Log In

Reset Password
BERMUDA | RSS PODCAST

Don’t trash your diet while travelling

Be active: Trainer Betty Doyling advises enjoying sightseeing while on a run or walk (File photograph)

I have quite a few clients who travel for business purposes. They may miss their plane, the hotel gym could be closed or the flight could be delayed.

Add that to extended flight hours, long meetings and a hectic schedule, and it is fair to wonder how people find time to eat healthy or get in some gym time.

Planning ahead can help. Here are some tips to get you started:

• Eat real food: There is always fruit available at airports, on planes and at hotels. There is no reason to grab a bag of chips, candy and a soda for a quick meal, especially if you would not normally do this at home.

Try having a piece of fruit along with some roasted or raw nuts. These are full of fibre that keeps you feeling fuller for longer, so you will eat less.

• Hydrate: While flying, drink plenty of water. Try to have at least six eight-ounce glasses of water per hour of flight.

Skip coffee and caffeinated drinks as this will only dehydrate you.

The low humidity and recycled air on the plane will also dehydrate you and make jet lag worse. It can also cause fatigue.

• Multi-task: Bermuda is a great place to sightsee while getting a workout in. I have lived here for 15 years and I still catch myself snapping photographs during a run.

Running or walking can be a great way to see the place you are visiting. Even if you have only half an hour, take the time to get outdoors.

• Download your workout: You cannot always count on the gym. What if it is raining outside and the gym is closed or the equipment is broken? This is not a reason to fall off the fitness wagon. Try downloading a few full-body weights workouts before you leave. You can do them in your hotel room using your bed and chair as props for exercises such as push-ups, step-ups and more.

Start with about ten to 15 repetitions of each exercise and complete two or three rounds.

• Stick to your normal eating plan: Planning ahead will keep you from trashing your diet later.

Do not skip breakfast. Schedule a wake-up call or pre-order breakfast the night before to be delivered to your room. Read over menus before you travel to discover your options.

During business dinners, try to get one drink at the very beginning filled with ice and nurse it all night, or skip alcohol and have club soda with lime.

• Calories count, even while flying: Try to bring your own low-sodium foods on board. Homemade trail mix, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on wholegrain bread, raw veggies and fruit are great options for the plane. Enjoy your trip and B-Active For Life!

• Betty Doyling is a certified fitness trainer and figure competitor with more than nine years of experience. Check her out on Facebook: www.facebook.com/B.ActiveForLife