You don’t become a high-level employee or CEO without working hard. There really is no secret to success in terms of output.
It could be for this reason that many professionals find it hard to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.
And this problem only gets worse for those that travel regularly for business…
It’s easy to get into the routine of having expensive meals (that aren’t the healthiest) in restaurants while you’re in different cities or countries.
Now, we’re not saying that you shouldn’t enjoy the perks of business travel. But there are certainly small changes you can make to ensure you stay healthy while on the road.
Here are 5 ways to stay healthy while traveling for business:
Whole-Food Multivitamins
We mentioned that we don’t want to stop you from enjoying the luxuries of business travel.
Well, if you really insist on eating out at (not the healthiest) restaurants you can find, then one thing you can do is take a whole-food multivitamin with you.
Multivitamins can be great ‘nutritional insurance’ to ensure that you fill nutritional gaps in your diet. So even if you choose to eat the best steak and chips in town, you’ll still be providing your body with essential vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.
But when choosing a multivitamin, avoid the cheapest ones you find from the supermarket; these may be the most cost effective, but your body will simply excrete it (ever wondered why your pee went bright yellow?) – making cheap multivitamins a waste of cash.
Instead, go for the ‘whole-food’ multivitamins. The vitamins and minerals found in these products are much more likely to be recognized as ‘food’ by your body and being absorbed to support your health.
They say that ‘your health if your wealth’. So it makes sense to invest in products that can support your health.
Make Healthy Food Choices
Being ‘healthy’ isn’t just a few decisions. To succeed, you’ll have to incorporate good health into your lifestyle.
Small things such as choosing a banana or apple to further support immune system over chocolate bars when you need quick snacks on-the-move will yield impressive changes to your health in the long-term. Even going for a sugar-free syrup over sugar in your daily coffee will make a positive difference without too much compromise.
If you can, though, making big choices will benefit you the most; if you sacrifice your steak and chips for healthier options such as grilled chicken breast and rice during a business trip, then you’ll cut down on fat and calorie intake – important for maintaining optimal health.
You should value your health status as much as your career. After all, there’s no point in working hard to earn more if you’re not planning on sticking around as long as you can.
Get Enough Sleep
It can be difficult to get enough sleep while on the road for work.
There are many of us who simply struggle to sleep on long-haul flights. And everyone knows you don’t sleep as well in hotels as you do in the comfort of your own bed.
However, poor sleep has been linked to a variety of health issues; including weight gain, cardiovascular disease and depression.
As a result, even the most successful CEOs such as Jeff Bezos in the world make sure they get their eight hours of sleep.
The important of sleep has been backed by countless sleep physiologists such as Dr Guy Meadows who states: “‘Sleep is the most powerful performance enhancer known to man”.
The good news is that you can promote better quality sleep by taking one of a natural sleep aid. Look for one that contains a natural source of melatonin, instead of taking melatonin directly (to avoid feeling drowsy in morning after you wake up).
Not only will getting enough sleep make sure you stay in optimal health while traveling for business. It’ll also boost your daytime brainpower too, to make sure you can perform in important business meetings and events.
Conclusion
It was only in 2020 that government researchers found about 40% of U.S adults are obese. Regardless of excuses, that’s a pretty bad stat.
If you consider circumstances, then CEOs and high-level professionals that travel for work do have it hard – in terms of ‘staying healthy’. You don’t always find yourself with a hob and pans to cook healthy meals in hotels on a business trip.
The good news is that you can give yourself the best chance of maintaining optimal health while on the road.
Such things as adding a whole-food multivitamin to your suitcase and lifestyle will ensure that you’re feeding your body the optimal amounts of vitamins & minerals – without having to spend too much time planning your eating schedule. If you really don’t want to sacrifice those meals out in expensive restaurants (which aren’t always the heathiest) then this is your best option.
However, if you also choose ‘healthier options’ while eating out, then you’ll certainly be promoting health benefits – which you’ll reap the benefits from in the long-term.
Finally, don’t disregard sleep.
Everyone can be guilty of working too much, which isn’t something you can control at all times. However, one thing you can do is ensure you get enough sleep.
As mentioned in this article, even Jeff Bezos ensures that he gets the optimal eight hours of sleep each day.
Don’t forget that good quality sleep can have the most impact on your work productivity too. As Dr Guy Meadows has stated that ‘sleep is the most powerful performance enhancer known to man’.
