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Hydration

Four Words That Will Change Your Nutritional Regrets on the Road

Today we’re discussing the 2nd Energy Habit – FUEL

When I survey business travelers to ask them what their biggest challenge as a road warrior is, 9 out of 10 will answer: eating healthy on the road. I have the handful of stories of some incredible food I’ve eaten and wine I’ve drank during my many years on the road and the 40 extra pounds to prove it!

There are many reasons why eating healthy on the road was their biggest challenge, such as no self-control, lack of control over your own meals, FOMO (fear of missing out), peer pressure, etc. All understandable but in the end, we’re left with the weight, the guilt, and the lack of energy.

Here’s a Question For You…
Have you ever wondered if food really affects your energy? How often have you missed breakfast and start dragging in the mid to late morning or because you’re hungry and your stomach is growling. Or how often have you made a poor lunch choice and it’s haunting you (and others) mid to late afternoon on the road? You become THAT guy or girl.

You’re either tired, bloated, or struggle digesting whatever you ate that seemed like a good idea at the time. This proves how much our food can directly affect our energy.
Early on, sadly, my criteria for food most of my road life was as follows:

  • I want it quick
  • I want it easy
  • I want it large
  • I want it tasty

When I first started out, I had the budget of a small child who hated food, which meant I had to get very creative on the use of my daily food allotment. I made so many bad choices early on and also created many bad habits that took years to unlearn.

Here’s a stat: 75% of adults are overweight and 36% are considered obese.
Think about that.

And this statistic doesn’t address the Road Warrior who eats many of those meals on the road with many more tempting and fattening foods literally at their fingertips.

Now, there’s overweight statistically then there’s overweight for you. And here’s the problem:

We don’t see the correlation between nutrition and energy.

If we don’t watch what we eat and continue down this path, we’re always going to feel:

  • Embarrassed about how we look
  • Insecure
  • Shame
  • Lazy
  • Out of control
  • Lack self-discipline
  • Little to no energy

Is that the life you want? And if we’re REALLY honest with ourselves, will my health affect the quality and length of my life?

And THAT is the real issue: Not having energy as a result of not eating properly to do my VERY BEST every single day.

Is that your story? Do you feel unhealthy? Overweight?

I can relate.

I used to eat whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted and often times, the later the better. Can’t go to bed hungry, right? I never looked at the label to read the calories, fat, or sugar – and definitely not the ingredients.

Looking back, I’m a little horrified at what I consumed a majority of my life.

I justified my eating because I worked out and once I started traveling, I couldn’t hide the weight anymore. I felt horrible, far from my best, and detested how I looked in the hotel mirror.

For me, this was not acceptable and I hated how I felt and looked. But I chose to change the way I ate on the road which became a catalyst to change my eating behaviors at home as well.

I feel in control again and in really good shape for my age. I prefer to curl the 40 lb. dumbbell not carry it in my gut.

Food is a personal issue especially on the road. It’s easy to feel justified by what we eat on the road. I hear consistently from women that too often food becomes emotional on the road and reactive due to the stress. Understandable, but there’s still a cost.

Men often turn to alcohol and we know where that could lead.

Energy Habit Two is FUEL. It’s challenging how we look at food when we travel.

Here’s The Problem

I was eating on the road because I was hungry or because it was time to eat and it was just there in front of me. I did NOT look at food in the way that is critical for a Road Warrior:

I had to change my mindset to the following…

FOOD is FUEL.

It’s the fuel your body needs to have the energy you need on the road to be an Elite Road Warrior

FUEL is ENERGY.

Food is Fuel and Fuel is Energy.

And when you begin to think this way, Energy Habit Two will start to make a difference in your Road Life

There are four words that will become your fuel mantra. These four words simply and literally changed my food choices.

Four Words That Will Change Your Nutritional Regrets on the Road
Make The Healthiest Choice

What if you said those specific four words absolutely every time you were about to eat? How much different would the results be AFTER you chose the healthier option?

These four words, Make the Healthiest Choice became my personal mantra. I got serious and I mean serious with these four words.

I put it on my mirror so I would see the phrases and the overweight person staring back at me in the mirror every stinking time. (That guy was consistent!)

I even put it on my door so I would see it walking out of the room. I put a sticky note on my fridge in my hotel room if one was available to me.

I repeated those four words staring at a menu especially when my natural reaction at a restaurant is the tastiest choice or the largest choice.

And here’s a challenging question for you to think about: What could begin to change in your nutrition if you followed these four words, Make the Healthiest Choice? This could be a game changer for you.

My wife and I ask this question of our kids now: What would be the healthiest choice? When we go out to eat and they choose from the kid’s menu: What would be the healthiest choice? When they get a snack: What would be the healthiest choice? We want them to recognize this now at an early age. So, if a 7-year-old can do it, I know you can too!

Here’s the point: We want to feel healthy so we can accomplish and enjoy what we want out of our work and life. Your nutrition can and should be a source of energy for you to do your best work.

In this 2nd energy habit of FUEL, you’ll learn three actions that will change how you view nutrition on the road.

1.Continually Hydrate

Wait, hydration is not food! But just as a high performing car needs gas (food to the body), it also needs oil to run smoothly. And that’s exactly why we need to hydrate.

2. Clean & Green

This is where our four key words: Make the Healthiest Choice begin changing our decisions on the road. Don’t worry, you’re not going to starve yourself or have to eat only things you hate. This is a process.

At first, it will be Make the Healthier Choice. But it simply gets down to Eating Clean and Eating Green.

