At home or on the road, nutrition is responsible for 80% of our fitness results. Traveling tests us at the table!
When we travel, we tend to follow the most direct and major routes to our destinations. What a coincidence – fast food restaurants spend GUBillions of dollars studying traffic patterns and buying real estate to position themselves along routes with the most traffic. So it comes as no surprise to find fast and convenient junk food lining every major corridor and pathway we follow. Just walk through any airport and notice how convenient it is to get a fat, greasy, high-carb GUT-BOMB.
Imagine you’re a running-back trying to get a football into the end-zone, weaving and dodging an onslaught of burgers, fries, tacos, shakes, mochas, lattes, candy bars and chips. They’re trying to break your stride and bring you down. Put on your game-face before you travel. Nutrition is THE KEY ELEMENT to success at training while we travel.
FASTING*
Consider this – do we really NEED to eat? I know this sounds crazy and extreme but just consider it as a baseline upon which to build a few solutions. Is it possible to go 24 – 48 hours without eating? ABSOLUTELY – it’s called fasting and strong-willed people do it all the time for a variety of reasons.
There are many benefits to fasting:
- We will save a lot of money and a lot of time. More time for exercise! Woo-hoo!!!
- Detox coaches advocate fasting as a method of cleansing our system.
- Done properly, fasting actually boosts energy.
*There is a proper way to phase-in and phase-out of fasting. Research proper fasting methods to avoid complications.
PACK IT
If fasting is too extreme, at least consider eating less and packing your own healthy foods.
- I’ve packed a dozen apples and even oranges for my travels. It’s very convenient, time-effective and extremely healthy.
- Some people pack food-bars. I’m not a huge fan of this approach. Food-bars tend to have more sugars than the labels lead us to believe. I also don’t find food-bars to be very satisfying.
- On motorcycle trips, I pack nuts and beef jerky. On ski trips and mountain climbs I pack a jar of peanut-butter as it metabolizes slowly, providing good heat energy. Carob-coated raisins are also a great source of quick energy.
FIND IT
Find alternative food choices on the road.
- Grocery stores, in addition to fast-food slop-stops, are near major traffic routes. Many supermarkets now have health-food aisles with selections that are convenient and easy to prepare in our hotel rooms. It takes a little extra work – SUCK IT UP!
- With today’s technology it’s easy to Google our destinations for health-food stores. (If you’re not technically savvy, look around for a VW Bus covered with liberal bumper-stickers. Ask the groovy little peacenik where they buy their organic moon-pies and tree-bark milk. Give them a couple of bucks to buy some all-natural, organic petroleum to get them to their next protest.)
- Many restaurants today have “healthy menus”. With some advanced research, you can locate them around your destination.
Travel Tips began with discussing a proper MINDSET. The biggest challenge we face on the road is convenience. It’s easy to give-in to convenient options when we’re on unfamiliar turf. Stay focused. See your travel time as an opportunity to concentrate on your health and fitness. Maintain the right mindset when it comes to eating on the road. How much do we really NEED to eat? Bring or find proper food choices. We’ll feel a lot better at the end of our travels when we use this opportunity to refine our diet.
SUCK IT UP!
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