How do I maintain a healthy lifestyle...

July 15, 2008 1:38 PM

How do I main a healthy lifestyle while traveling for work?

I work for a major multinational. Recently I was blindsided by the news that I had "volunteered" for a project that will involve significant travel, upwards of 75%, for around six months. There will be many different locations, so I don't think I will be staying in extended stay suites.

Now, I'm a very health conscious individual. I take great pride in not having succumbed to the obesity/grossness that plagues most people in my position. A large part of success is due to my near fanatical eating habits. I never eat fast food. I hate it. And after a day or two of eating out I feel gross. Daily I bring in to work multiple pieces of fruit; today I brought a pint of berries, two bananas, and a peach.

So my question, bluntly stated, is as follows: how will I be able to adapt to this new lifestyle with out my body turning to pudding?

Also, a related question while we're at it: given the great amount of responsibility and the crummy lifestyle I will be adopting, what demands should a person in my position reasonably be able to make (e.g. admiral club access, flying first class, health club access, etc.) ?

posted by prunes to work & money (14 comments total)

Larabars are mostly raw, vegan, and nutritious. I carry them to work all the time, and they stay good for awhile.

I would also buy a food dehydrator and make my own jerky and dried fruit if at all possible.

Packing a jump rope and a resistance band for exercise in small places and hotels without a gym will keep you from feeling sluggish and if the weather's bad out, even better!

Most airlines will, if you contact them ahead of time, let you order special meals (low-salt, vegetarian, vegan, kosher, etc.).

You can also pack and carry protein powder to mix with skim milk, water, or juice on the road. You just need one of those containers that locks tight and you can shake vigorously (probably from a GNC or somewhere).
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 1:57 PM on July 15

Rent a car

Make a point of insisting on rental car access on all segments. Then you can nip out to the supermarket and buy stuff you would normally eat. GoogleMap the supermarkets / grocery stores before your trip, so you can know you can go buy fruit at 10pm if needed.

My company only lets us share one rental car between two or three of us, and this results in me ending up eating in the hotel more often than I would otherwise. When I get a car, I am *surprisingly* able to eat and be healthier.

Also, buy a cheap GPS unit, and go geocaching during travel where you end up with an afternoon or weekend spare. You may need a car to get you some of the way, and you'll find some interesting places, and stay fit.

A colleague of mine also joined his local YMCA and used reciprocal arrangements to use the pool at the Y near his current trip. Again, he needed a car to get there.

Cabs won't cut it for this kind of to and fro.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 2:02 PM on July 15

You can buy fruit and vegetables at your destinations and continue your eating fruit at work thing - just stop at a grocery store in the morning or on the night before.

On the plane, you can request special meals that are not as disgusting as normal airplane food (examples). If your flights are too short for meals, buy a case of Larabars and take several in your carry-on (you can also take them to work!). They are just fruit and nuts - no added sugar/honey/HFCS anything - so are pretty damn healthy.

As far as other meals are concerned, can't you just seek out restaurants that serve food similar to what you would normally eat? Or eat at hippie-vegetarian restaurants that don't dump on the butter?

Also: take up yoga or pilates or doing pushups. All of which are possible to do at airports and hotels because they don't take up much space.
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 2:02 PM on July 15 [1 favorite]

Ooops - Unicorn on the cob beat me to almost all of my suggestions.
posted by mustcatchmooseandsquirrel at 2:03 PM on July 15

I traveled for about two years for work, 4 days a week, every week. Health-wise, it kind of sucks. In some ways there's actually plenty of opportunity for exercise (walking in a new environment to learn your way around, hotel gyms, etc.), but what I found hardest was extracting myself from the expectations of other team members that just because I wasn't "home," I was available after hours for work or work-related conversation. Usually these happened over dinner, then drinks. After debriefing about the client, things would generally move on to griping about our own company. Breakfast meetings to plan the coming day were also typical. So, if you're traveling with other people from your company, be aware that there might be some norms you have to break gently. I found it easiest to do this right at the start, though it helped mightily to have a great track record behind me of delivering good work on the road. You will have to get creative about other ways to build rapport with your work mates, because that is really important.

