Guest Post: Keeping Fit While Traveling

Every once in a while I'll get a good guest post for DGSC. Today's post offers strategies to staying fit while you are traveling for work.

Keeping Fit While Traveling

By: Mike Manning

Even for a dedicated person with an established fitness routine, it can be difficult to stick to it while on the road. There are several reasons for this including lack of time, being too tired, and lack of facilities. Fortunately, there are many different ways to overcome these and other obstacles. Continuing to exercise while out of town can keep one feeling fit and can help work off some of the extra calories from dining out for three meals a day.

Today most hotels have a fitness center, but many of them have only the minimum equipment like a few treadmills, bikes, elliptical machines and potentially a universal machine. Additionally, the gym is usually in a tiny, low-funded room that does not have the type of equipment needed to continue one's routine. This is where research comes in before booking a hotel. On a recent trip to Maui I was able to book a hotel with a great fitness studio by checking through a travel site beforehand. I looked through all the Maui hotels and was able to find out which ones had the best fitness areas in my budget. I would suggest anyone traveling to do this same type of research in the future.

An alternative to working out in the hotel gym is exercising in the hotel room itself. Many hotels offer a fitness channel on the television. These channels will have several fitness programs cycle throughout the day. All of the routines will be designed to be performed in a smaller space with minimum equipment. Some of the programs will utilize equipment that can be borrowed from the front desk. One can also prepare their own workout routine or use one from the Internet like this one from Shape magazine.

Fitness while on the move is becoming somewhat easier as airports are responding to customers' desire to be more active. Some locations are offering marked walking paths while others meditation rooms for travelers to practice yoga or simply stretch and relax. Many in-terminal restaurants are also beginning to offer healthier options. For passengers travelling through Baltimore, Dallas Fort-Worth or San Francisco will be able to follow well-marked paths through the terminals to complete short half to one-mile routes. Adding this activity during a trip will not only help a person stick to an exercise routine, but will help offset issues that can be caused by air travel like cramped limbs or blood clots.

As a frequent traveler I used to find it very difficult to keep up with my healthy lifestyle while on a business trip or vacation. The key to all of these tips is to go into the trip prepared. Booking hotels, researching the area, looking into restaurant menus, and planning an itinerary with a workout involved are easily done if the right preparation is taken. Don’t cheat your healthy lifestyle just because you are away from home.

End of the 30 Day Challenge!

Several days ago I ended the 30 Day Challenge of No-Gluten, No- Dairy, and No-refined sugar foods. For those of you just reading, my reason for this challenge were experimental to see my psychological addiction to any of the following. Also, I wanted to see if there were any effects to my training.

30 DAY RECAP
Week 1: Intense sugar craves, initial loss of energy, abnormal protein and fat intake. No decreases in training performance
Week 2: No cravings, no noticeable changes in daily nutrition.
Week 3: Same, bored of nutrition plan.
Week 4: Only tough because I was looking forward to treating myself when I completed the Challenge.

Anyone looking to eliminate one of these three "types" of food from their diet should have the following ready.

1. A nutrition plan 
So many people enter into these challenges without a plan and get easily lost because they don't know where they stand. If you go on vacation you develop a plan to travel. If you want to ask a girl on a date, you develop a plan (even though it may not be the best plan). So why would a nutrition challenge be any different.

2. Have your "saves" in place
I knew I would struggle with dessert because I have implemented it as a meal since I was a kid. So I inserted a "save" around that time. This was either a protein shake, a fruit and peanut butter option, or a non-dairy non gluten, non sugar chocolate bar. Yes, they have those!

3. Find an accountable partner
Diet changes can be tough, especially when you choose one that you know will be tough for you. I love chocolate, milk, and tuna sandwiches. I could eat them all day every day. I knew if I did not have a partner to encourage me and keep me accountable to this challenge that it would be so much tougher. It was also cool to share experiences after and talk about what we liked and disliked.