3. Carry a Controlled Substance

Two things I don’t care for: being hungry and limited options when I am hungry. This is why it’s critical you learn how to leverage the power of snacks or your own meal to subsidize in a way that continually fuels you and doesn’t put you in a spot to Make the Quickest Choice, or the Easiest Choice, or even the Largest Choice.

Once you learn how to carry a controlled substance and make it part of your road routine, you’ll be able to have complete control of your fuel on the road.

Warning…

This is a process.

It takes determination and dedication to have these four words become natural before you eat each meal or even snack. Chances are there will be times you will choose a different key word in the four words (easiest / quickest / largest / tastiest). But the key is what you do the next meal.

I’ve found that not continuing the pattern and making the 2nd mistake is absolutely critical to getting back on the nutritional wagon. You need to stop the bleeding immediately. Engrave “Make the Healthiest Choice” in your mind. Remember, only YOU control your nutrition, so take responsibility now. Implement these four words with your very next meal on the road. Then at the next meal. Then the next…

You’ve got this!

Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

Terra is a hard driver. She’s up early and at it late. She never takes breaks and actually prides herself because of it.

During every possible break given in a meeting or conference, she’s working. Her brain is always engaged, and her legs are never moving while she’s sitting in those conferences.

Her philosophy is “who has time for a break?!” and she actually looks down on those who do. She would never say they are lazy but she does question their work ethic. Is Terra right? After all, you’re on the road to work and crank out as much work as possible.

Or is there a reason to take a break?
This is a major pushback for road warriors: the topic of a break. Terra is not alone in this area. But Terra, give it a break already!

I know what you’re thinking: “I barely have time to go to the bathroom let alone pause for lunch. How could I ever have time for a break?” Well, you never “have time.” You “make time” for things that are important. Believe it or not, breaks are important and they matter.

Four Natural Pushbacks To Taking A Break

1. I don’t have time to take a break.

I’m behind before I even start my day and will only fall further behind if I stop and take a break.
I will literally lose more time if I stop. I have TOO much to do and NOT enough time to do it. How could I even consider stopping for a break?

2. I feel fine, why take a break?

Those of us who are locked in and get “in the zone” can easily push back on this one. This is especially true for those of us who love what we do.

3. I forget to even take a break.

If it’s not something we do regularly, especially when traveling, it’s easier to just do a drive-by and miss a break, even if we want or need to take one.

4. My travel schedule does not allow me to take a break.

This used to be me. I never took a break on the road, and the main reason was I never scheduled it. When I started padding my schedule by just 15 – 30 minutes once or twice a day, the results were outstanding.
The problem is, most road warriors rarely take a break, and IF they do, they do it wrong. How do you screw up a break? Let’s start with what a break is first.

I define a break as: MOVE THE BODY/REST THE MIND.

If people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – they rest the body and move the mind.
They stay seated and move from one screen to another (computer to phone for social media or personal email). Aka: they screw it up. They’re not moving because they remain seated and their mind is not resting; it is engaged in something else.

They miss an opportunity to leverage the energy that a break can give you IF it’s done correctly.
A true break is designed to move the body – stand/stretch/walk – MOVE! Resting the mind means stop concentrating and let it roam free. Breaks mean running the car, but on idle.

I agree with what The Huffington Post says on breaks: “It is difficult to see things from a new perspective or find new insights when we come at it the same way all the time. Taking a step away — literally or figuratively — might be just what we need to recharge.”

A break is productive only when you disconnect from the work you are doing and indulge in any other activity that takes your mind off the task at hand. The reality is, we have to see the benefit of a break if we’re going to gain anything out of a break.

Benefits of a Break

1. Your mind gets to rest

I don’t know about most people, but the moment I begin my day, my mind is going, and I don’t want to admit it, but it doesn’t stay sharp all day. The reality is my mind begins to fade, especially being around people on the road all day unless I do something about it. That’s exactly why taking a break to give your mind a rest is so vitally important.

It’s good to push your mind, but if your goal is to stay sharp and productive, we need to consider a mental break. We can only focus for so long before quality begins to decrease. If we’re honest, we’ll admit this truth. Resting the mind is exactly what is needed to become more effective and to increase productivity.
What does resting the mind look like? Well, it doesn’t look like moving from one computer tab to another, from CRM to Twitter, from computer to phone. It means allowing your mind time to roam and not concentrate so it is free to engage in something else without intense focus.

2. Your body gets to move.

One of our biggest unknown challenges is being sedentary. Most of us sit almost the entire day, especially when we travel. We’re in a rental car or rideshare, then to the conference room to dinner and then we crash on the bed.

We are not designed to sit around all day, and it’s definitely not helpful for your creativity or productivity. Getting up for a few minutes gets our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain.

We NEED to get our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain to be at our best. Often times, since you’re naturally sitting most of the day, you just have to take the initiative. How many times have you been in a situation where someone said, “Can we take a quick break? I need to… (Get coffee, go to the bathroom, make a quick call or return some messages)”?

This is the timeout in sports you’ve been looking for but use it wisely. Often, people just sit there and completely waste the break. They stay seated on their can and check social media or talk about absolutely nothing.

Not you, road warrior. Exit stage left and go for a walk. Change locations. Move the body and rest the mind. Leave the building if you can. At least, walk around within the building. Often, I take a few stairs and at least step outside. In this way, I’ve moved and taken in some fresh air and scenery.

