Whether you travel for work or on vacation, maintaining your fitness program on the road is all about planning.  This post goes over some of the things I do when traveling to help maintain what I’ve achieved.  A friend on mine use to say “vacation calories don’t count” but unfortunately that is not how it works.  Going on the road can easily be an excuse to blow off your program and no one would criticize, but I have not found it that easy to blow off when I know that a little planning will go along way.

So this is what I do.  It is rather simple, but I put together this little plan after my nutritionist told me that while traveling, I am going to take two steps forward and three steps back, so don’t worry about it if you gain 5 or 6 lbs on a trip.  I told her that “I am not okay with that”, so I set out to prove her wrong and I did…14 times in a row (and counting).

So the first thing I do in planning is to find hotels that are in close proximity to my gyms.  I belong to L.A. Fitness and 24 Hour Fitness, so with over 1,200 locations between them, I can usually find one or the other.  (Why I have both is a longer, uninteresting story).  I prefer these to the hotel gyms.

Things I bring:  I travel with a resistance band which allows me to get some things done if I don’t have time for a full workout.  The band and some calisthenics allow me to get a little work done.  I also pack my vitamins in an pill sorter and bring a scaled down version of my gym bag.

Next is food planning.  After I get my rental car, I find a market or a Costco before going to the hotel.  If I know people in that city and I am there for a few days, I can get things at Costco and leave behind the surplus.  I prefer that because I know that Costco has what I need.  So this is my shopping list:

1. A case of water, some for the room and some for the car

2. Fiber One bars, some for the room and some for the car

3. Muscle Milk 12oz bottles, two for each day or a case of Premium Protein Shakes from Costco

4. Fruit, usually apples and bananas.  Red grapes if I can find them and cubed melon if it is priced reasonably.  Occasionally I will get a couple of oranges if I am feeling adventurous.

5. String Cheese if I have a frig in the room.

6. Gum for my room, the car and my workout bag.

7. If I am there three days or more,then I will find a GNC and get liquid L-Carnitine

Having these snacks handy helps maintain so I am not ravenous when eating out.  Also gets me the protein and fiber I need with minimal calories.

I also bring my Calorie King book on the road which is a good resource for eating out.  I don’t use it that much any more, but it was very helpful while I was learning how to make better choices.  Pictured below is the latest edition:

 So that is it, pretty simple!  Just taking a little time to do the things I do at home.