Staying Healthy When Traveling for Work

At this point I am no stranger to work travel (2 years in consulting, and a new job that also consists of some travel). O – I can sleep on flights and find other ways to occupy my time (lately I have been making good progress on my reading list) and I’m able to get into a decent routine when I’m away from home. However, one thing that has always been a bit of a challenge for me when traveling is sticking to my usual healthy routine. I’m still working on this. But over the years I’ve picked up a few guidelines I like to follow when I travel for work to stay healthy and not fall of the wagon.

Tips & tricks for staying healthy when traveling for work

+ Drink water

The most obvious one but also the most important. Flying is rough on your skin, body, immune system, digestion, and more. I always bring a reusable water bottle or buy one at the airport (yes, it’s overpriced but also worth it) and aim for at least a glass of water for every hour on the plane. Proper hydration is so, so important when you’re putting your body through the stress of traveling. And it’s easy to forget to drink water. Staying hydrated will help with the gross recirculated plane air, dry skin, and help you regulate digestion. It’ll also keep you full, which brings me to my next key point –

+ Avoid plane food as much as you can.

It’s filled with tons of SALT (your taste buds change at high elevations, so the food requires way more salt to give it any discernible flavor) and preservatives. No thank you. I’ll admit I’ve caved on recent flights and left feeling bloated and gross. No Bueno. Ideally bring your own snacks/meal or prepare to fast for the duration of your trip. You’ll feel a lot better for it. On a similar note, I try to avoid alcohol when I’m flying as well.

+ Try to get enough sleep

If you’re crossing time zones this can be tricky, I find a little melatonin or magnesium usually does the trick, but you may have to experiment with other methods.

+ Find the nearest Whole Foods

When I was traveling a lot to more obscure cities, the first thing I always did was try to locate a Whole Foods or health food store because I knew I would be able to pick up healthy prepared foods and snacks there. Some of my staples are the hot bar and salad bar, kombucha, and fruit. Work travel often consists of some more indulgent dinners out, so balancing with lighter, healthier meals helps you stay healthy when you’re on the road.

+ Eat plant based when possible

This is something I started incorporating this year.

My boyfriend and I set a goal to be “weekday vegan” which essentially is around eating plant based when possible (80% of the time) and treating meat as a luxury. I’m not claiming to be a vegan nor do I want to offend actual vegans. But I am actively working on cutting down my consumption of meat and dairy. Fish is another story, but that is also mostly reserved for weekends now. I’ll go into this more in another post. However, this has been easier than I anticipated and has helped me eat healthier during the week in general since the vegetarian/vegan option tends to be the healthiest on most menus.

+ Find ways to squeeze in hotel gym workouts

I am lucky to be traveling between LA and NYC at the moment and have an abundance of gyms and boutique fitness options to choose from. However, when I was traveling as a consultant I was not always so lucky. If you’re not highly motivated in the gym or following a pre set program it can be hard to work out effectively in the gym. More often than not, I found myself working out aimlessly on cardio machines and half-assing weights. My recommendation would be to find a program you like. (There are so many apps and e-books out there these days). And try to stick to those. I’m not a fitness expert by any means, so I would rather listen to one and let them guide me.

As I said, this has been a challenge for me in the past and is something I am very focused on this year. I find that I feel my best and do my best work when I feel healthy and active! My eating and exercise habits have changed so much over the past 5 years. Wellness has become a huge part of my life. What are some ways you stay healthy when you’re on the road?