Why it’s not wise to consider business trips as ‘cheat days’

For many of us, a business trip can take us out of our routine and unravel the hard work that’s put in at home. Taking flights, dining out with clients and not getting enough sleep can push you to make poor food choices and treat your entire trip as a ‘cheat day’.

Have you ever felt that when you come home, it takes even longer to return to your normal routine?

Follow our tips, and with a little planning you can stay on top of your health when travelling and make sure that you’re not letting your fitness goals fall by the wayside.

This article is sponsored by Chefgood, the easy way to order healthy high-quality food to your doorstep, wherever you are.

Plan your snacks and meals

If you know the general timings of your daily schedule, it’s easy to plan out your meals and snacks. If you’re going to be waiting at the airport, take a protein bar or a healthy snack, rather than eating in the lounge.

While many of us can have the mentality that the lounge has free food and drinks and that we need to take advantage of this, at the end of the day you’ll feel a lot better sticking to foods you’d normally eat in your home routine.

Similarly, if you know you need to take a client out for a lavish dinner in the evening, keep this in mind and cut back on breakfast or lunch to make up for this extra energy intake.

What to eat

Stick to light, fresh meals when possible, and avoid overdoing it when it comes to alcohol. While business class meals, especially on long haul flights, can be over-the-top multi-course affairs, you can opt for the main meal and avoid the starters and desserts that turn a normally fine meal into a high calorie bomb.

An added bonus is that you can spend more time sleeping or working, instead of waiting for the full dinner service to be completed. Many airlines are also offering meals on-demand, rather than at a set time, which can also be handy for maximising sleep and reducing your calorie intake.

But what about after your trip? After time on the road, it can be easy to slip into bad habits when you return home – especially if the fridge is bare (and who wants to go grocery shopping after a long flight?).

Instead of jumping to the takeout menus, you can save time and keep your health in check with a meal delivery service like Chefgood. With fresh meals made with locally sourced ingredients, Chefgood’s meals are handcrafted by real-life chefs and delivered to your door (in temperature safe thermal boxes), so you’ll have healthy meals ready to go without the hassle of cooking or buying ingredients.

You can even freeze Chefgood meals beforehand, so you’re prepared for your return.

If you’ve got an extended stay while travelling for work, you can also consider getting meals delivered to your accommodation or serviced apartment, as Chefgood deliver Australia-wide.

Working out

While there are some exceptions, most hotel gyms are small and fairly limited in their offerings – but with some planning, you can still get a good workout in by modifying your routine to accommodate the hotel facilities. When putting together your routine, consider alternate exercises that can be done without specialised equipment, or modified to be more flexible in how they are carried out.

If you want to get a full workout in, it’s worth checking if there are any local branches of your gym at your destination.

If not, you can always purchase a guest pass for a gym. Sticking to your normal workout routine, rather than a hamstrung version to accommodate the hotel’s facilities, will help keep you in your home routine and performing better during your trip, and when you return.

If you prefer to get out and about, walking is a great way to keep your fitness in check and experience your new surrounds. If running is more your thing, there are many running guides for almost all major cities in the world that will get you out and exploring while also keeping up with your fitness goals.

Stay hydrated

While this is stating the obvious, staying sufficiently hydrated is surprisingly easy to forget when travelling and not in your regular routine.  From plane cabins to hotel air-conditioning, business trips can leave you feeling dehydrated. Stay on top of your hydration with a refillable water bottle, and avoid having too much coffee, alcohol or sugary drinks.

Don’t sweat the small stuff

At the end of the day, it’s also important to allow yourself a break – after all, one of the perks of travelling is being able to experience new cultures, try new cuisines and explore new places. So while it’s important to stick to a healthy routine most of the time, don’t forget to enjoy yourself and take advantage of your surroundings.

Keep these tips in mind when travelling, and your next trip will leave you feeling healthy and invigorated, rather than a step backwards from your fitness goals.

This article is sponsored by Chefgood