Second biggest dilemma, which went hand-in-hand with work meetings during meals, was avoiding crap food. Even food at better hotels can be heavy on calories and quantity very quickly. Depending on your travel schedule, you might try to bring lunch and a dinner with you for your first day. Keep them in the fridge on site. Snack bars you've vetted really help avoid the dependence on ubiquitous corporate vending machines. Knowing where the grocery store is can give you an opportunity to restock with fresh fruit and veggies. Again, depending on your team situation, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND renting your own car or somehow being in control of your transportation. Italics, bold, all caps. I cannot emphasize this enough. This will give you some autonomy about when you're done working, and where you can get to for meals or exercise.

As for exercise itself: jump rope, push ups, pull up bar, ab roller, a few free weights (buy them in your destination if you don't want to lug them), a yoga (or other) dvd you can do in your room. All of these are portable and it was never a problem for me to leave these things behind week-to-week when I was staying in one hotel for a longish period. I'm a big advocate of walking (or running if you're a runner) and it has the added benefit of familiarizing you with your new surroundings. This can go a long way toward alleviating Soulless Hotel Room Syndrome. I got to know some cities well enough that I'd sometimes opt to stay over the weekend because there were interesting things going on.

The perks you mention really depend on your company's (and by extension, your client's) financial health. I got bumped to first class every once in a while, but default was coach for domestic and first for international. Assume your client will see all these charges (unless you know otherwise), and spend accordingly. The rental car is the one thing I would lobby heavily for based on my experiences. If your hotel doesn't have a health club, or charges for access to a local gym, I think you could reasonably ask for that to be covered, but because it's something you're highly committed to and not because it's something they might do for everyone.
posted by cocoagirl at 2:17 PM on July 15

I travelled for work for two years and struggled with these same issues. My tips are:

* Get some yoga videos and put them onto your laptop - I liked the Power Yoga style by Rodney Yee as I found they worked for strength and toning but also stress reduction. Do yoga in the morning before breakfast.

* Room service breakfast helps you avoid overdoing it at the buffet, and there are usually healthy options such as yoghurt, muesili and fruit.

* If you can't go out to get fruit, pack fruit from home. Apples and oranges stay good for a surprisingly long time.

* Go to the hotel gym after work but before dinner - if you're expected to go to dinner with colleagues, tell them ok, you'll meet up with them again after hitting the gym. That usually works fine.

* Get a travel size kettle and some dehydrated soups - miso is good. Ok, they're not exactly delicious, but if you have some soup in your room before going out for your evening meal, you'll be less likely to overdo it on dinner and dessert.

It's not easy, but you can maintain your healthy lifestyle when you travel. You just have to be committed enough to it, and above all don't just start eating everything in sight as a reward for your hard work, and because it's free (i.e. on your expenses).

As far as what to ask as a reward for travelling this much, at a minimum I'd say be absolutely sure to insist on comp time off during your weeks at home against the time you're spending on the plane, at the airport, etc when you travel.
posted by hazyjane at 2:50 PM on July 15

when i eat out, i often just get an appetizer and a side salad, or soup and salad (dressing on the side). cuts down on the calorie overload.

you may not be able to bring fresh fruit into other countries due to customs regulations, but you can pack dried fruit. dehydrated ("astronaut") fruit is also good. packing a few cans of soup from your favorite healthier-food purveyor and a bowl and a spoon are always good ideas, if your hotel has a microwave.

finally, talk to your hotel concierge about grocery delivery if you don't have access to a car or market within walking distance. (i'm assuming that you will be staying in a decent hotel.)
posted by thinkingwoman at 3:49 PM on July 15

I really struggle with this.

It would be worth joining a gym that has many locations or reciprocal agreements with many others.

Run. Get a GPS/heart rate monitor thing, and use it to map out routes in every city you go to. Clip the "run this city" department in the running magazines. This is the only thing that keeps me sane when I'm on the road for two or three weeks at a time.

Heavy-duty resistance bands take up no room in your suitcase. Pilates and yoga are very doable in hotel rooms.

Nthing being in control of your transportation. Rent your own car and buy your fruit, your vegetables, your bottles of water, your big green salads. If you have a fridge, pick up a roasted chicken and pre-washed mesclun so you can eat meals that make you feel like a human being. You might want to ask if you can get rooms/suites with a kitchenette to allow for even more flexibility - if you're not charging expensive dinners and drinks, your company might agree to the tradeoff. Be warned that others you travel with might think you're kind of a drag - figure out some other way to build rapport and keep good relations up with those you travel with.

