4 Healthy Travel Tips for Your Next Business Trip

If you are anything like me when you travel, whether it is for business or pleasure, you like to enjoy the delicious local foods. This also means, like me, the instant your plane lands on your home turf you feel the overwhelming feeling of guilt from over-indulging while traveling. As a sales person, my job requires me to travel A LOT to some beautiful parts of America, where every corner I turn there seems to be some butter-soaked, chocolate-covered, loaded-with-guilt, “must try” cuisine. I constantly find myself struggling with how to enjoy the local delicacy without having to let my pants out an inch or two every time I get home. I rely on these 4 tips each time I travel to maintain the “these pants fit just right” feeling while avoiding the “I have my tailor on speed dial to let these pants out” moment.

Goal one: Follow the 1 to 3 rule

The 1 to 3 rule means that for every 3 healthy meals I eat while traveling I will allow myself 1 “cheat” meal. This rule allows me about one meal of indulgence every other day. This gives me just the right amount of taste for the local cuisine without going overboard.

Goal Two: Take an extra STEP

According to thewalkingsite.com, a healthy person should get a minimum of 10,000 steps in a day, equivalent to walking 5 miles. Often times while traveling you find yourself sitting on a plane, sitting in an airport, sitting in public transit or worse….sitting in local traffic! This makes it difficult to walk 10,000 steps in one day, but if you make a conscious effort to achieve the 10,000 you will find unique opportunities to take an EXTRA STEP here and there. During a layover, instead of choosing a coffee shop right next to your gate, choose one that is in a separate concourse. This allows you to get in some extra steps while walking back to your gate for your flight.

Goal three: Be “Runtastic”

You could also call this Goal two part A, but for the sake of simplicity I call it goal three. The fact is that you may challenge yourself to take the extra steps but it is difficult to know if you are reaching the goal of 10,000, especially if you do not have a Jawbone™ or Fitbit^® to help keep track for you. But of course…there is an app for that! I found that downloading the Runtastic app to my smartphone allows me to track my steps, understand what parts of the day I am most active and even know my average pace. For an extra health boost, push yourself to increase your walking speed by 1% each week.

Goal four: Food Trip every meal

The Food Tripping app allows you to search for healthy restaurants and markets ANYWHERE. It is a super easy app to use. It simply picks up your location and pings restaurants and markets around you that have plenty of healthy options. You can click on the ping and it will tell you the distance to the healthy location and directions to get there. I use it every time I am trying to stay true to my 1 to 3 rule.

As my business and personal life takes me to all different parts of the world, these 4 tips will help keep me healthy while I’m on the go. What other tricks do you use to stay healthy on the go?

5 Things To Always Pack When Traveling

Whether your next trip is for business or pleasure, consider adding the following items to your packing list if you haven’t already included them.

1. STAIN REMOVER WIPES OR STICK.

If you are like me, you’re not finished with a meal until you are wearing it. There is nothing worse than ruining your favorite shirt or tie when it could have been prevented with some pre-treating. Stain removers are small and travel-friendly.  Put this in your bag once and you will be thankful should you ever need it.

2. A REUSABLE BOTTLE.

You can’t bring larger liquids through security but you can bring an empty bottle to fill up. Hydration when traveling is key. It can ward off jetlag! Keep a bottle with you and fill it up often.  Many airports now have water bottle filling stations and most public places have water fountains making it easy to fill up anywhere. Plus, you are saving money and staying green.

3. BAGS, BAGS AND MORE BAGS.

I always pack several shopping bags and a couple extra sandwich bags in my suitcase. Bags are great for pre-sorting laundry or to pack up something that’s still wet. Sandwich bags come in handy to keep pieces of something that may have broken or the rest of a snack. I haven’t been on a trip yet where I haven’t used at least one of the bags I’ve brought. You just never know what you will need a bag for so be sure to tuck one in your luggage.

4. EMERGENCY SNACK.

There is something to be said about those Snicker’s commercials. You can always unexpectedly get stuck in traffic for hours or a flight can be delayed. So, be prepared and pack a snack just in case. My favorite on-the-go snacks are trail mixes and granola bars. They take up little space but can really curb hunger when you need it.

5. CASH.

In the age of electronic banking, I rarely carry cash. However I always have some cash in my travel bag. I specifically carry ones and fives. Whether it is a tip for valet parking or a toll road, cash is always a must for me.

When you’re on the go, what other items can you not leave home without?