Staying Healthy on the Road

During a recent talk I gave at a Microsoft conference, I was asked this question from a man in the audience, ‘how can I stick to a healthy lifestyle when I travel regularly for work?’

While I had a number of great tips for him, I thought to myself, ‘I wish my husband was here to answer this question’ because he travels quite a bit for work and he has developed an amazing routine for staying healthy while travelling.

When I later shared this with my husband, he offered to write a blog post for me to share with you, my Simple Well Being community. Here’s what he sent me last night from Florida.

Andy said, “There’s food over there for the vendors.” He said this to me as soon as I had pulled out my lunch, which I had pulled together in my hotel room earlier that morning. I had a spinach salad with mushrooms, broccoli, cannellini beans, carrots, raisins and a dusting of Parmesan cheese. I had also purchased a bottle of organic balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

I had walked by the event-provided food table earlier ‘just for grins’ and noticed fried egg rolls with an eerie red-colored sauce, some kind of machine-pressed meatball, and an iceberg lettuce salad. I quickly said, “no thanks, I brought my own lunch.” I sensed Andy was reminding me about the lunch because he was feeling uncomfortable that I wasn’t eating what the event company provided.

I learned a long time ago that waiting for somebody else to provide proper nutrition meant veering away from a healthy lifestyle every time I traveled. Of all the times I need to be at my best – with energy and focus to do a great job – it’s when I’m on the road for work. Why put my performance at the mercy of fast food and group think? So now I take a little extra time to plan my meals by following these four steps.

1. Go Directly to the Grocery Store – I have 3 reusable bags in my carry-on suitcase, and I always get directions from the airport to the nearest heath-food or grocery store BEFORE I go to the hotel. I pick up breakfast items (fruit, nuts, avocados, oats etc) and healthy snacks. And if I have a kitchenette I get ingredients to make big salads with some protein. I don’t worry what the hotel staff thinks when I roll in with my carry-on bag topped by my briefcase surrounded by food bags. It has toppled over more than once and gives me a nice chuckle. I have even broken a bottle or two of kombucha on the hotel hallway rug!

2. Choose a Hotel Surrounded by Health – I check distances to the health food store, yoga studio, swimming pool, juice bar and other healthy amenities before I book my hotel. During this particular trip I couldn’t find a hotel, so I went to VRBO and rented a carriage house on the beach in the panhandle of Florida. There was a 25-meter pool nearby, a yoga studio and juice bar across the road, and a grocery store with plenty of organic options within walking distance!

3. Be Prepared to Depart from the Crowd – A few fellow vendors at this most recent computer show decided to change hotels a few times to ‘follow the show.’ While this was convenient for them on the morning of the event, it didn’t provide me the optimum environment for staying true to my lifestyle. I’ve found convenience is critical to keeping healthy exercise and diet intact while on the road. I join the group at least some of the nights to show them I enjoy their company and can have a bit of fun. I always take a chicken wing or two (then throw them under the table when nobody is looking!).

4. Change Your Mindset – I hear from many work associates things like, “It’s so hard to eat healthy while on the road.” I’m in the computer industry and most men (and some women) have a pouch from the ‘happy hour dinners,’ lack of exercise and working too many hours. Instead, approach each new road trip with the attitude of ‘I am going to make it work!’ For example – on a recent trip my boss asked me to meet him at 8am for breakfast, but we’d already worked out a schedule the night before to meet at 9:30am. The new time was going to cut into my workout, so I pushed back and politely reminded him that we had agreed to start later. He was fine with that!

Whether you’re travelling for work, or during the holidays, don’t give up the healthy habits that keep you happy, focused and performing at your best! Sure, it takes some practice – try one or two of these suggestions the next time you’re on the road. They work for me, and now it’s a habit: keeping a healthy routine whilst on the road becomes easier with each trip. Have a wonderful holiday season and stay healthy on the road!