For Blogs and Videos by category -
At the bottom of a post, click on the category or tag name
When you travel, it is hard to be productive for work - or really enjoy a vacation - when sleep deprivation is screaming in your head.
I know.
So, I’ve tried several sleep tools and supplements and now have a combination that helps me.
Try these. Mix them with your own ideas.
Your lifestyle changes when you travel. That’s a “reason” that over 50% of business travelers don’t stick with their exercise. (Yes. That’s from a real study.)
You are not one of them.
How?
Tuli Kupferberg said “When patterns are broken, new worlds emerge.”
When it comes to starting and sticking with fitness, nothing breaks old patterns like travel.
The benefits of exercise when traveling
Which type of workout you need to do
Which type of workout you may NOT need to do during travel
Places to be active that you’ve not dreamed of before
What to do if you don’t have access to a “gym”
Think about the times you’ve traveled and been stuck with energy-zapping meals.
Or when you’ve worried “The only way to eat healthy is to skip the restaurants and pack weird food?”
You aren’t alone.
The research on business travel and health shows that - on average - frequent travelers eat poorly, gain weight, and are less healthy than people who don’t travel.
You don’t have to be a statistic. Nor do you have to live on protein shakes.
Here’s a realistic way to eat healthier when you travel.
Airport food options that are limited
No time to get the if-fy airport food
No healthy restaurant options
To mini-fridge or not to mini-fridge
What food to pack vs what food to buy on arrival
What if traveling for business could be fulfilling and not frustrating? What if it could leave you not exhausted, but energized?
It can.
Decrease the stress of travel
Create fulfilling moments with business partners
Come away refreshed instead of feeling run over
In this video I tell you their secrets, show you all of my personal experiments and share my results.
Taking made-local gifts for the meeting hosts strengthened new relationships.
Arriving a few hours early eliminated the worry of “what if the flight is delayed or cancelled”
The bonus time turned into a historic walking tour!
Staying at a local B&B, instead of a chain hotel, made the evenings feel like a vacation.
A last minute decision (you’ll find out what in the video) increased my productivity and lowered my stress at the same time!
What an honor to interview Dr. Stefan. In addition to his smashing TedX Talk, he is super funny.
When you sit longer than 30 minutes your ability to metabolize fat decreases by up to 90%.
Stand when you work. Blood flow to your brain increases and you’ll be 46% more effective.
This was the big shocker: sitting for 30 minutes primes the body to lose muscle. While you don’t actually lose muscle after 30 minutes of sitting, you do tell the body “Hey, you may not need all of these muscles.”
In a conversation after the camera went off, Stefan shared with me that movement actually primes your body the other way. Standing and walking to the copier may not build muscle, but it tells your body “Hey, hold on to this muscle. I’m using it.”
That’s why, even if your primary goal is fitness, taking movement breaks throughout the day will help you get to your goal sooner.
You’re busy. You sometimes skip your workouts to get more done. But then … it backfires, leaving you less able to focus, make good decisions, or have the mental energy you need.
Because you’re busy, you don’t want to waste time. You want to make sure your workout is actually benefitting your brain and focus.
I’ve got your answer.
You want to get healthier this year. But there are so many things you hear you “should” do, you don’t know where to start.
Should you meditate? Or journal? Or start training for a half-marathon?
Perhaps you need to try eating different or stretching more?
No need to worry about where to start.
It’s just three.
Reach out in a week and let me know how you are doing with them.
I was recently talking with a friend who is a master at getting people free from over-tired and over-stressed. We chatted about how when our clients come to us they struggle to have time for exercise and eating healthy. They are tired and stressed.
What’s so funny is that we serve our clients in vastly different ways!
I coach.
She’s a virtual assistant!
So we talked about the importance of delegating and how to figure out what to delegate and what not to delegate. And then decided “Hey, this is good stuff. Let’s record our conversation and share it.”
But, here’s the deal. Just because we think it is a conversation you need, doesn’t mean it is, right? Please let me know if …
(a) you love this interview format and want tons more
(b) you enjoy it and want interviews occasionally
(c) nah, you’d rather just stick to me sharing with you
Comment or email me your thoughts.
I’m not going to tell you exactly what to eat … that would be crazy.
But I am going to share how you should eat for energy. It does not involve living on carrot sticks. You know me better than that.
