Up In The Air – Packing and Planning Make Perfect
Posted Sunday, January 24th, 2010 at 1:18 pm under Businesses.By Rania Batayneh, MPH
Essential Nutrition For You
In my 9 years of practice in San Francisco, many of my clients traveled for business. Looking at room service menus and creating a list of snacks to travel with made a huge difference in allowing them to stay on track while traveling. I often suggest that when clients travel for pleasure, they focus on maintaining the weight they have lost while away and then get back on track once at home again.
If your job requires that you are “UP IN THE AIR”, then becoming a SAVVY TRAVELER will help you optimize your health and wellness. You definitely do not want to add inches to your waistline as you are accruing miles towards a free trip to the beach!
It all starts the night before your trip. You will want to pack early so that you can get as close to a normal night’s sleep as possible. When we are tired, we need energy and energy comes from our food choices.
However, when we are over tired, we crave sugar and seek out caffeine. Getting a good night’s rest can help us make smart food choices.
Airports are havens for candy bars, fast food, snack size items that contain 3+ servings, pastries and coffee drinks hot and cold. You can use the following strategies to help you travel light.
- Take portable fiber sources with you. Often when we travel, our regularity and digestion can get thrown off. I like to take high fiber cereal and fiber fruit bars for a quick carb fix in the morning.
- Travel with an empty SIGG bottle and fill it up once you pass through security. This way you don’t have to wait for the stewardess to pass by you on the plane to ask for water. When we are up in the air, it is really dry, so staying hydrated is good for your alertness and your skin.
- Take a healthy “meal” for the plane ride. No matter how long or short your flight, from the time you leave your house to go to the airport to the time you land, it is no less than 3-4 hours. You want to eat every 3-4 hours to keep your metabolism fueled. Take a healthy sandwich on the plane. If you do not have time to prepare something, then seek out a healthy option and don’t give in to the “extras” or the “accessories” that come with your sandwich like chips, soda, and cookies. Healthy options include soup and crackers or a sandwich with either cheese or mayo (if you have to).
- Make an effort to exercise when away. I say aim for 50% of the total time you are away. So, if you are traveling for 4 days, do something 2 of the days. It is better than nothing and will also help with your sleep wake cycles if you are traveling from one coast to the other.
On my last trip to San Francisco last week from Portland I made a pit stop at Trader Joes and stocked up on FiberFul Bars as well as the 100 calorie snack packs of the oatmeal chip cookies. I brought those that I did not finish back to Portland and have them in the pantry to take on my next trip in February.
If you are a business traveler and want to take advantage of nutrition consulting services, the ON-LINE program I offer is the perfect match for you. Consultations done via phone and contact via e-mail when you are on the road as well as SKYPE can help you stay focused and reach your goals in 2010.
Essential Nutrition For You is a Nutrition Consulting Firm specializing in lifestyle management for optimal health. Weight Loss and weight management are the key areas of focus Nutritionist Rania Batayneh’s Practice.
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