When you think of traveling, what is it that comes to mind in regards to eating clean and staying on task with your training? Well, in the past, I've only seen the obstacles that stood in my way. Now, I have a whole new outlook.

This past week I traveled to San Antonio, TX for a continuing education seminar. I went with my co-workers from my dental office. We left on Wednesday morning and didn't return until Sunday morning. Before I left I gotta admit, I was a little freaked out about how I was going to eat clean and train. Most of the meals would be provided for me at the 3 day seminar. I wouldn't have much choice in my food selection. Then there were the traveling days. How was I going to eat on the plane, and in the airport, with all the somewhat needless restrictions on what you can take through security? What could I possibly do to keep up my training? All these thoughts kept running through my mind. I was determined to do the best I could with the circumstances I had.

So, what did I do? Well, I packed a huge canister of Parrillo protein powder in my checked luggage for starters. For those of you that aren't familiar with Parillo products, they are awesome, and are quality products. Just a side note, I order them through my trainer...gotta have my Parrillo fix! Lol. Look them up on the Internet..www.parrillo.com. Anyway, the canister took up about a third of the space in my luggage, but I didn't care. Next, I packed a ton of protein bars in my carry on luggage, so I always had something to eat when I was traveling. When I got to the hotel I found a small convenience store that just happened to have frozen chicken breasts, 2 pieces to a package, and eggs. Wow..I couldn't believe it! So I purchased chicken, eggs, carrots and water and ran back to my hotel room to cook. I had a room with a kitchen, which I was very thankful for. I defrosted the chicken and put it in the oven to cook while I hard-boiled the eggs. So far, so good, I thought to myself. I would be able to have chicken and eggs for breakfast. Now all I had to deal with was lunch and dinners provided at the conference. The lunches were buffet style, so I was able to pick the healthiest options. Dinners were a bit more challenging however. Most of the time I ate a piece of chicken or eggs before going to dinner, so I was able to get good quality protein, and not have to rely on what was served to me.

I was fortunate to have a fitness center that had elliptical machines, recumbent bicycles and treadmills. The fitness center even had a selection of dumbells up to 25 pounds. I was able to get in my cardio and did an upper body workout with the dumbells. I combined a variety of exercises for back, chest, bis/tris and shoulders into one giant workout since my time was very limited, and the weights were so light. I didn't get sore at all, but I felt good that since there weren't any machines, I was able to improvise, and get a high rep workout in.

I know now that when I travel, whether on business or for fun, I can make healthy choices and not just give in to the idea that my routine has to be disrupted. It takes planning, and lots of it. I put alot of effort into the thought process of what I would be able to do to stay on task. I was fortunate, as I said earlier, that I had a store nearby, a kitchen and a fitness center. However, if I didn't have these things I still would have been able to drink protein shakes and eat protein bars to get me through. I would have found a hill to walk up or jog around the hotel for cardio, and I would have done bodyweight exercises to get some lifting done.

So did I eat the best foods? No. Did I get the best workouts in that made me sore afterwards? No. Did I get the best cardio sessions in with the limited time I had? No. Was I proud of myself? YES! I did the best with what I had. Challenging, but not impossible! I'm most proud of the fact that I have challenged my old way of thinking. In the past, I would have taken time "off" from eating healthy and my workouts while I was out of town. No longer!  I wont let obstacles stand in the way of my goals now.

Dedication and determinination. Was I tired after sitting in lectures all day? Yes. Did I go workout late at night when all my co-workers were heading off to bed? Yes. Was I proud of the fact that I was the only one in my office that exercised while we were there? Yes. I did it!

Think on it:

When you want something bad enough, you will not see the obstacles, only the goal before you! Quit looking at the obstacles and making excuses. Go for your goal, and let nothing stop you! You can do it!

Bren

Tags: