Health on the run: How to stay healthy while traveling, part 2.

Seems like a lot of you are frequent travelers, because there was a whole lot of conversation going on following Thursday’s article on how to stay healthy while on the road.  Several commentators posted very good advice of their own which I thought I would make into a follow up post.

Walking on business

From Dan we have:

Instead of taking a cab everywhere or driving short distances, walk from your hotel to the restaurant you want to eat at. If you’re in a city with a subway, take that instead of a cab because it won’t drop you at the door and you’ll have to walk a bit to reach your destination. In cities like Chicago and NYC, a hotel close to a subway still requires you walk at least 500 feet to reach a station.

Also use common sense when ordering from whatever restaurant you choose. You can find low calorie, semi-low fat meals at any resaurant, even McDonalds (hamburger with veggies). Drink water instead of soda to further hinder the amount of empty calories you consume.

Both very good points.  My only problem with walking places while on a business trip is a personal one.  I sweat, and if I’m in a full business suit while lugging a laptop and walking in a muggy afternoon, I’m not going to be comfortable at all.  However, on other occasions, I’ve found walking places to be a great alternative.   And Dan’s second comment makes perfect sense.  Even the worst of fast food restaurants can have something that’s decent.  It may not be the latest in fresh, organic, low calorie density meals, but it’s not a heart stopper either.

The traveling cook

From Ruth Ann we have this:

If possible when traveling (for either business or pleasure), try to get a hotel with a refrigerator and microwave (or at least a refrigerator). That way you can go to the grocery store (again, if possible) and buy some of your own food and have more control over what you eat.
Sandwiches and fruit are always great to keep on hand. Instant oatmeal makes a great breakfast (you can even use the in-room coffee pot to heat the water if you don’t have a microwave).
One of my favorite business travel meals is brown rice, black beans, salsa and cheddar cheese. The rice is “ready rice”, I think it’s Uncle Bens (orange package) that you just have to heat. Beans are canned (make sure you rinse them well. Dump them into the ice bucket to improvise a collander.). I like Pace salsa, especially since it comes in a little jar, but use what you like/can find. Cheese is pre-shredded. Mix rice and beans about 1-1 (again, if needed use the ice bucket. Or buy disposable plastic containers at the grocery store.), add salsa and cheese to taste. Microwave about 2 minutes (depending on the wattage of the microwave). It’a hot, filling meal that’s pretty healthy and resembles real food.
Leftover meat (I like chicken) can be added to beef this up a bit. (No pun intended, especially since I prefer chicken. The rotissary stuff is good.).
I’ve pretty much lived on this, instant oatmeal, peanut butter and honey sandwiches and apples for weeks at a time while traveling (oh, and lots of tea for the caffeine, especially when I’m working long night shifts). Not a lot of variety, but it’s pretty quick, not bad healthwise and keeps me going.

I don’t know why, but I’ve never thought of cooking on the road.  This is odd because, when I look back at my business trips, there are plenty of times when I had the resources and time to do so.  Yet I’ve always chosen the restaurant route.  So thank you Ruth Ann, that’s an amazingly good suggestion.  I’m going to try it next time I’m traveling and see how it goes.

Snakes… er… Tai Chi on a plane!

From Christopher, we have this bit about exercise on a plane:

On the “exercise” side of things, I have spent an hour a week for the last year or so doing Tai Chi lessons, and the basic “24 forms” represent a decent stretching and movement set of exercise.

If done, with some vigor, for an hour, you can get up a pretty good sweat; if you cut it down to about 10 minutes, it at least means you get a reasonably complete “stretch” of the muscles along with getting circulation moving, and exercising a bit of balance.

Christopher also followed up with some links for those interested in learning more:

Some links I have collected on Tai Chi:
http://linuxdatabases.info/info/taiji.html

There are links there to an 8-part tutorial presented by a school in Vancouver, BC that are quite good.

The Wikipedia has a central page that’s pretty well descriptive:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%27ai_Chi_Ch%27uan

Looks like a great work out / stretching routine that can be done with no equipment.  Which makes it ideal for long flights.  I will say that if you’re going to do anything that looks a little odd on a plane these days, make sure to clear it with the flight attendant first.  I’ve been asked what I was doing after a series of slow toe touches before, so I can’t even begin to imagine the sort of attention a Tai Chi routine might get you.

Veggie meals and strength bands

And finally, from a reader who did not leave his name, we have this:

re: meals on the plane. if your flight offers a full meal, don’t skip it, just order one of the better alternatives ahead of time. Nearly all airlines will prepare something vegetarian, diabetic, or even a fruit plate, if asked, which has been superior to the regular meal 100% of the dozens of time I’ve tried this. as a bonus, you’ll get served first (and therefore receive a fresher meal).

for exercise, I pack one of those pilates figure-eight elastic cords. it’s tiny and weighs nothing, but offers numerous possibilities for stretching and strength training. lots of hotels will give advice on nearby running routes as well, just ask.

perishables from the grocery store also keep surprisingly well in an ice bucket filled regularly - yogurt, fruit etc are much healthier & save time, especially for breakfast.

Good point on the specialty meals, they are often healthier than the normal plane fair.  Just make sure to ask for them in advance since airlines carry only a limited number of them.  And thank you for reminding me of the exercise bands, I completely forgot about them.  They’re basically a big rubber band with handles.  You can use them instead of weights when you workout.  They’re light, compact and don’t set off metal detectors or get you odd looks at the security checkpoint.

Thank you

Thank you everyone for sharing your knowledge and experience with us.  As always, if anyone out there has information that you think will be useful, please feel free to share it.  60 in 3 is supposed to be a place for people to share what they’ve learned about getting and staying healthy.  So let me know through comments or email if you have something to add.  Also, if you have a topic that you would like to see covered, feel free to send it in.

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