CT Personal Trainer Shows You How To Eat On The Road

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7 TIPS TO HELP YOU FIGHT FAT AWAY FROM HOME!

Inside Look At My Eating Plan While Traveling

It's been a horrendous start to the week. As many of you know (and many are experiencing) Connecticut has thousands of power outages across the state after a rare October snowstorm toppled and weighed down trees on Saturday, bringing down wires. At the time of typing this post, over half of the state is still without power and 48% of the town I live in is down as well as 88% of the town my business is in....3 days later!

Due to the cold weather, lack of electricity, lack of heat, and general comfort levels, many people opted to shack up in a local hotel. I'm no fool! I took my wife and we were a couple of those "many" people that were lucky enough to get a vacant room.

While away from home, I make a conscious effort not to fall too far out of my normal exercise and eating habits. I know it's hard to be as structured as one may plan or like to be. But that doesn't mean you should just throw in the towel. That's too easy. With a little effort and preparation, you can be just as productive with your fat loss program.

How I Dealt With Exercise and Eating While Away From Home

Let's face it, outside of vacations and those who like to travel for work, getting pulled from your home for an extended period of time sucks! Without knowing how long we would be without power, I had to be prepared. But at the same time, I didn't want to pack up the whole house! I took the necessities to get by for a couple of days - money, credit cards, clothes, toiletries, and (of course) my laptop, cell phone, and their chargers. We didn't pack a bunch of food. And I wasn't about to cart off all of my supplements. Plus packing up in the dark with just a flashlight wasn't much fun.

But that didn't stop me from keeping on pace!

The first thing I did when I woke up the next day was research which health food and supplement stores had power and were able to open. Then, I had my breakfast and went and prepared myself to hunker down for a few days...nutrient loaded and still a fat burning, muscle building machine!

Even if I wasn't trying to make a quick evacuation, I don't like to travel too loaded down with luggage. I like to pack light. This is why I leave all of my protein powders and most of my pills (I only pack my multi-vitamin) at home. It's just a pain in the ass to cart all of that stuff...no matter how prepared I am or want to be. What I do instead is as soon as I get to my destination, I go to a local GNC or some health food store equivalent to stock up on some moderate calorie, nutrient dense food products to have in my hotel room. This keeps me prepared to feed myself on a timely basis without eating JUNK.

Here is a list of the things that I do to make sure I stay on track while on the road:

1. Eat a Health Breakfast: You can virtually get a healthy breakfast anywhere. Or at least a breakfast that isn't so damaging. Diners are an easy choice. But if you don't have the time to sit, there are a lot of "fast food" options. My first day away from home I had an egg-white and turkey sausage flat bread sandwich from Dunkin' Donuts. My second day away I had an Western Omelette flat bread sandwich from Subway with egg whites, 1 slice of ham, peppers and onions. My third day away I went down to the Bistro in the Courtyard I was staying and had their "Healthy Start" sandwich which was egg whites, spinach, and a little havarti cheese on an English muffin. Do you see the pattern? It's quick, I get a moderate calorie, moderate carb, moderate fat, and moderate protein start to my day. I make sure to drink a bottle of water and wash down my vitamins. Accompanied with a black coffee sweetened with a packet of Truvia and I was good to go!

NOTE: The meals definitely got better with each day. I found the Dunkin's choice pretty good, Subway a little better, and the Courtyard's sandwich the best.

2. Invest in a Meal Replacement Shake: When traveling, I like to stick with the greatest of convenience. I want to make it as easy as possible to stay with my plan which includes feeding myself every 2 1/2 - 3 1/2 hours, 2 of my meals coming from these little shakes (usually feedings #2 and #4). My Meal Replacement of choice while on the road is Labrada Nutrition's Lean Body RTD (Ready To Drink meal replacement shakes). Each one is 260 calories, with 40 grams of protein, 9 grams of carbs, absolutely no sugar, 5 grams of fiber, and 9 grams of healthy fats. AND IT'S SIMPLY DELICIOUS!!!! Muscle Milk makes a quality RTD, too, but I find that their fat count in there is a little too high for me.