IN THE END...
 I really enjoyed this challenge because I love testing my limits. I know if I only did things I was good at, my opportunity for growth would be much smaller. It was tough being with my buddies and denying a beer or ordering a salad at a mexican restaurant or watching my brothers eat donuts like they were getting ready to hibernate. However, I completed it and am proud that I have an experience to share with others who are thinking about a challenge like this.

If you are looking for a nutrition challenge to get you in shape for the summer, check out Advocare's 24 Day Challenge. They package all the things you need to assist your training program. Here is the link https://www.advocare.com/13051846/Store/default.aspx

Leave your questions and comments below!

Week 3 of the 30 Day Challenge

Not a whole lot has change from the last week. I am in a rhythm and eating a lot of the same foods. However...

I did fail last week at my buddies bachelor party. One night all they had was homemade pizza and a guy has to eat. It was interesting though because a lot of people had told me once I went back to gluten or dairy my stomach would freak out. So I waited and waited and nothing happened. Even the next morning I felt fine and had no GI distress.

It is good to know I am not going to get destroyed as I reintroduce gluten, dairy and even sugar back in my diet. I am smart enough to know I should not eat a buffet of donuts and milk because that would be a nightmare.

The challenge ends Sunday and I have one of my favorite muffin waiting for me Monday morning. For those of you who have just started a challenge or are thinking about it, comment below your thoughts or experiences.

Achieving Postural Excellence

Posture can be one of two things in your life. Either you understand spinal position and sit/stand with good posture. Or you don't. Simple enough. However, most people only think about their posture when someone tells them to sit-up straight or most likely when you read the title of this post.

NATURAL SPINAL POSITION

Our bodies are created to hold a natural curve in our spine. It is kind of an S shape that starts with your cervical spine, moves to your thoracic, down to your lumbar and ends with your sacrum and coccyx. There are many muscles that help hold your posture correctly (or not).  

Most gym jockees have no idea what a neutral spine is let alone holding spine position in a movement. One of the most common mistakes is when people lose their spine position in a Deadlift or Squat. But arnt those lower body lifts? Why would I worry about my upper body? Because if you don't then your back will hate you either immediately or in the near future as your load increases.

Another problem when teaching a neutral spine position is athletes moving into a lordotic position where your hips overly posterior tilt. Sometimes you might also see the ribs flare out or the chest stick out way too much.

COACHING CUES

First, check this post on learning to hold a neutral spine in a hip hinge.

Some common cues you might hear are: chest out, brace your core, chin tucked, scaps back and down. 
The truth is, the best cues are the ones that work. You have to know your client and figure out the one description that will help them out the most. Teaching your athletes to hold a neutral spine will improve their lifts, prevent injury, and produce results in their competition.



SUMMARY

Quality movement should be the most important focus of a training regimen. This will lead to greater power and strength gains in the weight room, which transfers into your sport. Whether you are deadlifting, squatting, pushing ot pulling, work to achieve a neutral spine.

Week 2 of the 30 Day Challenge

At the end of Week 2 of the 30 day Challenge I have found some comfort in my nutrition routine. I am a person who could eat the same meals over and over again for a couple months. I admit I am a little bored of the challenge because there is no challenge anymore. However, the benefits continue to show up.

VARIETY
As you know, dessert was the toughest meal for me to find a non dairy, sugar, or gluten option. My weakness was eating cookies or s'mores because they were easily available. Once I kept them out of sight they were out of mind, but my hunger to eat something sweet before bed had not gone away. So I got creative to find other options. Fruit smoothies and protein shakes have become a staple. The protein I use is the one "dairy" source that I allow in. I am not a believer in soy protein bases and ultimately try to avoid soy on all levels.

BREAKING HABITS
Another option I found was to fill up a little more than usual for dinner and go to bed without dessert. It has helped me break my psychological habit of always eating before bed. I was always so used to eating anything before bed and honestly have not missed dessert for several years until now. There are also strong habits that people have not related to the taste of food, but also the mindset of eating.


