Healthy Eating Tips for Business Travelers

If you are someone who travels frequently on business, you probably know the pitfalls of the lifestyle. Business meals at restaurants, drinking sessions to celebrate deals and contracts, little or no time to exercise, sleep deprivation, frequent hotel stays, long periods spent traveling etc. – all this can take a heavy toll on health.

You may find that waistline expanding, feel yourself getting breathless even with just a bit of exertion, and the next thing you find is a diagnosis of high cholesterol, hypertension and heart disease! To stay healthy even as you travel for business, here are some tips you can use:

Say you’re ‘training’ for something

The Entrepreneur advises frequent business travelers that you use an excuse like ‘Training’ to refuse unhealthy foods.

If you frequently have business lunches and dinners and you are offered something that looks fattening, say that you’re training for something.

This sounds more forceful and better than saying you’re on a diet. You can be training for a salsa competition, for your city’s mini marathon or even the adult softball league; it doesn’t matter what!

Set a fun active goal

As you spend long spells out of town, in strange hotels, your fitness routine can become seriously upset.

So try and set yourself some fun goals that will get you up and active to make sure that you get enough exercise even when you’re traveling. Even just taking a walk to explore the neighborhood is a good idea.

Carry fitness equipment

Carry along (or travel in) your running or gym shoes when you go on a trip. Carry a jump rope, workout clothing, swimming gear, some kind of resistance equipment (tubing, bands and so on), and an exercise video and so on. Also carry along your personal stereo or iPod so you are motivated to just take a brisk walk or a turn on the treadmill wherever and whenever you can.

Ask in advance

Try and book yourself into hotels that have fitness facilities. Check in advance to see that the gym and / or pool are serviceable and in working condition at the time that you plan to stay. Give preference to hotels that have better fitness facilities and then try to fit in some workout time, no matter what your schedule looks like.

Make do with hotel furniture

If your hotel doesn’t have a gym or pool do pushups, stomach crunches and simple lifting exercises using stuff around the hotel room.