The dreaded work trip

Ok all you readers and my co-blogger, gather round as I tell you my tips for keeping up with the healthy living while traveling for work.

I don't know about you but traveling for work rarely allows much leisure time to see a new city much less keep up with your good habits. Moreover, it's damn hard to eat healthy when you don't control your menu and it's a bit awkward to start measuring your portions at the dinner table.

So here my tips for how to deal.

Give yourself a break. Work travel is damn hard and if you backslide a bit, it's totally normal. If you don't lose, it's a success because maintaining under those circumstances is a big hooray.

Exercise

1) Trade time for intensity. Ok, there's utterly no way I can get my regular 5 mile run in (running for 45 minutes). Between warming up and stretching and the actual running, it won't happen. But I can run a nice two and a half mile run at 8:15 minute mile as opposed to my regular nine minute mile. Saves me time and I can eat least get some exercise.

2) It's easier to commit to exercising before bed than first thing in the morning. Especially when it's damn embarassing to see your fellow conference attendees coming from a workout,

3) Bone up on the stretching and strengthening. Even without an exercise room, you can do a nice ten minute stretch and a set of 30 crunches.

4) I know it's hard but look forward to the exercise time. It's how you can unwind and let go of the day.

5) Reward yourself with a good long soak in the tub. Housecleaning will clean the tub the next day. Tip them well.

Eating

1) When facing a buffet, make sure vegetables make up 2/3rds of yourp late. It can be stir fry or salad or whatever, but you do know there's most likely less fat and salt in the vegetables.

2) Make your sandwich an open face one. Load up on everything but the mayo. When choosing cheese, provolone is a good option.

3) When eating a plated dinner as opposed to a buffet, eat half the starch, all the vegetables and all the meat if it's a lean meat or half the meat if it's red meat. Once done, push the plate away so that servers can take it.

4) Order and iced tea or a diet drink. For some reason water doesn't help fill me up when I travel.

5) Eat these first for breakfast - fruit, yogurt and eggs. Wait five minutes and if you are still hungry then go for the sausage, danish or croissant. Most likely if you do go back, you won't feel ravenous and get a large serving.

6) At the gift shop get several bags of trail mix. Keep two in your bag and one in your room for your midnight snack.