FINAL OBSERVATIONS
I am sleeping pretty well and not waking up as many times during the night. I am snacking a lot more on nuts and dried fruits. This is something I am trying to slowly weed out of my diet habits. My lifting performance has not changed at all. I am in the process of reteaching myself my Olympic lifts and continuing to better my coaching through my own trial and errors. The soreness post-training is what I expected it to be along with my recovery.

If you have joined this challenge or are eliminating any foods in your diet, comment below! When you share your journeys it continues to inspire everyone else along theirs.

Week 1 of the 30 Day Challenge

My 30 Day (no gluten, no sugar, no dairy) Challenge has not been easy. Going into week 1 I didn't expect it to be too harsh or ever reach a point of regret. However, Day 2 I was asking myself, Can I really do this?

Let's take a step back real quick. I am doing this challenge solely for the purpose of experimentation. If I am ever training people who are considering trying gluten, sugar, or dairy free nutrition, then I will be bale to give them a first hand experience. It may be different because I am eliminating all 3 at once, but I am still experiencing the "change" in nutrition. This is not a lifestyle change that I want to make because to be honest, I do like bagels and sourdough break and I believe there is a time and place for it.

DOOMSDAY

The first 3 Days were the worst for me. I was surprised on Day 2 after my lunch how much I was craving sugar. A cookie, brownie, chocolate bar, anything. I am big on dessert each night and after 1 night of not having it my mind and stomach were freaking out. It has been very eye opening to my body having a sugar addiction. This is definitely something that I will make a change in the future to not rely on a sugar packed dessert each night.

THE RESULTS

Up to this point I have found a few great outcomes from eliminating the big 3. First, I have been sleeping better on a more consistent basis. On 5 out of 7 nights I have slept an average of 8 hours a night like a rock. The other 2 nights my sleep schedule was off due to a late work night and a late weekend night.

Second, my training performance has not decreased at all. My numbers have been on point for my Olympic Lifts and upper body pushing. My legs have been a little more sore than usual, but that could be due to a new program I started last week.

Lastly, I have become a lot more creative with my meals. People think you have to rely on salads all day everyday, but I am enjoying what I am eating while only eating a salad for dinner which is normal. I am eating a ton of lean meats and fish, nuts, berries, vegetables, and fruit has become a sweet treat throughout the day.

FUTURE PREDICTIONS

Heading into the next 2 weeks I want to make sure I am not getting bored of what I am eating. I believe a lack of variety or enjoyment in any nutrition plan will ultimately lead to failure over time. Also, I need to find more recipes, that follow my challenge, that provide more of a crunch. I miss the bread texture and taste. 

30 Day Challenge!

I have decided to start a 30 day nutrition challenge. Not because I don't eat healthy, not because I am trying to lose weight, and not because I am trying to cleanse. Rather I want to see what all the hype is about eliminating certain foods out of my diet. In this profession, experimenting on your body is the BEST experience you can get to be real with your clients and give them your best opinions. Like my mom always said, "Don't say you do not like something before you have tried it." 

THE CHALLENGE

Eliminate the following:

Gluten, Refined Sugar, Dairy

Entering this challenge I am not concerned about the gluten, but I am concerned about the dairy and refined sugar. Personally, I struggle with refined sugar because dessert is usually where my nutrition goes to poop. However, I have set myself up with the necessary support to do this.

TIPS AND TRICKS

First, if you want to join this 30 day challenge with me, go for it! Do not hold back. Here are some tips that may help along the way.

1. Make sure you have a friend to do it with. Accountability is key and will help you in the long run.

2. Know what is in your foods! Do not guess or hope that something is not in there. Do the research.

3. Plan out your meals so you know what is coming.

4. If you are going to do this, keep a journal about how you feel or what changes you may see.

HELP

If any of you have tips for a challenge like this, thoughts on substitute foods, or any advice I would love to hear it. Nothing in my training regimen will change (oly lifting, power lifting, single leg training) or my sleep schedule. I will update you all as much as I can about my journey and I hope you share about yours as well.

Good luck!