3. You come back more focused.

This is where taking a break actually increases your productivity. We don’t want to just do our work; we want to do our best work, and that’s what happens when we’re focused and creative. When blood is flowing through my body and oxygen is getting to my brain, both have had the break they need to come back more focused.

It’s amazing how people can screw up a break and are worse off after a break. Not you, road warrior. You’ll come back sharp and ready to knock out the rest of the time.

So, we’ve given excuses of why we can’t or don’t take a break. And we learned the benefits of taking a break. Now, let’s get very practical on how to actually take a break while on a business trip.

Here are Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

According to the book Rest, a true break from work – the kind that allows what sociologists call detachment, the ability to put work completely out of your mind and attend to other things – turns out to be tremendously important as a source of mental and physical recovery from work.

I realize breaks may be a change of mindset for you, but if you begin to simply change how you view a break, whether given or self-imposed, you will experience the benefits of moving your body and resting your mind as you get the full benefits of a break. Take a short walk and change your environment for a few moments to catch your breath with the goal of coming back refreshed and ready for another round.

Some break ideas are:

  1. Breath Break
  2. Stand Break
  3. Stretch Break
  4. Bathroom Break
  5. Snack Break
  6. Walk Break

These may seem obvious, but so often, we’re simply not doing them.
We’ll choose six excuses. Think creatively about how you could add them to your travel day. If you think you don’t have ANY time for a break, consider the following with examples of how to use the six different types of breaks.

Your goal: Be an overachiever and combine break types.

Three types of breaks on the road:

1. MICRO – Think Seconds/Small Length
We may not have time for anything longer at the moment or we just need a quick energy boost, and that’s exactly why we should take micro-breaks throughout the day.
Here’s a stat for you: a 30-second micro-break can increase your productivity up to 13% and a 15-second break from staring at your computer screen every ten minutes can reduce your fatigue by 50%.

Here are three different types of micro-breaks:

  • Breathe break – Take in oxygen to the brain.
  • Stand break – Simply standing and walking a sedentary body will do more for you than you think, even with such little effort
  • Stretch break – take that stand and move it to a stretch to get some additional blood flowing. You’d be surprised what a simple, calculated stretch will do for your energy.

EVERYONE on the road has time for MICRO breaks. They don’t affect your time but definitely affect your energy!

2. MINI – Think Minutes/Medium Length
Micro is seconds; mini is minutes. You can sneak a little break in with only a few minutes.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) research reveals that taking mini-breaks that range up to 5 minutes can improve mental acuity by about 13 percent. That’s GREAT ROI for just five minutes!

  • Bathroom break – This can be a mini-break. If you’re drinking water, this is a natural by-product of your hydration donation. Most on the road have time for mini-breaks either from your meeting that gives you a break, in-between meetings, or self-appointed mini-breaks.
  • Snack break – There’s no shame in getting a snack throughout the day. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to get some other sources of energy to your body so that you can work most effectively. Just remember to put good food into your body to help this mini-break be effective.

3. MAX – Think Unplug/Large Length
This type of break is harder to come by and is either granted during a long meeting or you just have to take it.

  • Water break – Again, if you’re drinking water, you’re going to need a refill, and this is the time to do it.

This couple of minutes’ break does more than you realize and is worth the quick stop. Often, this is a natural upgrade from the micro and mini breaks.

If you’ve been concentrating for a while, at some point in your morning and/or especially in your afternoon, you need a max break. How often have you found yourself pushing through the mid-to-late-afternoon and everything just seems to take you twice as long and the quality is half as good? The solution? A max break. This is a true un-plug.

I’m not talking an hour or even 45 minutes; 15 minutes is a great place to start with a max break.

Breaks are all over for you on the road if you just begin to look for them then learn to leverage them.
The ultimate goal is maximizing that break for all it’s worth to gain the energy you need for your day on the road.

Five Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

One of the best parts of being a business traveler is the food experience.

It’s great not having to cook or clean up.

Then there’s the ability to chose the type of food you want:

  • Steak
  • Seafood
  • Italian
  • Mexican
  • Thai
  • …and the list goes on.

But wait, there’s more!

Then you get to choose what you want to order off the menu.

Oh the choices.
Oh the temptations!

And the best part of all? You’re not paying for it!

Or at least not yet, right?!

The nights you’re with a customer or client or team dinner, there are no limits.

Choose that appetizer or wine you’ve always wanted to try but never could afford.

Order that top-shelf liquor – heck, make it a double!

But on the company card, of course.

Bring it on!

Yet there is a cost. A heavy cost. And too many road warriors literally carry that cost with them all over their body from flight to board room to hotel. The travel triangle. The weight is literally weighing them down and the scale only goes up.

However, each decision can be easier if you view eating out on the road with the following lenses:

  • Food is Fuel
  • Fuel is Energy

This mindset is critical because it’s not based on the here and now “oh that looks or smells good” but on how I will feel later when we oftentimes need the energy.

The energy to….

  • Finish that proposal
  • Review the presentation
  • Get to bed at a decent time

I not only made the wrong decisions for years, I had the weight to prove it.

You’ve heard of the Freshman 15.
Then there’s the Travel 20.
And being the over-achiever I was on the road, I doubled it and earned what I call “the Entitled 40”

The reality is I could justify my choices and behaviors all day long and night for that matter.

And who was going to argue with me? The business traveler who struggling with the same issues? They’re my biggest supporter!

The point is you need to come to a point in your Road Life where you begin to think about your health along with your work.

We focus too much on the work aspect of the road in general when our health and our home life suffer just as much if not more.

