A Traveler's Guide to Not Wrecking Your Progress?

1) Best suggestions for healthy, non-sodium rich foods at ATL, HOU, Midway? How do you avoid the "starving when I land at my destination followed by the inevitable gorge lunch/dinner to start my trip off the wrong way" thing?
2) How to stay reasonably healthy while not eating a ton of local produce while in Central America (hard lesson learned last year)?
3) When local business hosts insist on taking you out for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks, etc...how do you survive while still being grateful?
4) Hotel gyms...do these things suck the motivation out of anyone else or is it just me?
5) Any other tips/tricks you care to share?


Wow, what a tough series of questions!

1) Prepack a bulk package of nuts. Blue Diamond has large pouches of natural unsalted almonds. The fat content will probably be over your limit for the day, but you'll stay full longer. Drink a lot of water (bottled I would recommend). When you land ask the concierge (sp?) if there is a place that caters to healther choices on the menu. You'd be surprised, but they usually know of at least one.

2) Produce is essensial to a healthy life style. Stick to items that you can be served 'whole'. Steamed carrots, fresh apples, etc. Less surface area to hold possible contaminents from the growing or cooking process. If there is a local market, buy your items but wash them thoroughly at your hotel before consuming (good tip even here in the states, LOL).

3) I run into this as well. Scan the menu for items that have as few ingredients as possible. Custom order your food to your needs (I'm Celiac and dairy intolerant). Less ingredients will hopefully help you not have sneaky calories, sodium, etc end up in your system. I always eat my food in a certain order (some call it OCD ). I eat my veggies, then protein, and very little of the rice (or random carb). Choose eggs at breakfast and fresh fruit. Lots of water at each meal. Drink water all day long, accually.

4) I don't use hotel gyms because I'm a germ-a-phobe. If there is an indoor pool and it smells like enough chlorine to bleach your swimsuit, go for it. Shower afterwards just in case. Try doing sit ups, push ups, and stretches in your room. If the hotel grounds are big enough, there might be a walking path around the outside. Go in the morning and the evening and take a brisk walk.

5) Any raw foods you purchase, clean thoroughly. Drink a lot of water because you're going to be eating things you don't normally eat. If the people you work with are generally food sharers, bring your own food. I have an office full of wonderful people who bring donuts, candy, and birthday cakes who just LOVE to share. They don't mean to sabatage, they just want to be nice. Thank them, and eat your almonds and green apples. Have fun on your trip!

4) I don't use hotel gyms because I'm a germ-a-phobe. If there is an indoor pool and it smells like enough chlorine to bleach your swimsuit, go for it.

Heavy chlorine smell means the pool is dirty. The smell is produced when the chlorine is working on breaking down urine, sweat and other contaminants. Clean pools smell clean, not like chemicals.

Friend of mine was a flight attendant and she always ate soup and salad everywhere she traveled to and walked a ton for her exercise.