Tag Archives: workouts

health and fitness while traveling

Health and Fitness While Traveling

One of the hardest things about personally training is countering my clients  excuses.

Now, it must be said some people just don’t have the intention to EVER get healthy and fit.  They find eating a pizza they saw on the way to the check out with their lean steak and veggies, after canceling their session with me because they are tired  a valid excuse.–It’s obviously not, but hey at least they are making an effort to change by hiring the personal trainer.

And in all fairness that’s fine.  They are in the contemplation/preparation stage.  I’m happy if I can push them into the action phase.

The ones that are harder to answer are the ones who actually have legitimate excuses:

  • Traveling 5 nights a week so all meals are eaten out.
  • Hosting clients and having to “entertain” 3-4 nights a week.
  • No access to a gym while traveling.
  • Getting 15,000 steps daily except for the days they are on planes for over 20+ hours up to 2x a week.

My job as a trainer is to counter all of your excuses giving you no reason to veer off your health and fitness plan.

I figured since I know every trick in the book, I should have no problem maintaining my health and fitness while Tom and I travel for a year.

I’m quickly finding, however, despite my best efforts staying health and fit on the go is turning out to be a little tougher than I originally thought.  Here are some challenges I’ve encountered during the past week and what I’ve doing to keep up with my health and fitness while traveling.

health and fitness while traveling

Use Your Jet Lag

When Tom and I flew to Hawaii we gained 3 hours. Getting up at 5am feels like 8am right now for us.   We could have chosen to sleep those extra hours, but rather we’ve decided as we travel west,  we’ll continue to keep our  internal “clocks” set to wake up early.  When we finally get to our resting point we hope that early bird clock stays set.

These hours have bought us time to get work in saving the afternoons for workouts and site seeing.

They have also bought us a couple sunrise morning runs! Get food crated delivered to your house before you even land. Think ahead and plan this out well If youre going to the uk for travel then itl be easy to find a Crate Hire UK.

If you are traveling east, hit the gym at night.  Don’t lay there trying to fall asleep, do something productive with those restless hours. And don’t forget to get a brazilian wax, you’re on vacation after all!

health and fitness while traveling

Make Your Workout Your Activity for the Day

One of those cool sites that we have gotten so see is the stairway to heaven hike.    We climbed up 3,922 metal steps to get a an amazing experience and a spectacular view!

Make sure when you travel that you take advantage of the natural sites there are to see where you go.  Not only are you burning calories, (aka adding to the beers you can consume later) but you are also saving money.

Remember, Outside is free!

health and fitness while travelingGet Creative with Your Lifting

Those that follow my blog probably know all ready how much I love my mini bands!  They are the perfect workout tool for anyone who travels frequently.

I created a body weight/mini band workout that you can do on the go in any hotel room.

The one exercise that I do miss, however, is squats.

I have always loved doing squats at the gym.  I pride myself in being good at them and I hate that I don’t have access to a gym to do them, so Tom and I got creative and have started doing partner squats a couple times a week as part of our workout!

health and fitness while travelingEat In Whenever Possible

Obviously when you travel eating in isn’t always possible, however, that is why it is very important to take every measure to eat in when you can.

Since we’ve been traveling Tom and I have tried to keep up with our normal breakfast of Bacon and Eggs.  We eat dinner in whenever possible, making stir frys, burgers sans bun over veggies, and steak dinners.  This has helped save us calories and carbs for when we inevitably end up at a bar.

Make it your goal to find hotels that have kitchenettes.  If you know there will be times you won’t able to stick to your diet, build in as many opportunities to stick to your diet plan as possible.

When You Do Eat Out, Pick the Right Options

Since we’ve been on the road there have been times I’ve just had to eat out.  I try to use these times not as an excuse to go off my diet plan, but rather search for new ways to prepare proteins and veggies. Being on the road is one of the best time to research on new supplements such as mk2866, as the more you’ll be able to research and study on additional supplements, the better food source you’ll be able to provide your body. (Get inspiration for your own cooking from what you eat out!  Soon you’ll start to realize you prefer to make it at home!) Magnesium is a BIG one I recommend for health on the road. Surprisingly there are actually many different forms of magnesium. I prefer to take magnesium blends to get the benefits of them all.

I’ve been very successful sticking to plan with Appetizer menus.

Even if you order protein on a menu, it is often served with carb and most often served with way too many carbs.  Even if you just eat the protein, you are left either full or still hungry but either way with temptation sitting on a plate right in front of you.  If it’s hard enough to say no when it’s an option on a menu, don’t let the option become a physical item in front of you.  It’s near impossible to not eat something that appeals to you when it’s sitting right in front of you.

The nice thing about Appetizer menus is you can often find proteins like steak bites, poke bowls, or Ahi Sashimi.  I recommend going at Happy Hours because then these items are discounted.  If you are still hungry, 2 orders of an all protein and veggie app Typically allow you to stick your diet plan better than 1 normal entree.

