E-Paper
Health: How to keep fit while on business trips
For a travelling executive, maintaining decent levels of fitness amid busy work schedules can be fairly difficult but not impossible
Most of my clients are extremely busy, high flying executives. It is pretty normal for them to crisscross across continents on a monthly basis. Since they are my clients, they are pretty serious about their health and fitness. I shall not lie to you but maintaining decent levels of fitness for a travelling executive is fairly difficult but not impossible. Eating hotel food, fatigue from travel, disrupted sleep all have an adverse impact on the body. The older you are, the worse the impact! But these harmful side effects can be ameliorated with having a plan and sticking to it.
Some of the things that can help staying on track with your fitness goals are as follows:
Being flexible: You may not have the luxury of having a decent gym in your hotel. These days most hotels have gyms but if travelling to smaller towns, then the hotel gyms are not so great. Also you may not have the time to get a full workout in. But aim should be able do what you can, with what you have. Here if you have personal trainer, he/she can change things around for you. I usually ask my clients to send me a picture of the gym and I change the program for them, keeping the availability of the equipment in mind. Sometimes it is just a quick circuit of push up, squats, lunges, various planks etc.
Sleep: Travelling internationally plays havoc with sleep patterns. Lack of sleep then interferes with almost everything. I recommend that my clients are well prepared to tackle this by talking to their doctor and taking certain supplements which can help the body better adapt to the change in time zones and regularise their sleep.
Food: Following a particular diet becomes very difficult while travelling. The less said the better about hotel food! If you are a regular at a particular hotel chain, then you can probably ask the chef to change the food, keeping your goals in mind. But this may not be always possible but you can still follow your diet plan by choosing the appropriate items on the menu. It is also a good idea to pack your protein powder with you as well as carry assorted nuts for a quick and healthy snack. Along with food, most people tend to forget about drinking enough water but staying hydrated is as if not more important. So carry your water bottle around. The goal should be to get around 3 liters of water per day.
Alcohol: Just because you are travelling, should not become a reason to cut loose on the drinking. I know, I know, socialising with the clients means drinking but still an attempt must be made to minimise. Otherwise you are adding empty calories as well as making your liver function over time to detoxify the body. Not the best place to be in!
So there you go, keep the above tips in mind and I am sure, maintaining fitness on the go will not be impossible. It’s a cliché that’s been beaten to death but where there is a will there is a way! Now go and do it.
Author bio: Kamal Singh is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist who has been coaching for 15 years
Follow @KamalSinghCSCS on Twitter
From HT Brunch, August 25 , 2019
Follow us on twitter.com/HTBrunch
