How to Stay Fit and Eat Healthy While Traveling for Business

Published:  04/20/2018

Business trips can, and often do, interrupt one's normal diet and fitness regimen. The stress and hassles of traveling these days can often tempt one to skip workouts and make poor food choices. It is quite appealing to choose from widely available comfort foods when you are tired and jet lagged. To help keep up with your fitness and healthy nutrition program while traveling on business, follow these two easy tips:

Tip 1: Resist Unnecessary Calories

• Lunch and dinner meetings are often mandatory, so making healthy choices at these meetings is critical:
• Choose grilled food whenever possible and avoid those that are fried
• Choose lean proteins - like fish, seafood, turkey or chicken breast
• Choose fresh fruit vs. rich, sugary desserts
• Choose vegetables and avoid those with butter or heavy dressings
• Easy does it with the alcohol. And if you do imbibe, choose lower calorie drinks like wine, tequila with lime, vodka soda with lemon, light bloody Mary, or light beer.
• Pack your own lunch and snacks for the airplane. Some ideas: Banana, apple, baby carrots, almonds, single-serving nut butters, like Skippy’s PG or Justin’s or Raw Cashew Butter and eat that with a yogurt (must be a container less than 3.4 oz) you bring from home.
• Other ideas are single-serving cups of Wholly Guacamole (needs to be refrigerated) or Sabra Hummus (must be refrigerated) to dip cucumbers, carrots, pretzels, rice crackers, or Mary's Gone Crackers. A small pack of olives, peanut butter to go, Triscuit Reduced Fat Crackers, The Good Bean Chickpea Snack, dried mango, Trader Joe's Dried Fruit Unsweetened Blueberries, Justin's Almond Butter Travel, Planters Mixed Nuts, Antioxidant Mix, Planters Mixed Nuts, Unsalted, Kashi TLC Crunchy Granola Bar, Pumpkin Spice Flax, Bada Bean Bada Boom, RX Bar Chocolate Sea Salt  
• Got Milk? Pack shelf-stable milk alternatives like this protein packed flaxmilk.Or this shelf stable almond milk
• Freeze juice boxes (Less than 3 oz containers) or yogurt tubes. I like Gogurt for the kids.
• You can also pack sandwiches or salads that you have made at home packed with some ice or frozen juices boxes or Gogurts.
• Onboard the flight if you want to purchase a snack here is a list of some of the best choices on various airlines.
• This is a list of some of the healthiest airports to eat at and the choices available.
• Pack a refillable water bottle. This highly rated one collapses when not in use. Many airports now have water bottle filling stations. Drink water as much as possible rather than consuming fruit juices and sodas to limit unwanted sugar calories.
• Once you get to your hotel, go to a store and stock up on some food. Buy instant oatmeal packs and trail mix with just nuts and fruits. Add hot water from the coffee maker (that you have rinsed out to remove the coffee taste) to oatmeal and some trail mix. Bring your own backpacking cup and spork. some hotels will provide you with a small refrigerator or even a cooler. Just ask!
• Go to a store and purchase fresh fruits and vegetables and stock the mini bar yourself with healthy choices.
• To prevent attacking the mini-bar which is filled with high fat/caloric options, ask the hotel to clean out the mini bar refrigerator.
• Hotel lounges and bars are frequently used for casual meetings. If alcohol is to be consumed, choosing sugar free or diet mixers with liquor may be a better choice vs. sugary cocktails and other high caloric alcoholic beverages.
• Stock up on single-serving grain pouches. Individual portions of cooked whole grains Nature's Earthly Choice Organic Blend, Seven Grainwork are great for on-the-go grain bowls. You could add a pouch of tuna or this tuna for extra protein and some veggies that you have purchased at the local grocery store.

Tip 2: Incorporate Caloric Burn at Every Opportunity

• Use stairs or walk at the airport while avoiding escalators, elevators, and people movers.
• Revitalize with a workout in an airport gym or a connected airport hotel gym if you have an extended layover. Many airport hotels will permit access for a nominal day use rate and some even offer workout gear rental.
• Instead of sitting at your gate, walk the terminal until it is time to board.
• Stretch while you are on the airplane.
• Sitting for long periods is a risk factor for blood clots and deep vein thrombosis. There are exercises you can do to improve your blood circulation. Try to get up and walk around when you can. When sitting in your seat, do ankle circles, heel lifts, shoulder rolls, butt squeezes and knee lifts.
• Carry your luggage for strength training instead of rolling it, whenever possible.
• Window shopping or otherwise walking through the terminals during layovers will burn fat, boost circulation in the legs, and relive stress.
• Schedule time to go to the hotel gym and if you'd prefer, do this workout that I have created that can be done without equipment. And many hotels will bring a foam roller, bands or yoga mats to your room.