(Related: Consider the Clenbuterol cycle for fatloss if you are looking for quicker ways to shed those extra kilos)

Have Go To Options at Popular Chains

For Breakfast I like to hit up Starbucks.  Their Spinach and Feta Egg White Wrap only has 290 calories and 33g carbs and it also packs in 19g of protein.

If I’m eating lunch on the go.  I like to get burrito bowls from Chipotle or similar burrito joints or Salad bowls from Subway.  Often times in cities you can find similar options at alternatives to the popular chain, but when you are stuck these are great go to options.

Dinner time can be more difficult especially when traveling for work, because the location of dining can often be out of your control.  Where ever your dinner is scheduled, Google the menu of the restaurant before you go.  Have the healthiest meal option in mind before you sit down starving and get tempted by the Fettuccine Alfredo, which has 1200 calories, 99 carbs, and only 36g protein.  (36g seems like a lot, but that meals ratios are close to 3:1)  A better option at Olive Garden would be the Parmesan Crusted Tilapia with only 590 Calories, 40g Carbs, and 50g of Protein–still very much on plan.

Be creative or go with what you know, but don’t say you can’t stick to your ratios on the go.

health and fitness while traveling

 Whatever You Do Eat, Track Your Calories

Whatever nutrition choices you do end up making, make sure you track your calories.  My favorite app to use is Lose It, because it also keeps track of your overall macro nutrient ratios.

All my clients meal track.  I love meal tracking, because it is the best way to become educated about what you put in your mouth.

The number one mistake people make, however, is they don’t track when they know they’ve eaten poorly.  This is the worst thing you can do.  Without logging the poor choices, you allow yourself to be in denial about how your eating is affecting your weight.

I will never tell you, “You can’t eat something.”  Rather just track it.  See for yourself how the foods you choose to eat affect your health and fitness.  Over time you’ll start to realize better and better which decisions at restaurants keep you on plan and which decisions do not.

You number one goal should be to make healthy eating decisions, but when that fails at least track what you did eat.  Keep yourself honest.

health and fitness while travelingUse the Road as an Excuse to Try a Class You’ve Been Wanting to Take

By now you’ve probably had a friend tell you about how amazing crossfit, or Bikram Yoga, or Barre.  In fact, you’ve probably been meaning to check one of those classes out yourself.

Use the road as an excuse to do that.  Google the local studios in the area you are going.  Find a class that fits your schedule and try it out.

If you love it, you might have just found something new to try in your hometown.  If already are addicted, see what other studios are like.  Try new instructors.  Change is good.  You will pick up tips that you haven’t heard before making your practice or workout even better when you do return home.

Contact the gym ahead of time and see if they have any specials for new drop ins.  Most Bikram studios have $20-30 intro weeks.  If you make it a priority to go the entire time you are away that price is very affordable.

While we were in Oahu we found out that Cross Fit Oahu does a free drop in beach session!  We got our booties kick by Ian right on the beach for free!

To Wrap This Up

The point of this post is to remind you, we all face obstacles when it comes to living a fit and healthy life, especially when on the road.  You can choose to allow those obstacles to get in your way, or you can creatively find solutions to get around them.

I hope this post has given you a couple of solutions to some of the obstacles I’ve encountered. If you want more great health and fitness articles just follow me! 🙂

Is There Something I missed?

What’s your biggest obstacle that you face when you travel?

Do you have the same challenges I’ve  hit?

If I didn’t touch on your challenge this week, I’d love to help you come up with a solution.  Make sure you leave a comment and let me know! 🙂

 

 

summer for your health benefit

8 Ways to Get Outside and Use Summer for Your Health Benefit

summer for your health benefitSummer has arrived.  Here in Tennessee, the heat is in full swing and I’ve noticed all my friends around the country have begun posting pictures of their adventures in the sun.

Hop on the summer train and join in the fun with these 8 ways  to get outside and use summer for your health benefit!

1.  Walk:  

The weather is gorgeous, why sit in your car.  Where can you walk to that you normally drive to?

Can you walk to ___________?  

Fill in the blank, maybe it’s work, the grocery store, around the block after dinner, during your lunch break.

Maybe it’s all the above!  Whatever works for you, incorporate more walking into your day.  In fact, even make it a competition!   Get a Fitbit!  Compete with your family and friends.  Be my friend.  Having a Fitbit is like playing a video game that improves your health and the only way to win is to get outside and get walking!

2. Run:

After you try that walking thing, start running.

You don’t have to go far, just go around the block.

Maybe the next time try running a mile.

You don’t have to go far, but give it a try.  It in’t so bad.  Try doing it first thing in the morning!  Getting your heart rate up can wake you up better than drinking a cup of coffee.