This is why Elite Road Warrior has three focus areas:

  • Work
  • Health
  • Home Life

You do have choices.

And your choices have consequences.

I used to be the guy who said,

“Wow, that looks good. Oh, that looks good, I’ll try that too.”

“Another drink, please?”

“Look at that dessert! I’ll just try a bite”…. until it’s gone.

Leader of the pack! So, I get the battle of eating out on the road ALL-THE-TIME.

I’ve since lost the Entitled 40 in pounds and have kept it off.

I’ve stopped “getting by” on the road and chosen to “get better” and that means every time you eat out on the road.

There is hope and you can learn to leverage the road to get better. And I’m here to be your guide.

All five key decisions are in full effect the most at dinner when we’re much more relaxed potentially after a long travel day or a stressful day on the road but these apply to lunch too.

Five Key Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

These five decisions are naturally in order. They shouldn’t surprise you but somehow we act surprised when the server comes by and asks us these five questions.

Every.
Single.
Time.

And the nicer the restaurant, the more choices you’ll have right before your very eyes, oftentimes even presented to you on a literal silver platter.

Decision One – What I Will Drink

At dinner time, “the entitled me” always seems to show up ready to go no matter how last night went if you know what I mean.

And depending on if ‘I’m alone for dinner with my laptop lover or entertaining guests or being entertained, I enjoy the wine part of the “wine and dine”.

This is where the slippery slope begins and we have to “know thyself.”

For me, the more I drink, the sloppier I become on my nutrition, especially after a long day.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always and I mean always order a glass of water if one is not already provided for you. Then here’s the key: drink as much as you can to start. Why?
    • Most of us are more dehydrated than we even think so getting some water into your system is always a smart decision
    • 2. Water fills us up and hopefully detours us from over-eating
    • Join the Free WMP – water match program so whatever drink you do order, make sure you match it 1:1 with water. This will keep you hydrated the rest of the night and especially save you from waking up overly-parched and feeling like you’ve swallowed cotton balls that seem to multiply throughout the night
  • Think about what you’re really drinking and how much you plan to or should drink. Are you going to stay with one type of drink or hop all over the place? For me, when I start hopping, I start paying for it and I don’t mean the tab. Through the years, I’ve become a vodka tonic guy and it’s served me well.

Decision Two – Will I Order an Appetizer

This decision doesn’t come far behind the 1st decision of What I Will Drink.

I never order an appetizer when I’m by myself but somehow am overly tempted with other people.

It’s like each person is waiting for the other one to say “no thanks” or “sure, what looks good to you?”

The appetizer can be the “gotcha” to the meal. When I give in to something especially unhealthy, I get lazy at everything after that point.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always pre-decide – this means don’t base your decision on what looks and/or smells good. If you do, you’re going down like a Mike Tyson punch.
  • If you choose, eat the cleaner and greener appetizer.
  • If you’re a moderator, which means you can take just one bite and stop, stick to the plan
  • If you’re an abstainer, which means if you start, hide the women and children, it’s going to get ugly quick and the appetizer will disappear, Know Thyself, and don’t start.
  • Order a dark green salad – this is my go-to-choice for a few reasons:
    1. I avoid the tempting and fattening appetizer
    2. It allows me to get in healthy clean greens – just be smart with the toppings and dressings

Remember, Clean and Green is the 2nd element of FUEL after Continually Hydrate. So, use this time to get the good stuff in early – meaning the clean and green stuff.

Decision Three – What Is My Main Course

Ah, the featured presentation. This is why we’re here eating out, well, at least as far as food is concerned.

And depending on the restaurant, this may not be top-secret. If you’re at a chophouse, duh. If you’re at a seafood place, you get the point.

There are two main choices here:

  1. The main course needs to be Clean – look for the cleanest meat possible whether beef, chicken, eggs. If it’s really clean, it will list “grass-fed or organic” which means this is your easiest choice. If not, your 2nd main choice becomes all the more important
  2. What goes ON the main course – we can make a great clean decision with the main course then go five steps backward by all the heavy sauces, etc.

You may fight back and say, “but that’s what gives it all the flavor! And there is truth to it. But it doesn’t mean going ALL or Nothing.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always do your research – most restaurants now have online menus, so do some intel. Why? Avoid impulse choosing.
  • Put the sauce on the side – sometimes when it’s doused all over the place, you’re forced to eat ALL of it. But if you can just try it, maybe it’s not as good as advertised. Sometimes just a dip here and there is all you need and a better choice in the long run.
  • Add First Then Reverse – first and foremost, get the healthy in. Start there if this is not natural yet and feels like too big of an ask. Add the good stuff in first then begin reversing by taking the bad stuff off. For example, the sauces all over the meat or salad.

Decision Four – What Are My Side Dishes

This may seem like a default decision from your choice of the main dish. But not always.

You can go rogue and choose a side other than what the menu suggests or compels you to choose.

And most restaurants will allow you to easily make the change and sometimes with a very small upcharge. Not a big deal and worth the cost to eat clean and green.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always have at least one vegetable and preferably with not a ton of processing – steamed broccoli/asparagus / green beans, sautéed spinach, cauliflower, etc.
  • Choose a sweet potato over a baked potato or fries
  • Choose double veggies – another way to sneak in more “Green” of the clean and green.
  • Take a healthy side to go – I do this very often since almost every hotel I stay at has at least a mini-fridge and a microwave.

