Jeff’s Journey, Part 6 — Staying On Track On The Road

Staying On Track On The Road

Pre-packaged meals helped me track calories and know exactly what I was putting into my body. I didn’t need to monitor calories because I knew what my intake was during the day. My exercise regime was similarly simple: Show up at the gym every day and work out for a hour. But what about when I travelled for work, which I do about 50 per cent of the time? Again, it turned out that having a manageable plan was key:

Consistency, consistency, consistency

If I did go out to eat, I would order a garden salad with chicken on top every single time. No cheating! Eating out regularly at restaurants means you must be aware how much you’re ordering and consuming. If your meal plan for weight loss calls for 600 calories at dinner, don’t be afraid to ask the restaurant what your menu item clocks in at – in my experience, the vast majority of restaurants are always happy to share this information.

Pack snacks in your carry-on

Unsalted almonds are my go-to snack. Simply grab a handful and pack them in a ziplock bag for your flight, drive, train trip or camel excursion. If you enjoy them as much as I do, you’ll want to pack a few ziplocks.

Hit the supermarket

Request hotel rooms with fridges, and be sure to head to the grocery store on your first day. This is especially important for breakfast items, as it can be so easy to turn to a fast-food breakfast sandwich. Instead, grab a few bananas, yogurt and granola at the store and keep it in your fridge.

Make time to work out

There’s really no excuse to skip a workout on the road. Many hotels have gyms, and these tend to open early and stay open late if they’re not available around the clock. At all hours of the day, I would head to the gym to tick off the “hour workout” box on my spreadsheet. Sometimes I would get on the elliptical at 2am or 5am — later and earlier than at home — depending on the time zone I was in. If I needed to join an early morning conference call, I would take my phone and headset with me to the gym. In fact, I would plan early morning calls just to force myself to get up and work out. It was all about planning ahead, yet keeping the focus simple: Just get the work done.