Many people talk about running one day.  Make this summer the time that you start.  The hardest part is putting your shoes on and stepping outside!

3.  Yardwork:

IMG_20130610_121513The number one excuse I get as a personal trainer is not having enough time to exercise.

During the summer you can kill 2 birds with one stone.  Household chores like washing the car and mowing the lawn burn calories!  Spend an afternoon in the yard and you can burn over 500 calories while getting a tan at the same time!

Raking: 225 calories/ 30 min

Mowing the Lawn: 173 calories/ 30 min

Washing the Car: 150 calories/ 30 min

Weeding:  115 calories/ 30 min (add some squats into this one and the calorie burn goes up!)

4. Work

summer for your health benefit
Take your work outside!

Answer emails with your mobile.

Write that presentation on your laptop.

Head to a local park, find a quiet spot in the shade.  Get some work done outside.  Get some fresh air.

It’s good for your brain.  It will help you think clearer and more efficiently.

5. Swimming

Swimming is great exercise!

Find a pool and start doing laps!

If you’ve never really learned how to swim, take a swimming lesson!

Swimming is a great way to burn some killer calories, without pounding your joints.

Find an outdoor pool and you can burn fat, tone your muscles, and get a great tan all at once!

6. Yoga

summer for your health benefitIf you live in most areas of the country, being outside is like stepping into a hot yoga studio.

Take advantage of one of your local parks.

Set up your Yoga Mat.

Play around with the yoga postures you know.

If you do Bikram you know what you need to do.

If you practice vinyasa or power yoga, play around with whatever feels good to your body.

Every yoga teacher says, “you are your own best teacher.”  Give this a try.  Your body will steer you into the postures you need to do.

If you aren’t familar with yoga just sit down and focus on breathing deeply.

Listen to the world around you.  Listen to your breath.  Feel your lungs expanding and contracting

Even 15-30 min clearing your mind can make the rest of your day better!

7. Read

Find a book that will help you improve your fitness.

Then read it this summer.

In fact take it outside, lay in the sun for 15 min once a day and work your way through your book.

There are all kinds of books on fitness.

If you never tried yoga pick up Women’s Health Big Book of Yoga.  It has some great step by step tips to develop a beginning yoga practice and understanding.

Get motivated for your run with I run, Therefore I am–NUTS!

Learn more about the food you put in your mouth with the Smarter Science of Slim.

Get motivated to deepen your yoga practice with Hell Bent  Benjamin Lorr’s personal account through Jedi Fight Club and Bikram Yoga Teacher Training.

Take some time each sunny day to learn how to keep yourself healthier year round!

Reading about fitness makes your more motivated to make fit decisions and be active!

8. Go to a Farmer’s Market

Venture outside of your normal grocery store and visit your city’s local farmer market.

You can’t get produce any more fresh than what’s found at Farmer’s Markets.

You will see produce you don’t normally see.

Pick a veggie you’ve never eaten before and experiment with a new recipe.

Just like it’s important to vary your physical activity, mixing up the food you eat keeps your body burning fuel more efficiently.  Different veggies pack different nutrient loads.  If you always stick to the same ones, you may be missing out on some important vitamins and minerals!

Being healthy starts with spending more time outside.  Take advantage of the sun and warm weather.  Try to get outside and use the summer for your health benefit in one way or another each day!

 

caffeine before a workout

Should I Take Caffeine Before a Workout?

There are reasons for and against using caffeine before a workout.

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caffeine before a workoutUsing caffeine before a workout can make you:

  1. Release fatty acids into your blood stream, helping your body in endurance activities.
  2. More Energetic so you work harder during your workout.
  3. More focused and concentrated for your workout.
  4. Have a bawl movement so you don’t have to go to the bathroom during your workout.

Drawbacks include:

  1. Dehydration.
  2. Less blood flow back to the heart impairing performance in anaerobic activities,
  3. Being jittery or shaking if you aren’t use to caffeine.

Overall, you should give it a try.  Some peoples workouts are positively affected by caffeine.  Others have weaker workouts.  Test whether caffeine before a workout works for you!

cyber monday

Cyber Monday Decision

cyber monday

Cyber Monday, the way I see it we have two choices—and no, neither of these have to do with online shopping.  Most likely we all ate way too much the past 4 days.  Thanksgiving usually sets the tone for the holiday season.  Often times we overeat at Thanksgiving.  This  leads to our brains prompting us to eat more fatty foods since our reward centers have been on overdrive.  The reward center works by releasing dopamine and serotonin when we eat sugary food.  When these chemicals dry up we crave more carbs and sugary foods.  This cycle will perpetuate during the holiday season as coworkers bring cookies into work and your friends make you their world famous pumpkin bread.  This is where our cyber Monday choice comes in.  We can choose to say I’ve already been so bad, what is one more cookie/pumpkin bread slice etc., or we can choose to use the “fuel” we stock piled over the weekend.