Finally, see if you can fly with your bike. Some airlines still allow a bike to be checked as a piece of luggage without any extra fee, and I've found it so worth it to be able to just hop on my bike and cruise around town, sometimes to the point that I don't rent a car. A backpack and a bike do just as well.
posted by peachfuzz at 3:50 PM on July 15

If you are traveling outside First world destinations, don't assume that local "fresh" fruit and vegetables are great for you - they're occasionally washed in water tubs or sprayed with water from sources that unwittingly contribute salmonella or other contaminants. This happens more as a failure of education and standards inspection than as malice, but Montezuma's Revenge is still bad news, however you get it. Local differences in food handling practices can mean that foods that are fine for locals, challenge your system - so ordering "well done" and exchanging additional portions of cooked vegetables for some of your usual raw fruits and veggies may be necessary. Supplementing with multi-vitamins may be a good idea, accordingly.

Take along 2x supplies of any medications you need, plus anti-diarrhea and first aid supplies; you need to be prepared for travel interruptions and unanticipated re-routings and extensions of stays. You can buy more underwear, get your clothes cleaned, and resupply your shampoo abroad, but it's not always easy to get another 3 days worth of medication when you need it.

Most people find that traveling is somewhat more physically strenuous than going to your usual office at home, just because of the additional effort of handling your own luggage, and doing some extra walking in airports, etc. But that is also counterbalanced by sometimes long periods of enforced stillness, as when flying, or riding in surface transport. Be sure to learn and practice in seat isometric exercises and stand regularly on flights when you can, to avoid deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Pay attention to your footwear, as many people, for packing reasons, tend to wear one or two pairs of shoes, day after day, when traveling, which can exacerbate many kinds of foot problems.
posted by paulsc at 6:10 PM on July 15

I really love exercisetv You can do most of the exercises in your hotel room. Also, try taking a walk for at least 60 minutes every evening after work, etc. It's a great way to explore your surroundings, and you'll stay fit in the process.

Finally, it's a good idea to have a meal plan in order. Try creating a meal plan before you go on vacation. You can even bring some canned goods with you, so that you'll ensure you have the items necessary for your dietetic needs.
posted by zollypop at 6:25 PM on July 15

When I'm on the road I have the same breakfast delivered by room service every day - oatmeal, berries, a piece of fresh fruit, decaf coffee. Hotel breakfasts can easily top 1200 calories, but the oatmeal allows me to start healthy each morning.

Insist on hotels with gyms - Westins and Ws always have good gyms. There are plenty of hotels with good gym facilities. Always pack your swimsuit and your gym shoes.

On the perks list, you should insist on Admiral's Club or whatever you club you fly. You'll get lots more accomplished if you have somewhere quiet to work en route. Also, see if you can be booked on the Concierge level in hotels. There's nearly always fruit available there.
posted by 26.2 at 11:19 PM on July 15

I think this is a good blog post dealing with exactly this issue, even if his views on health are not exactly the same as yours. Good blog all round actually!
posted by timmow at 12:21 AM on July 16

Check out flyertalk.com forums - lots of great advice. You may want to consider meeting with HR or your managers to see whether they have agreements about how you will travel and where you will stay. Does your company use one chain of hotel everywhere? If gym isn't included in the room see if you can get some kind of pass for the whole chain. Investigate supermarket delivery perhaps for quality premade meals and fruit/veg?
posted by wingless_angel at 2:00 AM on July 16

Many time when I eat out I will just order an appetizer or a soup. Sometimes you need to mention to the wait-staff that your food should come out at the same time as everyone's main courses so you don't end up eating a salad as everyone else hungrily watches, waiting for their food.

Also, drink lots of water and drink a full glass before each meal. It is easy to forget to drink enough while traveling and water will help you not eat too much. Also, many times our brain gets the "I'm thirsty" signal mixed up with the "I'm hungry" signal, so you think you should eat, when really you should be drinking (water).

Nthing getting yoga/exercise videos on your computer to watch in your room. I think you are in your right to at least ask for health club access. Explain that the traveling with the new project is going to add a lot of stress and you need to be able to relax and stay healthy. The worst they can do is say "no".

Also, many people get into the "I'm vacationing/relaxing so I can splurge" mode and have dessert when they normally wouldn't. You are not on vacation, you are working. If you normally do not eat dessert at home, do not eat it while traveling. If everyone else is having dessert, order a coffee or something a fruit juice. Don't tell people you are trying to watch your weight because you will make them feel bad. If anything, tell them you are trying not to get in the habit of eating too differently than you do at home.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 9:36 AM on July 16