You have been there. Pulling into a driveway or hotel parking lot. Exhausted and grumpy. Stiff and sore.
It doesn’t have to be that way.
One of my private mentoring clients inspired me to help you with travel exercises … so you arrive happy.
Share this with a friend or family member who is traveling for the holidays. They will thank you.
On our trip to the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park, I experienced several “ah-ha” moments.
For example, for a few years I have been intentionally eliminating what drains my energy and increasing what fulfills me. As I was getting ready for the trip, I created my usual plans.
Pack several books to read
Gather the lotions and potions for some self-made spa time
Select my music for long relaxation times
Then I realized, I don’t need those things on this trip.
Why?
Discover how to create that fulfillment, completeness, and happiness in this video.
Plus, nine other life lessons you can use right now.
Several companies have community gardens. The benefits are great — for those who dig in the dirt.
But there are easy ways to get the benefits for even more people, without the “uh-oh, whose turn is it to weed” headache.
While growing up I suspected I had developed an unhealthy relationship with food – and sometimes even exercise. But it was years later at a work potluck Christmas party that I knew I absolutely had a problem and had to change.
Everyone else was at the buffet ooh-ing and ah-ing over different dishes colleagues brought.
“If I eat that _____ I’ll have to workout extra tomorrow. Who knows how many grams of ____ it has.”
“I want to try ____ but if I do I’ll probably not be able to stop eating it.”
“I’ll be good and just have the veggies I brought. If I break my diet I’ll lose control.”
I realized I was the only one, apparently, who did not feel she could enjoy the food, the people, or the party and I stayed as far away from the table as possible. Why? I thought something was wrong with me.
By that party I had spent almost 20 years fine-tuning my “diet mentality,” through the various diet and exercise rules I learned from the media.
I wanted to exercise just because it felt amazing and made me strong and healthy. Not because it burned calories I’d eaten the day before.
I wanted to eat a balanced meal because it was satisfying.
I wanted to enjoy a cookie without fear of eating five.
I wanted to go to a party and enjoy it all.
Scratch that.
I didn’t even know that was possible. All I could fathom was maybe not being consumed with worrying about every morsel, gram, or repercussion after a party.
Thankfully, that part of me is a distant memory, because …
I found my path to THRIVE.
I released a course where I’m going to share with you the mindset, principles, techniques, tools and skills practiced by people who find – and follow – their unique path to health, wellness, and a Thriving Life.
It’s called …
While there are so many health benefits to this way of life, the most surprising benefit has nothing to do typical health-parameters.
It has to do with relationships and accomplishing life goals.
Huh?
Let me explain. Envision that same work party where I locked myself away in the bathroom. If my mind had been free from food-fear, I would have been mingling with colleagues and enjoying getting to know their families, enriching my relationships.
And when my mental and emotional space is not cluttered with how many calories I eat or burn or how much I do this or that, my mind is free to be creative and pursue dreams. Plus, there is way less stress.
Here are the six reasons you need to find your own path …
You can learn the difference between physical and emotional hunger.
Food was created to bring you pleasure, but it is not what heals hurts or brings peace.
Exercise has many ways that it lifts your mood, but there is a point of using exercise to escape struggles vs. helping you overcome them.
When you sit with discomfort and find what actually fills you emotionally, your strength of self grows. Your confidence to live and handle difficult situations increases.
This one is huge.
When your mind is cluttered with searching for the next diet or exercise program, or finding recipes that fit the new fad, or shopping for the latest exercise gear you cannot focus on what really matters most to you in life.
It may even go deeper. If you are staying focused on analyzing food / exercise to avoid dealing with something else, it is time to move forward.
If you are hiding your best self behind counting this or that, trying to control every bite or workout, it is time to open the curtain and step out on your stage.
You sleep well, you wake up with energy, and it stays consistent throughout the day so you can accomplish your goals and still enjoy family and friends at the end of the day.
Food police? Exercise drill sergeant? No more. Either from others or yourself.
You confidently handle critics.
You also are able to tell yourself “no” when a choice does not value you.
When your excitement comes from discussing the latest fad exercise or diet, it is a boring life.
However, when you have recent adventures or a book you read or a funny family gathering or ____ to talk about, conversations have life in them.
You meet up with people, confident as you accept yourself and others, with less judgement.
Social situations around food are no longer stressful.
You have the physical fitness to enjoy the adventures you want.