 

You’re already eaten poorly for the weekend.  You can’t change that, but instead of beating yourself up over what you may consider a mistake you can choose to see this as the KILLER WORKOUT week!  Following Thanksgiving, malls have Black Friday.  The internet has Cyber Monday.  I like to think of the week following Thanksgiving as Killer Workout Week.

If we follow a ketone cycling diet, we have all most likely indulged in far too many cheat meals within the past 4 days.  That doesn’t mean that our diet has been completely thrown out the window, nor does it mean we should continue to perpetuate this eating cycle until January 1st when we decide we have to lose the 20lbs we gained over the holiday!  No, what this means is that you will have plenty of glycogen stores to fuel your muscles for KILLER WORKOUTS all week long.

Stop feeling helpless and upset and instead take control over what you can do this week!  Maybe this week, you will finally deadlift 450lbs!  If you’ve been stuck at running 4 miles, today is the day to set out for 5.  If you’ve never tried crossfit take a class today knowing you’ll have the fuel to make it through!

Society will tell you overeating is bad—and while I am not telling you to go overeat all the time, what I will remind you, is food is fuel.  If you ate too much, all that means is your gas tank is overflowing.  Go burn some gas while it’s still fresh in your system!

electrolyte replacement

Electrolyte Replacement

electrolyte replacement

Electrolyte replacement becomes very important if you are doing Bikram yoga doubles (or any hot yoga or workouts where you sweat a lot!)    When we sweat, we sweat out electrolytes; primarily Sodium (Na+) and Potassium (K+).  These two electrolytes are key to muscle contraction and relaxation.

It is important to make sure you drink water, but water alone will lead to cramps.  After a workout bout, our kidneys work to get our body back into balance.   Our kidneys function by the laws of osmosis.  Osmosis is the process of a less concentrated solution moving into a heavier concentrated solution.  Our blood is continuously filtering through our kidneys.  When we are properly hydrated, our body has the proper level of electrolytes so excess water filters out along with any waste products, leaving the body with a consistent electrolyte concentration.

When we sweat out electrolytes, the gradient system becomes messed up.  The concentration of electrolytes has become smaller in the blood, so your kidneys filter more fluid out to make your electrolyte concentration lower.  This leaves you with less blood plasma volume to fuel your muscles on your next exercise bout and less fluid available to sweat to keep your core temperature down.  Both effects will lead to a decreased athletic performance! Consume green Malay capsules for better health as they act as antioxidants and improve the immunity and strength of body to battle with the damaged body cells.

For those getting ready for Bikram Yoga training, it will be very important to make sure you are getting enough fluids and electrolytes to help you sustain your 2x a day yoga classes and the use of supplements from sites as https://www.sarms-for-sale.com/online-store/LGD-4033-Ligandrol-20-MG-ML-30ML-BOTTLE-p122650038 could also help with this.  For anyone doing double workout bouts here is what proper fluid replacement should look like for a 120-140 lb woman:

  • Wake up Drink 1L of H2O
  • Drink 1/2L Electrolytes before class or workout bout
  • Following class drink 1L Electrolyte replacement over the spam of time between classes or exercise bouts + 2L H2O
  • Have 1/2L Electrolyte replacement + 2L more following your second class or workout bout before you go to bed to get you ready for the next day.
        *If you are male you should have 1-1/2L electrolyte replacement +1-2L More water distributed throughout your day.
Some good electrolyte replacements include:
  • Gatorade:  I prefer G2 because it is lower in calories and sugar.  If you are lean or prone to low blood sugar, regular Gatorade will help restore your blood sugar levels so you don’t get light headed.  Runners also should have regular Gatorade following a running to help replace glucose stores to maintain running at a high level in their second exercise bout.
  • Coconut Water:  My favorite electrolyte replacement.   Coconut water is really high in potassium (especially compared to Gatorade) so it is great to help prevent muscle cramps!
  • Homemade solutions.  One I often do is 2 Cups H2O, 1 TSP Powdered Greens, 1 Lemon, and 2 shakes Salt.  The lemon, helps restore blood pH level, and the powdered greens are a good way to get in some extra iron.  Many women (especially around your period) and runners tend to have low iron levels.  Iron helps build hemoglobin which is the component in blood that transfers oxygen.  If you let your iron get too low you may feel fatigued!  **If you are feeling fatigued get your blood iron levels tested.  Powder greens are fine to use without blood work testing, but never start iron supplementation without doctor’s recommendation.  Iron levels that are too high are toxic.

If you are doing multiple bouts of exercise stay ahead of hydration.   It is easy to stay hydrated, but harder to re-hydrate   Symptoms of low electrolyte levels may include headaches and nausea, fatigue, poor concentration and reduced muscular function.  If you have these symptoms start adding more electrolytes into your fluid mixes!