What does planning accordingly mean? It means I can shuffle my workouts around a bit to make the “road workouts” suit me. This might mean switching my lift and cardio days around, or doubling up an ab-only day to include cardio or lifting in order to be able to use one of my travel days as a rest day. And it allows me to scope out my accommodations to see if I will be able to do a lift workout at the hotel, or if I’ll need to do primarily cardio work and a weight-free workout like 30-15 (all pushups and pullups).
I’ve been able to not let vacations throw me off schedule by getting creative. But what if you are a steady traveler. What are the tips that will help you consistently stick to the workouts and nutrition?
First, you’ll need some resistance bands, because if you are traveling a lot, there isn’t a way to always adjust your workout calendar to avoid lift days on the road. A good set of bands will make life so much easier. And get a door anchor for the bands so that you can simulate pullups, because you may not always have access to a pullup bar / playground / tree branch (LOL)!
Second, plan ahead — maybe PlyoX isn’t the best option for a hotel room unless you want some angry downstairs guests. Know what workouts you have scheduled on those days and make adjustments if needed. I remember doing PlyoX at sunrise last year in the parking lot of a hotel we stayed at in Branson, with our portable DVD player setting on the back bumper of my suburban. An old guy walking his dog stood and watched in amazement for quite a while at the crazy guy jumping around behind his car! LOL!
Finally, the real tool that sets us up for success more than ever is Beachbody On Demand (the Netflix of fitness). All I need is my cell phone and I can stream whatever workout I want from my library. This should be a no-brainer for our Road Warriors on teamRIPPED!
So getting in your workouts — with a little planning and creativity — can be done.
Nutrition on the GO
What about the nutrition? That’s a hard one! How can you stick to the nutrition plan on the road?
First, it takes planning and packing. Take lots of survival rations because you don’t want to get stuck with no options besides fast food or junk food. You can get a lot of nutrition from some easy to pack items like:
— Shakeology packets (or ziplocs made from your stash at home)
— Whey protein powder (again, make several ziplocs ready to mix with water)
— Protein bars
— Jerky (beef or turkey)
— Almonds
— Cereal (I like Cheerios and GoLean)
— Apples
**All of those require no refrigeration and can be kept in your backpack / suitcase / carry-on bag. Just be sure you have a shaker cup for mixing your Shakeology and whey protein with water.
And what about the big meals? Can you survive eating out at meals without killing your diet? Sure! It just takes planning.
Eating Out
Whenever I know I’ll be eating out, I plan ahead, do my research, and make sure that even though I eat out, I will exactly hit my calories, protein, carbs, and fat for the day! I’ve put in some effort and researched the restaurants I frequent to find the healthiest options so I’m not forced into a corner when I get there. Most restaurants post their nutritional info on line, and you can look ahead of time at the menu choices to find something that will fit in your daily plan. MyFitnessPal will have almost all major restaurants entered in their database too. Will it be chips and queso? NO! But you can still eat out and enjoy yourself without feeling guilty afterwards!
For breakfast, you can usually find some good healthy options at most restaurants, like egg white omelets, fresh fruit, wheat toast and cereals. But be careful because breakfast at a restaurant can also spell total disaster if you get pastries, indulge in syrups / butters / jellies, and load up on fatty foods like bacon, sausage, and fried hash browns. Resist!!!
For meals like lunch and dinner, you can do well with grilled chicken salads (assuming you skip the dressing, cheese, and croutons). Soups can be good, as well as sandwiches on wheat bread (but be careful about the toppings). You are usually safe with steamed veggies of all kinds. Sauteed veggies will be packed with fat though so avoid them! Fish and steaks are good too, as long as you look at how they are prepared. You can get a lot of fat and sugar that is hidden in the way a food is prepared. For instance, at my favorite Asian food restaurant, I can turn a fattening meal into a very healthy one by ordering it with brown rice instead of white/fried rice, and by asking for my meat to be cooked “STOCK VELVET”, meaning that instead of the crispy coating, the meat is boiled. It still has the spicy taste to it, but has way less fat and carbs. Try this if you are an Asian food fan!
Is it a challenge for the Road Warrior to stay on track? Absolutely! But is it impossible? No way! It takes planning and determination to follow through, but it can surely be done. Get those workouts in despite having to make adjustments. And resist the temptations while at the restaurant — you can survive eating out without the guilt and without the extra pounds that often plague those who eat out!
Need a coach?
My email: coachwayne@teamripped.com
IG: @wayne_wyatt
