I have been traveling weekly, pretty much the whole month of December and January, for work and the Holidays. I traveled weekly to San Francisco for work and then we made a long road trip to North Carolina to visit family over Christmas break and then back on the road in January for work. Well, honestly, I have been traveling monthly for work for the past 7 years. As if it’s not hard enough to stay on track with a healthy diet and workouts in a normal setting, adding long flights, eating out and being in an office and hotel setting don’t help. I managed to get through the travel and holidays without gaining a pound, and actually lost 6 pounds.  No kidding! I know…how annoying! 😉

I wasn’t able to work out as consistently as I normally do, so I had to be pretty strict with my food, but I did cheat, more than a few times. I just wanted to share a few tips that have helped maintain my goals throughout the years while traveling for work. These can apply to any type of travel whether it’s for work, vacation, or just a busy lifestyle.

1. Plan – I know this is a no-brainer, and we all know this, but it’s real and it’s not always easy. A great plan would consist of knowing that I have a 3 1/2 hour, 6 am flight, so I should have something easy to eat and prepared when I wake up and snacks for the flight. Well, I failed to plan and I snoozed for 1/2 an hour, rushed to the airport (late), had a couple minutes to stop at one of the stores in the airport that have snacks and found that there was nothing that I could eat that was compliant to my Whole30 program (No sugars/dairy/soy/gluten). So I ended up with a water for my 3 1/2 hour flight!? I knew I was flying in to San Francisco where healthy food is typically found on every corner, so I was safe! I got off the plane and was in full on hunger mode. I found a healthy stop in the airport that had all sorts of local, organic, vegan, Non-GMO, Gluten free goodies. But, majority of the foods weren’t compliant to my diet, until I found an amazing treat I had been searching for…jerky! I have been looking for jerky that did not have sugars or soy and I had found it! It contained natural ingredients, just beef or chicken with spices. Perfect! So, I decided to start choosing from all the flavors and choices and buy a few since I would need more for the week. As I began to choose between chicken, beef, bison and various seasonings, I recognized that what I was looking at was actually Dog jerky?! Yes…DOG JERKY!!! Thank God I realized before purchasing and posting an amazing snap of my new found snack!! So, long story short, “fail to prepare, prepare to fail.” I finally found a subway and ordered a salad with their new roast chicken, avocado, oil, vinegar. But I was so disappointed in myself for not planning better. The better plan would have been to have a small breakfast muffin or snack prepared before I left the house, as well as, snacks for my flight. A prepared meal in a lunch container or even just a meal replacement bar or some nuts, healthy chips, fruit or veggies.
2. Know what is available where you are going
   • Research the location that you’re visiting to find out what restaurants are in the area, check menus, or find out if there are grocery stores in the area and whether the hotel has a refrigerator.
   • Purchase snacks beforehand to get you through long flights, long meetings, and late night hunger or extra water for your hotel room.
   • Check on fitness facilities in the hotel or affiliate gyms in the area.
3. Have a workout plan
   • Plan your workout with your trainer or download an app that allows you to plan your workout for the week. My favorite app while traveling is Aaptiv. Involve friends or facebook to hold you accountable.If there aren’t any fitness facilities near by, look up local outdoor areas with trails or scenic areas nearby to explore.
   • check class schedules at local facilities and make sure to bring appropriate gear.
4. Be prepared to eat out and how to navigate take out items
   • I don’t think I have ever had an experience where I couldn’t modify a lunch or dinner or find at least one or two healthy items on a menu. Unless it’s pizza, but there is usually a salad option with that as well. Example: We had lunch brought in for our work meetings all week. Morning consisted of bagels with cream cheese, coffee, juice, and fruit. I had an omelet at my hotel and then ate fruit and coffee once at work while everyone else ate as well. Lunch was Mexican fajitas, beans, rice, and chips & salsa one day, and sandwiches the next. I opted for a sort of bowl/taco salad using the lettuce/tomatoes, some chicken & beef, guacamole and salsa. On sandwich day, I made myself some roll ups with the lettuce, tomato, meat, and mustard.
5. Just have a plan!
   • If you know that you have early meetings, plan to workout in the afternoon/evenings. Or, if you have happy hour and dinner plans, plan your workout in the am before work.
   • make sure to have plenty of healthy snacks to avoid opting for junk.