I apologize for not posting anything yet for this week. I have been on the road and get back late Tuesday and haven't had the time nor adequate acces to the internet to get the site updated. However, this week has made me realize the difficulty one can have when living out of a hotel in regards to nutrition and working out. Some lessons learned:
1. If you have been hitting it hard at the gym, traveling is a perfect opportunity to take an extra day or two off and let the body recover.
2. Establish a routine immediately. Set aside time to workout and incorporate that into your daily routine.
3. Get creative in the workouts. If access to weights is limited, it is a good opportunity to work on things like handstand pushups and L-sits. Throw in a longer distance run. Tabata anything works in a hotel room or a pathetic fitness center.
4. Limit eating out and be selective. Choose high protein choices and substitute potatoes / fries / rice with more vegetables.
5. Hit up a grocery store-I happened to have a Whole Foods down the street. Walk around and explore some of the pre-packaged food products. I found an Indian Chicken Marsala that had 40gP, 30gF and 18g C for a couple of bucks. That is one meal right there and it was good as hell. Canned salmon, sardines etc…and coconut milk along with almonds work as well. It is easier to store a few pieces of fruit than vegies.
6. If you haven't experiemented with intermittent fasting (IF), a trip is a good time as well. I normally fast about 15 hours a day, but on the road with less intense workouts, I expanded that to 18-20 hours. I tried to keep caloric intake in the ballpark of my daily norm.
What is interesting is that my already low carb intake was reduced even more this past week. I kept my protein and fat intake about the same, but my carbs were way under 60 grams. The net result was that I lost 4 pounds in 6 days. If it wasn't for beer, it would have been even more. Anyone who tells you fat makes you fat is stoned. If you want or need to drop weight, high protein / high fat with low carb and IF thrown in for good measure is a damn effective way to lose weight and maintain muscle mass.
Until I get back and post some descent links, I recommend checking out Mark's Daily Apple this week. There were some interesting posts on it that are worth reading. 6 AM mugs-I'll see you Thursday.
