Over the next couple of months, I have a lot of travel coming up! Between interviews promoting my podcast in Miami, PR for Nutrition Solutions in Los Angeles, business meetings in Vegas and a secret project that will take me out of the country for a few days, I’ll be living in hotels and out of a suitcase for a large chunk of the summer…

But…

Under no circumstances will I use those things as excuses to get off track or allow myself to become complacent with my fitness goals. It is after all summertime, which provides us extra motivation and accountability to look and feel our best!

Now I know a lot of people travel in summer, whether for work, vacation or just a quick few days of out of town fun. But for us to look, feel and perform at peak levels during these times, we have to be prepared and go into it with the right mindset & game plan,

That, of course, being that just because we are out of town or on vacation, our goals are still our goals!

Let’s be real here, who wants to be on vacation looking like a bloated pig in pics, on the beach or poolside because of the nasty, fatty, greasy bar food they’ve been shoveling in their mouths drunk 3x a day? And I don’t know about you, but the absolute last thing I want when I’m traveling for business is to be lethargic, defocused, or lacking energy because I opted to fuel my body with fast food instead of the quality nutrition I’m used to running off of…

So to help you avoid these scenarios or ones like them, today I’m going to share with you 6 tips to help you keep your fitness on point while traveling this summer...

***All are numbered 1 because they are of equal importance…

1. Change Your Mindset

Whether traveling for business or pleasure, the responsibility you have to be the best version of YOU is still your own. Unfortunately “most people” have conditioned themselves to believe it’s acceptable to rest on one’s own laurels simply because they’ve stepped out of their normal zip code. Hence why most people will remain as most people. Personally, I’ve found going the opposite route to be most beneficial. So if I’m traveling I relish the opportunity to eat cleaner and train harder. You should do that as well, ESPECIALLY if on a vacation. You don’t want to be sporting a swelled up, gas-filled gut in the pics you post now, do you?

1. Meal Prep

Yup, I said it…And for clarification, “prep” is short for preparation, an essential element for success at anything. I ALWAYS travel with my meals! If I’m going out of town for a few days I’ll simply pack a cooler bag with the meals and throw it in my suitcase. If for longer, I simply have the team at Nutrition Solutions overnight ship the meals I’ll need to the hotel I’m staying at the day before I arrive, to where they show up the same day as I do. This isn’t a perk of being the CEO, we do this all the time for clients of ours that travel frequently and are serious about their goals. Never the less, you don’t have to use our company, there are a ton of local places that you can pick up a few days of healthy meals from. In fact, in a recent trip to LA where I extended a few days and had run out of my meals, I picked up a couple of days worth from a company called Whealthy Meals out there that had some solid options! I even had the kitchen at a hotel I stayed at in the Bahamas prepare me meals to the specs I requested. All I had to do was ask! If you happen to rent an air bnb or stay at an extended stay hotel equipped with a kitchen, apps like Instacart will deliver groceries right to you and you can meal prep on your own if you have the time. “Prep” can also mean simply being mindful and for example, if staying at an all-inclusive style resort, do some preliminary research on which restaurants on the property offer the healthier options and plan your meals around them. Now obviously you’re going to have some dinners out with friends & family where you indulge!. You’re on vacation and you absolutely should. But if your plan while traveling is to eat out every meal with no plan going in, you’re not going to feel or look your best, on top of the fact you’ll end up spending a ton of cash on things that only move you away from your goals…

1. Pack Protein Shakes or Bars

Although not ideal to replace meals with consistently, packing your protein powder or some quality protein bars in your travel bag is always a good idea! This ensures you don’t go too long without eating which slows the metabolism, increases the likelihood of overeating later in the day and sees to it that you’re taking in enough protein every day to support your fitness goals.

1. Stay at a Hotel That Has a Fitness Center

It doesn’t have to be super advanced and you don’t need much… But set yourself up for success by staying at a hotel with a gym conveniently located on property.

1. Workout First Thing In the Morning

When you start the day off with a workout you optimize the rest of it for success! Guaranteed. The harder the workout, the better you feel the remainder of the day. This also gets it out of the way so you have the rest of the day to do as you please. Use interval based cardio which is of higher intensity, so you can burn more calories faster -if using a treadmill, elliptical or bike, you can do 30 seconds all-out sprinting followed by 30 seconds of active rest, which is a slower steady pace. Doing this for 15-20 minutes will get it done. Of course, if you’re visiting somewhere super nice and can fit it in, take advantage of the scenery by going for a run or swim. Or even better, a run, swim, run.

With weight training during travel, use supersets & drop sets! Doing so keeps the heart rate up which burns more calories, boosts glucose disposal, (meaning you can burn more fat) and you can get more done in less time. If you have longer to train, still go this route and take with the extra time perform some extra sets & do additional cardio.

If you’re on vacation change your position of “I’m on vacation, I don’t have to workout”, to, “I’m on vacation, I absolutely must workout so I can look and feel amazing and get the most out of this experience!” Change your thinking, change your life.

1. Drink Lots of Water

When I’m commuting from the airport to my hotel I always first make a mandatory stop at a convenience store and pick up several gallons of water. This is the easiest thing in the world to do and is something we can’t afford to neglect! Proper hydration helps with overall health, focus, fat loss and sustained energy levels. Also, the more water we consume the less water weight we hold in our bellies and cheeks! Don’t be lazy. Spring the extra $2 bucks for the Uber to stop on the way to your hotel. Or don’t and pay $6 for a bottle of water and end up not feeling/performing your best because you didn’t drink enough due to not wanting to spend a small fortune on the hotels’ bottled waters!

So to sum it up, please don’t let travel slow down your progress, completely derail it or be an excuse as to why you can’t stay on the path. You can and you must. Put the information provided here to use, you’ll be glad you did.

Thank you for taking the time here and for supporting our company! Have an awesome week!