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By David Meinz, MS, RD,
FADA, CSP
How to Maximize Your Productivity Away
From Home.
In today's global marketplace, traveling to
do business is a given. For most of us the exhilaration of being
a jet-setter has given way to the exhaustion of being a frequent
flyer. You can meet the challenges of life on the road and maximize
your performance simultaneously. Here are some tips:
1. Eat At 30,000
Feet
When it comes to fine dining, you probably
don't think of airline food. It's still relatively easy to get
almost your full day's fat allowance from just one airline meal.
While the major carriers have made vast improvements in the
nutritional quality of meals over the last decade, they've still
got a long way to go. For me, I also usually find the portions
on the small side as well.
There's no rule that says you can't put a
sandwich, container of fruit-flavored yogurt or piece of fruit
in your briefcase. You can also order your meal on the plane,
even in coach. Just do it at least a day ahead of time. All
the airlines offer a wide variety of alternative meals including
low-fat, low-cholesterol, low-salt, vegetarian, diabetic, fruit
plate and cold seafood plate. You can even order Kosher, Hindu
and Muslim meals! Why not just tell your travel agent from now
on to reserve a healthier meal every time they make a reservation
for you?
Remember, too, that the cabin of a commercial
airplane is very dry. It's easy to get dehydrated especially
on longer flights. That loss of body water can be one of the
factors that contributes to jet lag. So be sure to drink plenty
of fluids water's the best, along with fruit or vegetable
juices. Remember, too, that beverages with caffeine, like coffee
and cola, as well as alcohol can all contribute to dehydration.
2. Have a Power
Lunch
New research coming out of the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (MIT) indicates that it may not only
be what you eat, but when you eat.
Drs. Judith and Richard Wurtman's findings
indicate that a meal high in carbohydrates like pasta, breads,
potatoes, etc., cause an increase in the production of the brain
neurotransmitter "serotonin." This serotonin appears
to give us a more relaxed, calm feeling. At the end of a nerve-racking,
hectic day, a nice plate of pasta might be just the ticket.
On the other hand, if you need to be in top
form for an afternoon meeting, the research suggests that a
lunch that emphasizes more protein like a grilled chicken breast
may cause subtle changes in your brain that will actually make
you more mentally alert.
While the research is still tentative, it's
worth a try.
3. Get Physical
It's difficult enough to get the suggested
three days a week of exercise with today's hectic lifestyle.
Add a five-hour cross-continental flight to your day-planner
and it's almost impossible. The bottom line: You will never
find time to exercise. You need to make time.
Those that are successful at integrating fitness
into their lifestyle report that they schedule exercise. If
it's an appointment on your schedule, you're far more likely
to honor that than trying to "squeeze it in" at the
end of a too-busy day. On Sunday, I schedule three days in the
upcoming week for exercise, I put in a 30-minute time slot and
I honor that as I would any other appointment. Putting activity
in my appointment book has done more to integrate fitness into
my life than all the good intentions in the world.
What's the best exercise to do on the road?
It really doesn't matter. It's not what you do, but the fact
that you do something.
The most recent research has shown that the
exercise that has the greatest long-term success rate is walking.
Regardless of what form of activity you choose, you're more
likely to be active five years from now if walking is your activity
of choice. Remember the only changes that do you any good are
those changes that you integrate into your lifestyle over the
long-term. You'll get more positive health benefits from brisk
walking three or four times a week over five years than you
ever will from marathon running for three of four months.
When you book a hotel room, ask specifically
what kind of fitness facilities they have available. Many of
the major hotels are now using their health clubs to favorably
position themselves in a competitive marketplace.
Ask your local health club if they're a member
of the IHRSA Passport Program. It allows you member privileges
at over 1,250 health clubs around the United States, Canada
and abroad.
And remember the F.I.T. Formula: Frequency:
3-4 times per week; Intensity: your target heart rate range;
and Time: a minimum of 20-25 minutes per session.
4. Avoid Public
Enemy No. 1
The No. 1 cause of death today is heart disease.
Preventing it is not complicated.
Eat quality lower fat food, put physical activity
into you lifestyle and avoid toxic substances like nicotine,
drugs and excessive alcohol. The majority of people in hospitals
are there today not due to random bad luck, but because they
failed to take personal responsibility for their health.
The best way to minimize your risk of a heart
attack is to have a Total Cholesterol/HDL ratio of 3.5 or less.
Your total cholesterol number divided by the good HDL reading
should give you an answer of no more than 3.5. At that level,
chances are very good that you'll avoid heart disease.
One of the major risk factors that contributes
to this killer is the epidemic level of obesity in this country.
The most recent studies have found that 55 percent of Americans
are overweight! The airlines now offer seat-belt "extenders"
for those whose girth is too big for the widest belt length
of the standard seat-belt. The bottom line on weight control
is simple to explain, but hard to get people to integrate into
their lifestyle:
- Eat 50 grams or less of fat per day;
- Put physical activity into your lifestyle;
and
- Throw the bathroom scale away. It's not
how much weight you lose, but how much fat you lose. The bathroom
scale can't tell the difference. A tape measure can.