Note: As an alternative, I am not opposed to grabbing a small tub of protein powder or a bunch of meal replacement packets (MRP). After all, that is why I pack my shaker bottle. I often will simply grab a tub of protein powder (a mixed protein, not just a straight whey) and when it comes to a feeding time I will make a shake with 2 scoops mixed in 16 ounces of water in my shaker bottle and accompany this with10-20 mixed nuts.

3. Grab Yourself Some Protein Bars: Honestly, on an everyday basis, I'm not a big fan of protein bars. I find them to have ingredients in them that I really don't care for (namely...sugar alcohols). But on the rare occasion, they can be a nice, convenient way of getting a quick, semi-nutritious feed in. While on the road, I try to limit these to just one a day (usually feeding #3). Again, Labrada Nutrition's Lean Body Gold would be my bar of choice. This time around, I wasn't lucky enough to find any in stock. I went with a box of the originals...The Pure Protein Bar. There are many options out there to choose from. And obviously taste is a major factor. But you can't just throw away the nutrient factor. Here is what to look for on the label:

Get a bar that is no more than 300 calories per bar

Try to keep the fat content in the single digits. If you can't find that, try to get one where the fat calories is no more than 20% of the total calories.

Get a bar that AT LEAST has 20 grams of protein. Even higher would be better.

Get a bar that has less carbs than protein.

4. Eat a Nutritious Dinner: This goes for when you are traveling or anytime you go out to eat. Choose a High Protein, Low to No Carb, Moderate Fat Dinner. The last meal of the day before bed is no time to wolf down breads and pastas. Go for a protein source (chicken breast, fish, steak, etc) and a large salad or a double portion of vegetables. Maker sure your protein source is not breaded or fried. Stay away from croutons on the salad. And know your sauces and dressings! Some are ok. Most will destroy your efforts. You don't want to sabotage the meal with these tricky, empty calorie adders.

5. Make Time To Exercise: This doesn't take much. Waking up 30 to 60 minutes earlier in your day can go a long way. Most hotel chains have some form of fitness room. Some better than others. At the very least, you will find some form of cardio equipment that you can utilize. For those of you that have a little more time and desire, seek out a local fitness facility that offers day passes. What I did while I was stranded away from home was to go to the local YMCA and get my weight training in on one day and then the next day I went down to the hotel's fitness room and did 30 minutes of HIIC (high intensity interval cardio).Twenty to thirty minutes is all that I'm asking. And you'll notice the difference if you make it a habit.

5. Say "NO" to Dessert and Alcohol: Talk about empty calories. These are the biggest culprits to ruining one's diet. You know how many traveling businessmen I have trained over the years that can't fathom the idea of not drinking while on the road at a business dinner? It's ridiculous! Are you telling me the reason you get a sale is the fact that you drank a couple of glasses of Scotch? Really?!?!? How about leading by example and showing you have your willpower and are a focused individual? Pass on the alcohol. And for those of you who are stubborn and insist on fighting me on this....Do me AND yourself a favor....at least moderate it. One drink a night! PERIOD!!!!

6. Take the Stairs!: You want to stay active and move as much as possible. Again, this tip is not just for traveling. If your hotel room is anywhere between the first and 3rd floor, there is no reason you need to take an elevator outside of checking in and checking out. Honestly, how often are you leaving and entering with all of your luggage? On top of this, unless you have some form of disability YOU DON'T NEED THE CLOSEST PARKING SPOT! Walk a little people!!!

7. Drink Water: This is one of the most neglected tips. Yet it is one of the most important ones. When away from home, it's easy to get out of the habit of drinking water. We are 2/3's water. And it will keep you full and energized. Drink it! Keep a bottle or two in your hotel room at all times as well as accompany all of your meals with water.

There you have it. Whether stranded from your house due to a record breaking storm or traveling for whatever reason, 7 Tips To Keep You On Track.

Come in for Your FREE Consultation

Do you travel a lot for work and find it hard to stick to an exercise and/or nutrition plan? Don't give up! I can help you. If you're not already a Cutting Edge Client, you live close by, and you are serious about taking control of your health and physique, then make sure you take advantage of your FREE Fitness Consultation (an $89 value).

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James Cipriani

Cutting Edge Personal Training

1120 Federal Road

Brookfield, CT 06804

(203)775-5128

Jim@JamesCipriani.com