How to Stay on Track During a Business Trip

After a week of being in Cincinnati for a business trip, I'm so happy to be back home.  The constant go of a busy work week, dining out meal-after-meal, the extreme early mornings (we are talking 4am), the late night dinners with coworkers, and the lack of time, energy and resources for a good workout, I find it extremely hard to stay on track with my healthy lifestyle habits when I'm traveling.  I crave a good home cooked meal and the familiar routine of my workout plan.  This week I barely had time for a quick run during my breaks and I definitely felt the pressure of trying some of the local favorite food joints.  I will now have to work extra hard to get myself back into my daily routine and detox my body from grease and fatty foods.

Whether it is a business trip or a fun vacation, there are ways to stay on track with your weight loss plans.  Starting with what you can do while dining out and moving into ways to keep your activity levels up.  Remember to not beat yourself up.  There are times that things won't go your way.  It's time to accept it!

• Don't wait until you are starving to find a place to eat; plan ahead with snacks such as an apple or almonds.  This will keep you tied over so you don't walk into the first place you see.
• Choose your restaurant wisely.  Avoid multi-course meal specials, supersized deals, buffets, and fast food.
• Look for places that offer menus with nutritional information so that you can make an educated choice on the calories and portion sizes.
• Avoid plates with unhealthy and high calorie fats, and instead choose steamed, poached, broiled, baked, grilled or roasted when possible.  Many places will also honor requests for low-salt or low-saturated-fat versions.
• Try to eat the same portion sizes as you would at home.  Grab a box before you start and put half away for your next day's lunch. (Find a hotel with a mini fridge in the room)
• Be the first to order, you will be less tempted to go along with everyone else.
• Ask for dressings and sauces on the side as many places will go overboard with the toppings. Or better yet, save those calories and pass on the sauce altogether.
• Don't drink your calories.  Limit sugary drinks, sodas, and alcohol which add no nutritional value to your meal.
• Eat slowly.  Enjoy the food so that you don't over induldge in your favorites.  Think about each bite and whether you are really hungry or if it's a craving.
• Try to schedule a walking meeting.  Ask the individual if you can move while you talk if you don't have presentations or numbers to discuss.
• Move whenever possible.  Take a walk during your lunch break, walk around the hotel or office before going out for dinner, get up every hour and do a lap when possible.
• Find a hotel that has a gym or that includes a week with a fitness center.  This will make it possible to stick to your routine while away.
• Try a local recreation activity for your exercise.  Hiking the nearby trail will allow you to sightsee while burning calories.
• Pack resistance bands or a TRX.  This will allow you to pack a gym to put right into your hotel room.
• Maintain a well-rounded routine as best as possible.  Eat snacks, drink lots of water, and get adequate sleep.
• Try stress reducing techniques such as stretching, meditation, and relaxation.  I know how stressful a business trip may get.
• Finally... get in the right mindset.  Realize that being on a trip is not an all or nothing approach.  There will be things that come up, but that will not ruin your week.  Take care of yourself when you can and as best as possible.

What tips do you have for me when it comes to business trips and staying on track with a healthy lifestyle while traveling?
oxox, Em

Do You Walk Enough?

If you have a job that allows you to move and use your body for physical labor, consider yourself lucky!  Numerous studies are starting to raise awareness of the amount of sitting and how it has a huge impact on your health.  These studies will go so far to say that sitting too long actually raises your death risk.  

Most of us have a desk job where we sit for about 8 hours a day.  Maybe in the morning or after work you spend about an hour at the gym and another 2 hours running errands and making dinner, but combined with the amount of time Americans spend in the car or on the couch, it adds up to way too much sitting throughout the day.  

A study that followed 222,497 adults during their daily life over several years discovered that, over the course of the study, participants who sat for more than 11 hours a day had the highest risk for all-cause mortality, followed by those who sat between 8-11 hours a day and those who sat for less than 4 hours daily had the lowest risk for all-cause mortality.

The scariest thing about these studies are the fact that the effects of sitting this long can NOT be exercised away.  Although you burn more calories, you do not increase the overall muscle activity in the body.  A different study proved that the muscles of people who are desk workers are inactive for about 70% of the day, regardless if they do planned exercise or not.

The take away point?  We need to move more! On average, people currently walk 3,000-4,000 steps per day.  According to the World Health Organization's daily activity requirement, we should walk about 10,000 steps daily for general health.    And if you are trying to lose weight... increase that number to 20,000 steps per day.  A good goal for individuals who are trying to become more active, is to increase average daily steps each week by 500 per day until you can easily average your final goal of 10,000-20,000.

The easiest way to track your number of steps is with a pedometer.  Start by wearing one every day for a week from sunrise to when your feet hit the bed.  At the end of each day, log how many steps you took in a notebook and find your average daily steps at the end of the week.  My guess is you'll be surprised at how many (or should I say how few) steps you took!

You can purchase a basic pedometer at a local sporting goods store for a relatively good price.  I like the Omron Pedometer HJ 320 because it uses a pendulum design so that it doesn't miscount steps.  With this design you can wear the device wherever it feels best (on your body or even in a purse!).  This device also has 7 day memory so you can see how you are progressing over the week.

If you are not ready to spend any money on something like this yet and you have a smart phone, you could always try an app.  I use the "Pacer" app from an Iphone.  Just be careful to pause the pedometer if you are picking your phone up and down a lot as it may read as a step.

Finally, I love Fit devices such as the FitBit Flex, The Nike Fuelband or the Up by Jawbone.  Check those out on a recent blog I did here.

Need some great tips to help you get started?
1. Park in the back of the lot when you get to work or go to the store
2. Take the stairs over the elevator or escalator when possible
3. Go to a different floor/building when you need to use the restroom
4. Set an alarm at your desk to get up and do a lap around the office every hour
5. Fidget while you work at your desk
6. Incorporate walking lunges into your workout routine to burn extra calories while doing bicep curls or an overhead press
7. Schedule a walking work meeting or walk during a conference call
8. Skip the drive through and walk in to get your coffee or lunch
9. Instead of meeting a friend for lunch, meet up for a hike or walk in the city
10. Walk the dog everyday (good chance that if your dog is overweight... you aren't getting enough exercise!)

TGIF

Happy Friday :)

1.  Prepare your weight loss plans (What will you eat if you go to a restaurant?  Do you have time to get your workout in on Saturday, and when will you have to do it?  Are you planning to go out for drinks?...)

2.  Prepare for obstacles.  Inevitably, there will be things that get in the way of our plans.  Your friends may even say "Hey, let's order pizza!"  Just relax and instead of turning your weekend into a complete wreck, use self-control and make additional healthy choices when possible (bring a salad and make a low-cal drink).  Just remember, one bad choice will not make it a bad weekend!

Enjoy your weekend!