MOVEMENT. This energy habit is vital to the road warrior.

The road, by default, naturally does the moving for you. You’re moving in a plane. You’re moving in a car.

But then it conveniently puts you in a conference room chair, restaurant or bar seat, ending with an comfortable hotel bed screaming your name!

But this is exactly what has put most business travelers in the situation they’re in by not being anywhere close to being in shape due to the lack of movement within their average day on the road.

I’m here to challenge the average in order to move us to elite on the road and the first energy habit has to do with how you view movement on the road.

We MUST leverage the power found in the four energy movements. Most business travelers simply move as little as possible. I have a formula you must implement on the road. This one formula helped move me from 40 pounds overweight and a docile road creature to getting my girlish figure back and full of energy.

One Formula You Must Implement On the Road

It’s called ⬆M4X – Increasing your Movement in Four Ways.

⬆ = Increase
M = Movement
4X = In Four Ways

Our challenge is to increase our movement in four very specific and intentional ways on the road.

Two movements we do because it’s part of our day but we need to do them more.

The other two we often avoid at all costs and can offer a myriad of excuses of why we don’t or can’t do them.

The Move Energy Habit has four parts:

1. Stand more (think up on your feet not down on your butt)

2. Walk more (think forward not still)

3. Run more (think cardio and getting your heart rate up)

4. Lift more (think strength training with weights, bands, or body weight)

Some of you simply move like a sloth. You’re not in a hurry and as a result your body desperately needs more movement and definitely at a quicker pace.

I’m usually following behind you and trying to get around you. I’m always stuck in your aisle on the plane.

But most fall in the range of improving the first two (stand more / walk more) and creating practical and sustainable routines for the last two (run more / lift more).

Let me address the four push-backs I hear the most often of why most Road Warriors do NOT move more:

1. TIME – I know because I used this excuse for a long time. It’s easy to say we don’t have the time and some days, this may be true. But if we’re honest with ourselves, there’s time in the day to get in even a quick workout and I’ll show you how.

2. TIRED – The road naturally takes away our energy and as a result, who has the energy to workout after a long day? I’ll pushback that any type of the four movements of ⬆M4X will actually INCREASE your energy!

3. GEAR – I don’t have the space to bring the gear needed to workout like gym shoes, workout clothes, etc. This is a very thin excuse because it doesn’t take much space at all to get in a workout on the road. I’ll even give you some shoes and clothes ideas! (I know, I keep giving and giving…)

4. NO PLAN – This is understandable especially if you don’t use dumbbells or the machines in the fitness center. But I’ll provide you with what to do in a fitness center along with your hotel room, even to the point of a virtual personal trainer. I got you, man.

“The ⬆M4X Formula first and foremost starts with awareness. Are you aware just how often you’re doing or not doing the four parts of the formula?

1. Stand More (think up on your feet not down on your butt)

According to Tom Rath’s research in Eat Move Sleep, on average we now spend more time sitting (9.3 hours) than sleeping on a given day.

Here’s the challenge – take a stand against sitting. There are ways all around you : Stand at the airport / on a plane / in a meeting / create a stand up desk.

2. Walk More (think forward not still)

How often have you done one or more of the following?

• Drove around the parking lot to park closer to save time
• Taken the escalator or elevator to go up one floor
• Had someone pick you up at the front door instead of walking to the car
• Driven a short distance so you could go and workout
• Chose the sitting bike in the hotel fitness center so you could sit and not have to walk on the treadmill

Let me challenge you

• Take the stairs not the elevator (they’re NEVER busy and you don’t have to wait)
• walk the escalator
• get a higher hotel room

3. Run More (think cardio and getting your heart rate up)

Run More is one of the hardest and most challenging of the four ⬆M4X. But it needs to happen. Most Road Warriors neglect this for every possible reason:

• I don’t have the time
• I didn’t bring workout clothes
• I have an old sport injury
•  I might sweat
• My man boobs will bounce unevenly (ok maybe this is a stretch)

Run More (Think Cardio) looks for creative ways to elevate your heart rate.

Remember Heart Rate Up Energy Level Up.

4. Lift More (think strength training with weights, bands, or body weight)

There are two options for Strength Training for working out on the road:

1. Body Weight

2. Free Weights

And there are usually two options for Locations for working out on the road:

1. Fitness Center / Local Gym

2. Your Hotel Room

GO and begin to get Your Move on the next time you’re on business travel!

 

This is the one formula that you must implement on the road. Remember: Something, Anything is Better than Nothing.