Decision Five – If I Will Have Dessert

You know they always ask if you want dessert, and if you’re not prepared, you go back to the awkward moment of deciding on the spot.

I tell this story in the Elite Road Warrior book about how at a dinner of 12, a one-pound brownie with a gallon of ice cream covered in whipped cream came out and after hundreds and hundreds of dollars were put on the table as a bet of who could eat it, I took on the challenge (mind you, this was during my Entitled 40 days…).

Impressively and sadly, I finished it then couldn’t digest it, lie down, or sleep for 48 hours. Brutal. Stupid (at least I donated the money).

All that to say, I’ve been the freak in the freak show so I understand the power of decision five: If I will have dessert.

Here are some suggestions:

  • Learn to say “no” upfront so others know where you stand
  • Know if you’re a moderator or abstainer – I know the “wanna be moderators” whose “just a bite” is the gift that keeps on giving or should I say taking. I’ve eaten with you people.
  • Choose a fruit bowl – this is my go-to when I want something sweet but not go down heavy with the dessert. I love anything berries and you can’t go wrong.
  • Carry dark chocolate with you – my wife and I are huge Trader Joe dark chocolate lovers. I carry a bar with me – far healthier choice and less ugly in the long run.

If you follow these five decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road in the healthiest form, you will win with nutrition in business travel.

And you will have the energy to prove it along with fewer pounds to carry.

I get you because I am you!

References

10 Business Travel Hacks Guide

7 Early Warning Signs for Companies to Avoid Business Travel Burnout

Five Key Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

One of the best parts of being a business traveler is the food experience.

Who doesn’t like not having a meal from home that you really didn’t want?

Or not having to cook or clean up.

Then there’s the ability to chose the type of food you want:

Steak
Seafood
Italian
Mexican
Thai
…and the list goes on.
But wait, there’s more!

Then you get to choose what you want to order off the menu.

Oh the choices.

Oh the temptations!

And the best part of all? You’re not paying for it!

Or at least not yet, right?!

The nights you’re with a customer or client or team dinner, there are no limits.

Chose that appetizer or wine you’ve always wanted to try but never could afford.

Order that top-shelf liquor – heck, make it a double!

But on the company card, of course.

Bring it on!

 

Yet there is a cost. A heavy cost. And too many road warriors literally carry that cost with them all over their body from flight to board room to hotel. The travel triangle.

The weight is literally weighing them down and the scale only goes up.

However, each decision can be easier if you view eating out on the road with the following lenses:

Food is Fuel
Fuel is Energy

This mindset is critical because it’s not based on the here and now “oh that looks or smells good” but how I will feel later and often times when we need the energy.

The energy to….

  • Finish that proposal
  • Review the presentation
  • Get to bed at a decent time

I not only made the wrong decisions for years, but I also had the weight to prove it.

You’ve heard of the Freshman 15.

Then there’s the Travel 20.

And being the over-achiever I was on the road, I doubled it and earned what I call “the Entitled 40”

The reality is I could justify my choices and behaviors all day long and night for that matter.

And who was going to argue with me?

The business traveler who struggling with the same issues? They’re my biggest supporters!

The point is you need to come to a point in your Road Life where you begin to think about your Health along with your Work.

We focus too much on the work aspect of the road in general as our health and our home life suffer just as much if not more.

This is why Elite Road Warrior has three focus areas:

You do have choices.
And your choices have consequences.

I used to be the guy who said, wow, that looks good. Oh, that looks good, I’ll try that too.

Another drink, please?

Look at that dessert! I’ll just try a bite…. until it’s gone.

Leader of the pack!

So, I get the battle of eating out on the road ALL-THE-TIME.

I’ve since lost the Entitled 40 as in pounds and have kept it off.

I’ve stopped “getting by” on the road and chosen to “get better” and that means every time you eat out on the road.

There is hope and you can learn to leverage the road to get better. And I’m here to be your guide.

All five key decisions are in full effect the most at dinner when we’re much more relaxed potentially after a long travel day or a stressful day on the road but can apply to even lunch.

So, what are the five key decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road?

 

Five Key Decisions You Must Make at Every Restaurant on the Road

These five decisions are naturally in order. They shouldn’t surprise you but somehow we act surprised when the server comes by and asks us these five questions.

Every.

Single.

Time.

And the nicer the restaurant, the more choices you’ll have right before your very eyes often times even presented to you on a literal silver platter.

 

Decision One – What I Will Drink​

At dinner time, “the entitled me” always seems to show up ready to go no matter how last night went if you know what I mean.

And depending on if ‘I’m alone for dinner with my laptop lover or entertaining guests or being entertained, I enjoy the “wine part of the wine and dine”.

This is where the slippery slope begins and we have to “know thyself.”

For me, the more I drink, the sloppier I become on my nutrition, especially after a long day.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always and I mean always order a glass of water if one is not already provided for you then here’s the key: drink as much as you can to start. Why?
    Most of us are more dehydrated than we even think so getting some water into your system is always a smart decision
    Water fills us up and hopefully detours us from over-eating
  • Join the Free WMP – water match program so whatever drink you do order, make sure you match it 1:1 with water. This will keep you hydrated the rest of the night and especially save you from waking up overly-parched and feeling like you’ve swallowed cotton balls that seem to multiply throughout the night
  • Think about what you’re really drinking and how much you plan to or should drink. Are you going to stay with one type of drink or hop all over the place? For me, when I start hopping, I start paying for it and I don’t mean the tab. Through the years, I’ve become a vodka tonic guy and it’s served me well but only paired with the free water match program.