5. Dine Defensively
When we're on the road on business, the tendency
is to let our guard down. You're in a nice restaurant, you may
be with you colleagues and there's often an air of celebration
and good times. Many business travelers will tell you that life
on the road has been the downfall of many good intentions. A
recent survey of business travelers showed that 63 percent said
they ate less well on the road than at home. But the news is
good and getting better all the time! Never before have so many
restaurants catered to the increasing desire for more nutritious,
lower fat foods that still taste great!
Remember: You never
have to exercise fat off your body if you don't put it in your
body in the first place. Here's some suggestions for eating
out on the road.
When I've got an early morning appointment,
the last thing I want to do is get up earlier still just to
wait in line at the hotel coffee shop. I pack the miniature
boxes of cereal you can get in the supermarket and have several
of these in my hotel room while everyone else is fighting the
crowds. You can have room service bring up some milk or better
yet, just pick up a small carton from the restaurant the night
before and put it on ice till you get up. Consider this: a typical
eggs, bacon, toast and coffee breakfast has 32 grams of fat.
A big bowl of cereal with 2% milk has only five.
Forget the so-called "diet-plate"
and typical chef salad. Today you can find much better choices.
Many hotels are now listing the nutritional content of their
offerings right on the menu. Hyatt Hotels now offer an excellent
menu of low-fat, yet delicious, items under their "Cuisine
Naturelle." If you're not sure whether a particular item
fits into your guidelines, don't be afraid to ask.
When ordering from a menu, look for these
words that indicate foods lower in fat: grilled, broiled, flame-cooked,
steamed, poached, baked and cooking in its own juices. Some
foods to eat less of are those whose description includes breaded,
batter-dipped, flaky, puffed, crispy, hollandaise, escalloped,
parmigiana and au gratin.
When eating breads, go with the hard rolls,
fresh breads and bread sticks. Biscuits, muffins and croissants
are notoriously high in fat.
If you don't see what you want on the menu,
ask for it. If I want a big plate of pasta but don't want the
6 oz. chicken breast that comes with it, I'll just order fettuccini
with a marinara sauce. I never have any problems even though
it's not "on the menu." And remember with pasta, go
with red sauce rather than white. The cream sauces are incredibly
high in fat.
If you have dessert, remember cheesecake typically
has 16 grams of fat per slice. I find that all I really want
is a little something sweet after my meal. Why not split the
piece with a friend; or better yet, ask the waiter for a serving
of one of those great Häagen-Dazs hard frozen yogurts.
They're delicious and virtually fat-free.
6. Go to Bed
Believe it or not, in the 1700s the average
person in the American colonies got a whopping nine and a half
hours of sleep a night! By the 1950s that number was down to
eight hours of sleep. Today, if you're a typical American, you're
trying to work at peak performance on seven hours of rest.
A lack of sleep can impair your creativity,
lower your energy, and decrease immune function.
When I check into a hotel, I always ask for
two things. If the hotel isn't full, I request a room down at
the end of the hall away from other guests, and one without
a connecting door. There's nothing worse than falling asleep
only to awaken to the noise of your next door neighbor who's
decided to watch a movie at 1 a.m.
A dip in the whirlpool or a hot bath can do
a world of good in helping you relax after a hectic day.
Remember, too, that stimulants like coffee
can make it hard to fall asleep. And even though alcohol is
a depressant and can make you drowsy, its affect on your sleep
cycle can cause you to wake up in the middle of the night, and
makes the sleep you do get less restful.
If you're exercising while on the road, try
to complete it more than two hours before bedtime. Just as a
good morning or lunch-time walk can energize you for the rest
of the day, exercising too late can keep you awake at bedtime.
7. Don't Blow It At The Airport
 You
didn't have time for breakfast, and your connecting flight didn't
serve a meal. It's now four o'clock your time and all you've
had so far today is a ginger ale and two bags of peanuts. (Next
time go with the pretzels; two "airline-size" bags
of peanuts have 14 grams of fat, while most pretzels have zero.)
You've got to have something to eat and you're in the middle
of XYZ International Airport.
Is there any hope? Yes! While you can still
get the traditional over-priced, warmed-over hamburger and soggy
French fries, they're no longer the standard.
One of the nation's best airports for eating
is Pittsburgh's US Airways hub. Bain's Deli has great low-fat
sandwiches and vegetables. Try the spaghetti or a pasta salad
at Sbarro's, and Wok & Roll has healthy cuisine as well.
When I'm flying Delta through Atlanta I always
stop at the Chinese fast food restaurant. It's fast, tastes
great, inexpensive, and it's low in fat. Also look for the Healthy
Choice Deli Counter, non-fat frozen yogurt and vegetarian pizza.
When I fly American through Dallas, not only
do I get to ride the little train, but I also have to figure
out what to eat. While it's getting better, you'll still find
the more traditional fare here like plastic-wrapped sandwiches;
go with the turkey. Fortunately you can get a piece of fruit.
An apple, orange or banana has zero grams of fat. Sorry, a slice
of carrot cake doesn't count as a vegetable serving. Not with
16 grams of fat.
At Los Angeles International try Manchu Wok
for some great sir-fry choices. Good breakfast items include
bagels and cereal with low-fat milk. Remember, a Dunkin Donuts
Bran Muffin has 13g of fat; that's more than a McDonald's regular
hamburger.
Life on the road is a challenge. Integrating
these seven steps will not only help you meet the demands of
that lifestyle, but also maximize your performance and productivity
when you get back home.
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