5 ways to keep on track with your Fitness plan when travelling

Maintaining training and nutrition while traveling with work can be a real challenge, I know this only too well from personal experience as my wife and I along with our 3 young kids decided to re-locate 300 miles away from London back in 2019 yet I continue to work in London for at least a few days per week. I have learned how to plan and organise myself so I continue to be as productive regardless of where

In this article I will break down the key areas that done correctly will allow you to continue on your fitness journey with little to no setbacks

1. PLAN IN ADVANCE

I use the Trello app on my phone to manage a lot of my daily to-do’s (Todoist and Notion are other great products).

I set specific checklists that cover everything I need to pack and prepare. Typical categories are:

• Clothing
• Toiletries
• Tech (devices / chargers / converters / headphones etc)
• Accessories (wallet/work pass/keys etc)
• Nutrition (snacks, whey, vits, etc)
• Training (kit, plan)
• Work stuff

Some of these are lists of items to pack, others are prompts to help me get organised.

We will therefore focus on the highlighted areas of Training and Nutrition and what you can do to try and maximise efficacy here!

2. ORGANISE SNACKS & SUPPLEMENTS

When following a fitness plan, good nutrition is possibly the biggest challenge when traveling.

Before getting myself totally organised in advance I would always struggle to eat enough food when on the road and this was mainly due to the fact that I had a different agenda than my colleagues and therefore allowances for an extra 2-3 meals per day were not really factored into the calendar!

This is where the value of pre-planning and having some backup snacks packed can help you out tremendously to keep protein levels on track and your metabolism firing

• Vitamins and Minerals – De-cant what you need for the trip into small containers
• Protein Powder – Just take the scoop, enough powder for the trip, and an empty shaker.
• Protein Bars – Pre-purchase, keep in your daily bag. A useful backup at all times. Check out Food Circle Supermarket which are terrific and sells short-dated excess stock at huge discounts!
• Meal Replacements – Huel powder is also a great idea if you are worried about not being able to get enough calories in

If you are travelling domestically and have storage capacity then you could be super organised and cook some meals in advance , i sometimes do this if practical

• Tuna Blend – Tuna / Red Onion / Desiccated Coconut & Chilli flakes plus a packet of wholemeal wraps
• Cooked sweet potato and ground Beef/Turkey

I have access to microwaves and fridges in my office so if I do bring pre-cooked meals with me, I will put these straight into the fridges upon arrival. Admittedly I am often travelling to my own place of work which makes this a viable option!

If not practical to take back up supplies then really you just have to try and find the balance between towing the line with colleagues and enjoying the social aspects of normal life and staying on plan. I would suggest using MyFitnessPal (see article here) to just keep an eye on how you are doing. I must stress, just as a guide, and spend no more than a minute or two checking in. I often find I am not eating enough so using the app helps me to get more food in or feel less guilty if i am heading out to a restaurant!

Other Good options to get quality calories in are :

• Microwaveable rice
• Nuts (ideally unsalted)
• Oatcakes (Nairns are my preferred choice)
• Rice Cakes (Kallo Dark Chocolate are amazing)

3. SET A WORKOUT PLAN

If you are a member of a national gym chain and they have a site near to where you are staying then this could be a nice option

To the super committed, calling local gyms in advance to see if guests are welcome and pricing up a day pass is also a good idea

If staying in paid accommodation then finding a hotel with a vaguely modern gym can sometimes work though the quality of equipment often leaves a lot to be desired as a minimum an early morning cardio session to blow away the cobwebs should be possible.

The limiting factor here is often time/motivation and potentially costly if having to pay for one-off access

One source of quick and easy workouts that can be done anywhere is the free Absurd Fitness Guide – Workouts you can do in 10 minutes with No Equipment. The e-book can be downloaded for free here and includes 20 workouts that can literally be done anywhere in a very short period of time

Alternatively, come up with your own quick workout, doesn’t have to be complex, the following basic movements will provide enough variety and challenge

• Air Squats
• Push-Ups
• Sit-Ups
• Plank
• Burpees
• Jumping Jacks….

Another option that is free and easy although less intense than a full-blown workout is to simply walk more places and aim to get in a minimum of 10,000 steps. On a recent business trip to Paris, I knew I was not going to have time to do any form of exercise beyond possibly a few circuits before retiring for the evening (day 2 was a 4.30 am start and trip to Amsterdam), Therefore, I took an earlier Eurostar from London and walked from Gare du Nord to my office which a good 45 mins. This was a lovely way to start the day, meant I got to see a bit more of the City and burnt a few calories in the process!

4. THINGS TO AVOID

• Re-active decision making – Take control, do not expect others to have the same goals as you!
• Last-minute plans – Be Prepared!
• Overdoing it – Be sociable yet sensible, a few drinks are not the end of the world! Moderation is key
• Getting stressed –
• Compromising other priorities – Competing priorities are part of life, do not compare yourself to fitness professionals or the latest influencer on social media. Align your decision-making to your priorities. If that is career/family/friends over getting to the gym at every possible opportunity then that is totally fine!

5. HOW TO GET BACK ON TRACK

1. Move on – Focus on the present, do not dwell on any negatives! The past is indeed the past!
2. Reinforce motivation – Re-read goals and objectives
3. Have a Reset Day – 100% commitment – use the Absurd Fitness Daily Planner
4. Prioritise Wellbeing – Works well with the reset – Get to bed a little earlier, eat really well

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