 

Decision Two – Will I Order or Eat an Appetizer

This decision doesn’t come far behind the 1st decision of What I Will Drink.

I never order an appetizer when I’m by myself but somehow overly tempted with other people.

It’s like each person is waiting for the other one to say “no thanks” or “sure, what looks good to you?”

The appetizer can be the “gotcha” to the meal. When I give in especially something unhealthy, I get lazy about everything after that point.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always pre-decide – This means don’t base your decision on what looks and/or smells good. If you do, you’re going down like a Mike Tyson punch.
    If you choose, eat the cleaner and greener appetizer.
  • If you’re a moderator, which means you can take just one bite and stop, stick to the plan
  • If you’re an abstainer, which means if you start, hide the women and children, it’s going to get ugly quick and the appetizer will disappear, Know Thyself, and don’t start.
  • Order a dark green salad – this is my go-to-choice for a few reasons:
    I avoid the tempting and fattening appetizer
    It allows me to get in healthy clean greens – just be smart with the toppings and dressings

 

Remember, Clean and Green is the 2nd element of FUEL after Continually Hydrate. So, use this time to get the good stuff meaning the clean and green stuff in early.

 

Decision Three – What Is My Main Course

Ah, the featured presentation.

This is why we’re here eating out, well, at least as far as food is concerned.

And depending on the restaurant, this may not be top-secret. If you’re at a chophouse, duh. If you’re at a seafood place, you get the point.

There are two main choices here:
The main course needs to be Clean – look for the cleanest meat possible whether beef, chicken, eggs. If it’s really clean, it will list “grass-fed or organic” which means this is your easiest choice. If not, your 2nd main choice becomes all the more important

What goes ON the main course – we can make a great clean decision with the main course then go five-step backward by all the heavy sauces, etc.

You may fight back and say, “but is what gives it all the flavor! And there is truth to it. But it doesn’t mean going ALL or Nothing.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always do your research – every restaurant now has an online menu so do some intel. Why? Avoid impulse choosing.
  • Put the sauce on the side – sometimes when it’s doused all over the place, you’re forced to eat ALL of it. But if you can just try it, maybe it’s not as good as advertised. Sometimes just a dip here and there is all you need and a better choice in the long run.
  • Add First Then Reverse – first and foremost, get the healthy in. Start there if this is not natural yet and feels like too big of an ask. Add the good stuff in first then begin reversing by taking the bad stuff off. For example, the sauces all over the meat or salad.

 

Decision Four – What Are My Side Dishes

This may seem like a default decision meaning your side dish is a direct decision from your choice of the main dish.

But not always.

You can go rogue and choose a side other than what the menu suggests or compels you to choose.

And most restaurants will allow you to easily make the change and sometimes with a very small uncharge. Not a big deal and worth the cost to eat clean and green.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Always have at least one vegetable and preferably with not a ton of processing – steamed broccoli/asparagus / green beans, sautéed spinach, cauliflower, etc.
  • Choose a sweet potato over a baked potato or fries
  • Choose double veggies – another way to sneak in more “Green” of the clean and green.
  • Take a healthy side to go – I do this very often since almost every hotel I stay at has at least a mini-fridge and a microwave.

 

Decision Five – If I Will Have Dessert

You know they always ask and if you’re not prepared, you go back to the awkward moment like the appetizer but more at stake after a few drinks.

I tell this story in the Elite Road Warrior book how at a dinner of 12, a one-pound brownie with a gallon of ice cream covered in whipped cream came out and after hundreds and hundreds of dollar were put on the table as a bet of who could eat it, I took on the challenge (mind you, this was during my Entitled 40 days…).

Impressively and sadly, I finished it then couldn’t digest it, lie down, or sleep for 48 hours. Brutal. Stupid (at least I donated the money).

All that to say, I’ve been the freak in the freak show so I understand the power of decision five: If I will have dessert.

 

Here are some suggestions:

  • Learn to say no upfront so others know where you stand
  • Know if you’re a moderator or abstainer – I know the “wannabe moderators” who there “just a bite” is the gift that keeps on giving or should I say taking. I’ve eaten with you people.
  • Choose a fruit bowl – this is my go-to when I want something sweet but not go down heavy with the dessert. I love anything berries and you can’t go wrong.
  • Carry dark chocolate with you – my wife and me are huge Trader Joe dark chocolate lovers. I carry a bar in my Carry a Controlled Substance work lunch box (episode 037 of the Elite Road Warrior Podcast) – far healthier choice and less ugly in the long run

 

Let’s Land This Plane

Our energy habit focus is FUEL which is the 2nd of the physical energy habits.

Here’s a quick review of the five decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road:

Decision One – What I Will Drink

Decision Two – Will I Order or Eat an Appetizer

Decision Three – What Is My Main Course

Decision Four – What Are My Side Dishes

Decision Five – If I Will Have Dessert

If you follow these five decisions you must make at every restaurant on the road in the healthiest form, you will win with nutrition with business travel.
And you will have the energy to prove it along with fewer pounds to carry.

I get you because I am you!

 

Prefer Audio…?

If you’re interested in the audio version of the five decisions you just make at every restaurant, check out the Elite Road Warrior Podcast episode #043.

Seven Things I Do On Every Flight

Most business travelers have one thing in common and that is they’re on an airplane. But how they use their time on the flight is where things change.

How we use our time is a very personal thing. Not convinced?

Tell someone they’re not using their time wisely and just wait for THAT response.