When you learn what works for your body and your lifestyle, and you have the tools and techniques to stick with it, you reach your goals.
You feel successful along the journey because you are living what you value.
#7 – This is a bonus reason because I recently had a conversation with a client and this reason came up – so I added it:
This client was waiting on the inspiration to make changes to come from his circle of family and friends. I challenged him “Think about who you want to be. Do you want to be the person who waits to be led or do you want to lead? Do you want to be influenced or do you want to influence?” I challenge you, too. When you find your path to Thrive, you will inspire others to do the same.
This is what finding your path to THRIVE brings you. It is one of the most amazing adventures you’ll ever go on.
If you have ten minutes you can significantly relieve the stress.
Do this:
Watch this video (less than 7 minutes)
Do the technique (less than 2 minutes)
There you go. Less than 10 minutes and stress is running away from you.
I thought I had gotten it right, and recently discovered I was still wrong.
You’ve probably been there, too.
Many years ago I was working as a Personal Trainer at a local gym, while going to grad school. I tried to be “efficient” when I would study between clients. I’d sit in my car where it was quiet. But it would be too hot to concentrate. Or I’d go to the park to read, but too distracting.
I finally figured out that I was more “effective” in the long run if I would drive 15 minutes home, study for an hour, then drive 15 minutes back, even though on my calendar it looked inefficient.
Once I had that “ah-ha” I thought I had the productivity thing figured out…but kept wondering why I wasn’t getting projects done the way I knew, at least on paper, I could.
I tried the ABC prioritizing method. Good? Yes. Incomplete? Definitely.
I tried “time-blocking.” Wow, that really did not work for me. I’d be writing for a blog or video, or preparing for a speaking engagement and underestimate how long I needed, and then my whole “time-blocks” for the day were messed up! Grrr….
I used every “trick” I’d heard of …
“Eat the frog first” from Brian Tracy
And the Pomodoro Technique to help me focus without distraction
But there was still something BIG missing.
As I’ve been helping leaders and professionals increase their energy to make better decisions and get things done, I discovered what I needed!
Energy Zones.
I was using all of these methods, which are good, but in the wrong way.
Once I incorporated what I’m calling Energy Zones, things started clicking.
Before I explain how to map out and use your zones, let me tell you my “last straw” story. I had promised a client I would create something for them that evening. It was in a software program I’ve used 100’s of times. I thought “this should take me about 5 minutes” … and 45 minutes later I was so frustrated with why I could not get the software program to work! Then I saw one tiny button I’d missed clicking.
Why? I was trying to create during a mindless-energy zone. Had I created this during a creative zone, it actually would have only taken the 5 minutes. No wonder I was still getting behind!
Ok, heres’ what this looks like.
Notice the times of day you naturally have more mental energy and creativity
Watch for the times of day you are alert, but not able to be as creative
Pay attention to when your mental energy drops
Then, pull out the time-blocking concept. For me that means after my morning workout, I protect my highest creative work (writing content, researching, problem-solving) at least two days each week.
Early afternoons are my alert but not creative time … strategy and planning come easy for me, so that is when I develop my online courses, answer emails, edit speaking notes.
I get energy both from moving and by interacting with people I enjoy. So late afternoons, I move to increase my energy. And then take the deep mental work I did earlier in the day and give that to my clients in their afternoon calls.
The secret sauce?
Increase your overall energy with the practices I provide you here.
Find your Energy Zones
As much as possible, schedule the types of activities to match your zones
Let me know in the comments what productivity and energy ideas you use!
Finishing our Energy Series, I want to share a quick energy boost — as well as how to put all of these Energy Strategies together.
In this FREE guide learn how to:
· Stop the fad diet roller-coaster
· Exercise in your lifestyle
And Get Results that Last!
I'll make it easy for you. Just enter your info below and then check your inbox.
ViREO Life is a health and wellness practice, incorporating physical activity, exercise, nutrition, and behavior science services. The text, photos, video and other media presented in this site and the social media connected to this site are for information purposes only. None of the above information sources are intended as a substitute for professional medical advice. This information is not to be used to diagnose or treat a health problem without consulting a qualified health care professional. If you have any questions or concerns, please consult your health care provider.
© Copyright 2016 Vireo Life and Sheri Traxler. All rights reserved, including text, photos and other material presented in this site.
