heathy choices in restaurants. Also the long hours mean getting back to the room tired or hanging out in an airport where it's mostly fast food.

I'm not complaining, just hoping someone has some good tips that might help!

havingitall

When I book hotels, I look for ones with gyms or pools and get up early to work out. If the hotel is in a half decent area and there is no gym, a good brisk walk or jog might help.

As for eating, you can always take protein bars, almonds, some things like that, otherwise, you can't go too far wrong with grilled chicken and veggies in a restaurant. Don't be afraid to ask for what you want. They are ok if you ask that the veggies aren't cooked with butter. You are the paying customer and are able to customize what you want ( within reason of course). If your hotel has a kitchenette, you can always get some stuff to keep in the fridge and heat in the mircrowave.

Airports are killers, but I have found places in various ones that aren't too bad. Some have Subway and you can usually make a good choice there.

Drink lots of water...flying can be quite dehydrating

Run4Martini

Thank you for the good tips.

I will do my best!

LoraMora

I travel, too, but have never gained weight on restaurant meals because I always order the evening meal as an entree salad...no dressing, no sour cream, and with salsa on the side.

I've even adapted whatever meat entree I liked to salad...just ask for it on a bed of lettuce, no dressing and no starches on the plate....with salsa on the side in case it is dry. Keep only the meat and any veggies plus on a bed of lettuce.

When looking at all the great options on the menu, I just think...if I order a meal like this every time, I'll become a blimp...is it worth it? Just knowing you can get one "next time" means you're not denying yourself this time. Use your mindset to imagine this "special" meal as being ordinary.

After getting used to this, I really enjoy it. If you're going to eat healthy, why not enjoy the application of the chef's talent towards healthy meals - they always taste better than the healthy meals I make.

If everyone orders dessert, I order a bowl of fresh berries drizzled with chocolate. YUMMY!!! I love berries so it definitely doesn't feel like I'm depriving myself.

Also for cocktails....stick with a glass of red wine. At 100-ish calories, you still enjoy the libation but don't pack on 500 calories from a cocktail.

The main thing...look at these meals as ordinary occurances, not a one-of-a-kind opportunity.

btw, I rarely work out in when travelling because then I'd have to check a bag because gym shoes won't fit in my carry-on. Most of my trips are one night only. I only work out if staying long enough to have to check a bag anyway.

Controlling weight gain while traveling really boils down to controlling the restaurant meals.

Run4Martini

"I've even adapted whatever meat entree I liked to salad...just ask for it on a bed of lettuce, no dressing and no starches on the plate....with salsa on the side in case it is dry. Keep only the meat and any veggies plus on a bed of lettuce."

This is Genious! Will they do that? I am going to try it!

the other tips are good too!
thanks so much!

(can I add you as a friend?)

brokebackmotors

If you are a member of the YMCA, call a branch local to your travel destination and see if you can gain access as a guest. I have only recently tried this, but so far, so good.

Sweet_Potato

Do you have a laptop with you? Get a subscription to instant Netflix or an exercise video site so you'll always have access to videos you can do in the hotel room. I think Amazon and iTunes also have some you can buy or rent. I'd keep a couple permanent ones on your hard drive because hotel internet connections can sometimes be too slow for streaming.

As far as food goes, just follow basic rules for eating light at restaurants. I've been stuck in the deep South for weeks at a time, and at the mercy of other team members' preferences since we were sharing a car, but I've managed to stick mostly to healthfully prepared seafood and veggies.

Abells

I travel a ton for work too which does make it quite hard to stay on track. This month alone -- I have 4 more trips and just got back from one. For the plane ride, I like to make myself a sandwich, so I know what's in it.
I usually jump on mapmyrun.com with the iPhone and if it's an OK area I run outside -- great way to see the sites as well!

Also - I go to planet fitness and have a black card - you can go to any of their gyms in the country and I found that most of the places I have been going to have one close by - you should check it out.

Go to grocery stores and hit the salad bar and save your salad for a late night dinner when you get back to the hotel or hit up a deli and get a sandwhich - when you go to cook to order places it's a lot easier to see what's going in it.

I also always bring clif bars Great for the morning bfast and not having to stop for muffins or anything else fatty