I suggest stepping back or ready for the inner defense attorney in them to come pouring out.

And since I’m a student of road warriors as a business travel performance expert, I’m always watching, listening, and learning how they spend their time.

One of the best labs for this observation is the airplane, imagine that.

You can tell who is on the plane for business travel and who is there for leisure. The ones that stand out as the business traveler use their time doing three primary things:

  • Work
  • Watch Something
  • Sleep

They sleep because they’re exhausted before they even land to their destination on the very 1st day of the trip.

We know how THAT story goes and not the ideal way to start your Anchor Day.

I’m often either asked how I spend my time on a plane and/or those around me comment on my use of time on the flight.

Let me give you a money PRO TIP this early in the article.

Create Your Flight Plan.

A pilot has a flight plan and so should you. Both take you from one place to the other.

This is the exact opposite of most road warriors.

Again, what do they do?

  • Work
  • Watch Something
  • Sleep

Some multi-task and somehow able to do all three at the same time and doing none of them well.

Have you seen that guy or girl? Is that you?

If it’s an early flight, they’re knocked out before the flight even takes off.

When they awaken from their coma nap with award mocking, I mean marvelous hair, they crack open their laptop and randomly go at it.

Then they get bored and start to watch something.

That’s more of a Flight C’mon Man than a Flight Plan.

There are four arguments going on with business travelers on “who’s time” it really is on a flight:

1.  The company time and no matter what time you’re on a flight (I’ve worked for companies like that and despised it by the way)
2.  The company’s time during normal business hours (and is there such a thing on the road?)
3.  The company and your time as long as you get your work done
4.  YOUR time and only your time unless you choose to use YOUR time for work – after all, business and personal hours are easily blurred on the road

No matter where you stand on the four arguments, the point is you need a plan and I propose…

The Elite Road Warrior Flight Plan which has the following three elements:

1.  What you’re going to do
2.  The order you’re going to do it
3.  Approximate times

The moral of the story here, Road Warriors, is whatever you do, you do on purpose.

If you work, you know…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

If it’s a blend (between work and your time), you know…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

If it’s only your time…

  • What you’re going to do
  • The order you’re going to do it
  • Approximate times

Why is this so important? Because how we use our time is how we spend our lives and this includes a flight especially if you fly a ton as I do.

Elite Road Warriors use their time wisely in their Work, their Health, and their Home Life, the three focus areas of Elite Road Warrior.

And it starts with one of my favorite locations to do Focus Work.

It’s where the phone doesn’t ring.

Someone can’t swing by my office.

I can choose to be online or offline.

And that my fellow road warriors, is the gift of the plane.

 

Seven Things I Do On Every Flight

The following things everyone can do on every single flight no matter if it’s an hour, across the country, or across the ocean.

What changes? The length and frequency.

The longer the flight, the longer each of the following may occur and just how often I chose to do them. The important point here is what they are.

And remember, our Flight Plan exists of:
1.  What you’re going to do
2.  The order you’re going to do it
3.  Approximate times

It’s asking this very critical question:

Where Do I Want This Time to Take Me in the End?

When you land, how did you use your time?

So learn to ask:

Where Do I Want This Time to Take Me in the End?

  1. Read / Listen

The 1st thing I do every single time is read/listen to a book.

Why first?

Personally, I just can’t get any work done because of all the interruptions of people boarding the plane, getting by me since I prefer the aisle to get up to stand, stretch, and walk.

So, through the years, I’ve learned that if I don’t read the first thing, I rarely get to it later on, but that’s just me.

I find it also calms my mind and puts me in a place of personal or professional development which is energy habit #5.

Prioritize the important not urgent first.

To be clear, my reading time is boarding time after I find my set and get situated until once I reach 10K feet is my goal is my read/listen time.

It always happens and 100% predictable that I choose my seat and get set, we take off and the announcement of 10K feet.

So, leverage this predictable time to get your “read/listen on”.

Challenge:  If you’ve not read the Elite Road Warrior book, I challenge you to get it, and dedicate this boarding to 10K time to read the book.

 

2.  Drink Water

Most people avoid water on the plane for a couple of reasons:

  • They say they don’t want to have to get up to go to the bathroom but then will have two cokes or an adult beverage or three.
  • They just don’t drink water normally when they’re on the ground and it’s just not part of their Road Routine.

But the reality is you should double your amount of water on the plane. Huh? Why?

When you are on a plane, you’re basically flying in a sky desert, according to Life Hacker, where the humidity hovers around 10- 20%, which is less than the Sahara Desert, crazy enough.

This is due to the plane’s air circulation, or lack thereof.

Compare that to normal humidity, which is between 30-60%, and it’s no wonder you’re more dehydrated on a plane, which is why you often feel a little more fatigued, have headaches, and nausea when flying.

On a plane, if you were to bring a soaking wet washcloth on to the plane, within 90 minutes, it will be completely dry!

The last thing I do before boarding the plane is head to the bathroom and try and go (I hear my father say, “Son, just push and try anyway!”), then I fill up my water bottle.

It’s the times when I don’t and rely on drink service that we hit turbulence for six hours on a two-hour flight and the flight attendant can’t get up – or can they? Hmm.

And did you know every airline has at least this one thing in common? Free Refills on water.

So, I chug water often and let it do its magic.

Challenge: Drink about 8 ounces of water for every hour you’re in the air, According to Dr. Peter Hackett, the director of the Institute for Altitude MedicineSo just plan on drinking twice as much water on a plane when you’re flying.

