“To travel is to live”

Unfortunately for many of my clients, making a living means travelling. A lot.

Take Eric for example. Over 1/3 of his year is spent travelling. Yet he managed to achieve the results you see below, going from around 17% body fat to under 8%.

Eric has achieved phenomenal results despite travelling for over 1/3 of the year

I know, you’re probably thinking ‘how was that achieved?’.

Well it certainly didn’t happen by accident.

Eric was kind enough to write about the challenges he faces when he travels in this awesome blog post.

The first thing to work on is how you view the challenge of travel. Because you have to view it has a challenge to overcome, rather than an insurmountable hurdle that is going to immediately stop progress in its tracks.

You are still in complete control over what enters your mouth. You don’t suddenly lose all control over your food intake the moment you start travelling.

However, travelling definitely does present difficulties with staying on track with food.

Here are some quick tips: -

Ensure all meals have a serving of protein in it: Now, I’m guessing you don’t carry weighing scales with you when you travel, so make sure the serve of protein is about the size of your palm.
When looking at your plate, ensure half of it is covered with vegetables: Vegetables are nutrient dense, generally high in fibre, which help keep you feeling full, but contain very few calories, which is a winning combination when it comes to weight loss.
Try to maintain a regular eating pattern: Irregular eating patterns can often result in becoming ravenous and as a result over-eating. So, if you are used to eating 4 meals per day, spread out every 3-4 hours, try to maintain a similar schedule on the road.
Drink as much water as possible and minimise liquid calories: Travel for many involves socialising, client meetings, functions, brand launches etc. The one commonality with all such events being alcohol. Read my earlier post on alcohol consumption here. Flying can often leave you de-hydrated, so be sure to keep a water bottle handy and drink as much water as possible throughout the day.
Take healthy snacks with you: Whilst I am a big advocate of eating minimally processed, whole foods for the most part, having some convenient snacks at your disposal can be a game changer. Here is a list of some recommended snacks: -

Protein Bars: Whilst I am big advocate of minimally processed, whole foods. protein bars can be a life-saver when travelling. Two brands I really like are Chief Collagen Bars (the Cashew shortbread flavour is unreal - https://eatlikeachief.com/products/mixed-collagen-bar-sample-pack) and Blue Dinosaur Protein Bars (the peanut butter flavour is a must - https://www.bluedinosaur.com.au/product-info/protein-bar-range)
Jerky: High in protein and easy to transport, jerky is a travellers best friend. Here is a great brand - https://www.kooeesnacks.com.au/shop/
Raw Nuts: High in good, monounsaturated fat, and fibre. Easy to transport and carry when travelling. However, due to their high fat content, they pack a rather large calorie punch, which can be detrimental to weight loss. So, if you do take nuts with you to travel with, try to portion then out into zip-lock bags before you leave so that you don’t eat the whole pack before you have even taken off!

When it comes to training, there are 2 main obstacles: -

Lack of time
Lack of equipment (I mean, have you seen the state of most hotel gyms?)

This is where quick, bodyweight workouts can come in handy.

Here are 4 you can save and use whenever you are travelling: -

Another travel tip is to get outside and run. Not only is this a great way to burn off some excess calories from dinner the night before, but is a great way to see the place you are visiting. You can do some of the bodyweight workouts along the way!

The bottom line is, travelling can be extremely challenging. If travelling across time zones you have jet lag to contend with. You have different cultures, different foods, different schedules. However, none of these factors mean that you cannot still make the progress you desire. I have had plenty of clients who have travelled and make some unbelievable progress. Don’t use your travel as an excuse.