Whether you travel once a year or every week, around the region or around the globe, you know that making healthy choices on the road is more challenging than it is at home. Outside of your home routine, taking the time to find healthy options may not be very convenient. However, with some planning and commitment, it is definitely possible. In addition to offering the benefits of prevention and longevity that healthy living always brings, making good choices on the road can reduce some of the effects of travel, such as weariness, fatigue and loneliness, while improving job performance and even success.
I was on a hotel elevator when a very muscular and fit middle aged man stepped on. He was sweating and panting, clearly coming from the hotel fitness room. I asked him if he had a good workout. He replied, “You just have to make exercise a priority when you travel for a living. Travel is brutal on the body.” He looked like the pinnacle of health, but clearly he has to work at it, just like the rest of us. Below are some ways that the HealthNEXT team works to stay healthy when we travel, as it is a challenge for us as well. You may want to start by choosing one or two items in each category that you aren’t already doing and give them a try next time you hit the road.
DIET
The key here is to plan ahead.
- Pack snacks. Things like nuts, granola bars, apples, oranges, whole grain crackers and trail mix will travel well and keep you nourished in a pinch. Snacking on healthy foods throughout the day can also curb your hunger so that when you sit down for lunch or dinner you are not overly hungry and therefore, do not overeat.
- When you are buying food at the airport or while driving, search out the healthy choices. You can always find a salad or a healthy sandwich somewhere. Choose baked or grilled over fried and maximize fruits and vegetables.
- When you are by yourself for a meal, search the internet for restaurants in the region and choose according to the likelihood that they will have healthy choices on the menu.
- When you have to eat out with colleagues and can’t choose the place, you can still choose your meal. Challenge yourself to find the item on the menu that a nutritionist would pick for you.
- Portion control is key. Restaurant meals are generally at least twice what you need. Put the rest in your hotel mini-fridge if you don’t want to waste it.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask for whole grain bread, get the dressing on the side, and leave off the cheese. Get mustard instead of mayo. Little changes can add up over time. Make those substitutions into habits.
- Watch the alcohol and the bread basket. Both can be your downfall to a healthy restaurant meal. Alcohol loosens your inhibition about what you eat and you are less likely to make good choices. Bread fills your belly with empty calories and you’ll still feel compelled to eat too much of your entrée.
- Make rules. Nothing fried. No dessert. Something green with every meal. These kinds of guidelines can steer you toward better choices.
- Don’t eat just because it is there. This goes for the peanuts on the airplane, the snacks in the break room and the cookies in the hotel lobby. If you feel compelled to take it, save it for when you really have an appetite. Food tastes better when you’re hungry anyway.
- When you get home, have a home-cooked meal of the most wholesome thing you can imagine to nourish your body after a few days of hard travel.
EXERCISE
- Do SOMETHING active every day. Maybe it’s a walk around the outside of the plant, or outside of your hotel. Maybe you can spend a few minutes on the hotel treadmill while you check your e-mail. You could also do some sit-ups, push-ups and jumping jacks in your room while you watch the evening news. Pumping iron in the fitness center is great, but it’s not the only choice.
- If you play golf with co-workers, avoid riding in the cart and walk between holes. The average course will add up to about 5 miles of walking.
- If you have to make calls on your cell phone, put on a Bluetooth headset and take a walk while you talk.
- Use the hotel steps instead of the elevator. Run up and down the steps a few extra times if you have it in you.
- When you are waiting for a flight, walk the full terminal for as long as you have time.
- When you’re on a plane, get up when the fasten seatbelt light goes off. Stand in the rear of the plane and give your body a good stretch. It will prevent cramping, soreness and fatigue. And you can have some nice conversation with the flight attendants. Here are some airplane stretches to try!
SLEEP
- Do your best to get 8 hours. If you’ll be up at 4am, go to bed at 8pm. Even if you can’t fall right to sleep, give your eyes and your body some rest. Try to relax your mind and your body and encourage them to let go so that you can sleep. If you’ll be on the same schedule for a few days, try to be consistent with your bedtime and wake-up routines. On average, it takes the body one day per hour of time change to adjust. These relaxation practices may help.
- Make sure your room is dark. Close the curtains tightly so the light doesn’t come through.
- When you wake, turn the lights on so your body gets the signal to wake up.
- Set more than one alarm so you aren’t worried about failing to wake up.
- Keep a notepad by your bedside so you can jot down any brilliant ideas or concerns. Otherwise, you may stay awake worrying that you’ll forget something.
- Eat something an hour after you wake up. If it has to be quick, grab a piece of fruit and a snack bar. You need fuel to get you going.
- Limit alcohol intake. It may help you fall asleep, but your sleep quality will not be as good.
MENTAL HEALTH
- Get some down time. Read a few pages of a book for enjoyment. Watch a few minutes of comedy on TV. Look up your sports team’s scores. All work and no play actually hampers productivity.
- Stay connected. Call your spouse. Skype with your kids from your hotel room. Text jokes back and forth with a buddy. Just because you’re miles away, doesn’t mean that you have to lose touch with the people who make your hometown the place you want to go back to.
- When you get home, have some down time to relax and get caught up with your loved ones. Perhaps plan a date night or an easy night in. Allow yourself time to be refreshed before you jump into the piles of mail and unfinished chores that await you.
Please contribute your additional ideas with the comments link below. If you struggle with particular situations or issues with healthy travelling, let me know. I’d be eager to brainstorm a solution with you!
Where are my Road Warriors? How do you try to stay healthy on the road? What are your biggest challenges?
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