 

3.  Think Space

What is Think Space? Taking time to think and put your thoughts on paper.

It’s the key element of Process the Thoughts which is the 2nd part of the Invest in You Formula of energy habit 5, develop.

Why take time for Think Space?

Personally, my brain is always and I mean always going. I need time to get what’s in there, out of there.

I’ve always been good at the 1st part of the Invest in You Formula of Sharpening the Mind by putting things in but not getting things out.

And hence the need for Think Space.

What do I use?

The Elite Road Warrior Journal which has two sections: one for Think Space (process the thoughts) and one for Road Life journaling. (monitor the heart).

How long do I take?  It depends on the flight but anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes.

What do I think about?

You name it.

Sometimes it’s just free form. I just open it up and go wherever my mind takes me.

And since it’s scary in there, what I think or write about maybe all over the place.

But usually 5 minutes or so into Think Space, my mind starts to settle and I think about something specific and process it.

Ideas:

  • Your trip
  • Follow-up
  • Your goals
  • How to connect with fam/friends

The point here is leveraging the peace and quiet in the air and create time to think.

I have a blog post about Think Space along with an entire chapter in the Elite Road Warrior book for more details and examples.

Challenge: make just 5 minutes to do nothing but think on your next flight and write it down, preferably in the Elite Road Warrior branded journal (just sayin’ man).

 

4. Stand and Stretch

Believe it or not, you’re actually not completely at the mercy of the seat belt light or everyone else’s sedentary behavior.

30-60 seconds to stand and stretch makes a huge difference every 30 minutes.

Why?

Your body gets tight especially the older you are.

And your mind gets tired.

I define a break as Move the Body and Rest the Mind. And a break can be a micro-break of 30-60 seconds. Perfect time to stand and stretch.

If you don’t stand and stretch consistently, you’ll be surprised and quickly of just how much this one act will do for you on a flight to go back and do whatever you’re doing.

Challenge: commit and take just one stand and stretch break during your next flight

 

5.  Work

This one goes back to the four arguments of who’s time is it really on a flight.

If and when I work, I try to leverage this unique time:

  • No phone calls
  • No work chat or texts
  • No stop by your office to chat
  • No WiFi if you want to – if I want to be officially “off the grid”, I can be and ain’t nobody can do anything about it

My guidelines for working on a plane:

  • Have Rules – how long
  • Have a Plan – high leverage tasks
  • Have focus – drill down on only one task

This can be Deep Work time. If you abide by the guidelines, you can knock out this Time Block of focused, deep work time to make some serious progress.

Challenge: Choose one high leverage task at a time and focus on that one task for a set period of time

 

6.  Walk

Every hour or more I get up and am “free to move about the cabin” as they say.

My water I drink (from Drink Water, 2nd on the list of things I do on every flight) kicks in and it’s Go Time and I mean literally.

It’s a great reminder to stand, stretch, and walk.

I always choose the bathroom in the furthest direction. Why? Get more walking and potentially stand and stretch time if I have to wait.

Again, going back to the definition of a break, Move the Body and Rest the Mind, a walk no matter where you walk is a great catalyst to do both and then come back even more refreshed to get back to the task at hand.

Challenge: commit and take at least one stroll down the aisle during your next flight (if you did #2, drink water, this may just be your trigger reminder)

 

7.  Meditate

Once we’re about to land and the cabin is getting cleaned/ seat trays in their full and upright position, I use this time as a trigger to meditate.

I don’t get down in a lotus position and make a scene to go Zen on everyone.  But I do take a few moments to meditate after I put all my gear away.

Why? Get in the right headspace.

I want to get where I’m going prepared, focused, and in the right state of mind.

And this is done by mindfulness.

You can hear more about it on the Elite Road Warrior Podcast episode #27 on why meditation didn’t work for me on the road… (which is a hook title, FYI) so I’m a big believer in the benefits of taking time on a flight to meditate and get my head in the right place.

Why? Because, at least for me, once that plane lands and I stand, it’s Go Time. To Work or head home.

Either way I want to be mindful.

Challenge: take just one minute to try and meditate once your flight begins to ascend to become mindful of what’s next after the flight

 

Honorable Mentions…

A. Watch Something

The default and the top two tasks by far most do on a plane.

If and when I watch something, this is my binge-watch something. Breaking Bad was my show and now it’s Bosch from Amazon Prime.

Sometimes, especially on a late flight on the way home, it’s nice to zone out to a show or a movie.

There’s nothing wrong with it but to me, it’s a reward once I get my Flight Plan high leveraged tasks complete.

 

B. Talk To Your Neighbor

The irony here is one of the unwritten rules of a business traveler on a flight is applying the DND international symbol – putting on the Do Not Disturb headphones then not making contact.

But sometimes it’s nice to talk to someone – you never know where it could lead. My last keynote came from someone I sat next to on a flight!

 

C. Develop

Learn something beyond a book/audiobook.

For this very reason, I’m creating an online course called The Kickstart Road Course which is the “video how-to” of the Elite Road Warrior book.

This is definitely “ELITE” Road Warrior status but a great use of focused time.

 

Let’s Land This Plane

I want to prove to you the power of a Flight Plan in action with focused work.

The Elite Road Warrior book was written over a nine-month period of time by committing to this very plan of the seven things I do on every flight. I prepared myself with reading, drinking water, and standing/stretching/walking to stay sharp to write flight after flight after flight.

This can be done Road Warriors and if you’ve read or listened to my book, you’ve benefited from it too!