Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I'm headed out to Indy (ah, yeah let's not go there) for my company's National Conference. It will be three days filled with back to back seminars, meetings, luncheons, and 'gatherings' at night. For this reason, I thought it would be fitting to discuss my tips for staying healthy on a business trip. Remember, it's not a vacation, it's a business trip... don't take a vacation from your healthy schedule ;)

First things first, The Plane. Stale air, germy seats, sneezy people... ugh. The first thing I do is a lap around my terminal to see what kind of breakfast they have to offer. Jet Blue, by far, has the most amazing terminal. They have greek yogurt, plain and multiple flavors, all natural bars, coconut water, everything! Tomorrow I'm flying American... not sure what they have but I'll be prepared just in case. I always bring a few packets of green tea, stevia

(natural sweetener, calorie free, derived from a plant. Don't eat splenda, equal, or any other fake sugar - you're better off eating a tsp of sugar if you don't have stevia - I'll go into further detail in a later post),

and packets of oatmeal in my carry on. My flight leaves at 6:55, otherwise I would eat at home. Don't skip bfast!

Here are some healthy options that you can usually find on most terminals: yogurts, oatmeal (at starbucks), lara bars, kindBars, etc. You don't have to go for the bagel just because it's easy. If I can't find anything healthy, I'll pick up some hot water in a cup at any of the vendors (they'll have it - they have tea, right?!) and pour my oatmeal in it. Tip: Yogurt parfaits are everywhere - beware: The granola packs a ton of calories and fats. If you pick one up - immediately dump at least half of the granola in the trash. I've found that the yogurt in them is usually a low fat variety so you're good there. Next, I grab the biggest bottle of water I can find and drink it throughout the plane ride. Lastly, I ask the flight attendant for hot water and make my own green tea with my stevia. They have regular tea on the plane which is fine, but, I like green better for all of it's antioxidant properties and the energy it will give me for the rest of the day. Remember the antioxidants in the tea, and the cultures in the yogurt are going to strengthen my immune system on the plane (in addition to all of the other awesome things it's doing for me). One more thing - don't sit until you are on the plane - you'll be sitting for hours - you can handle standing for 45 mins to an hour. Standing burns 1.5x as many calories as sitting... yup! Oh, and don't forget your hand sanitizer.

Next, breakfast and lunch. Make a rule: no white/no sugar. What I mean by that is no white carbs... if it's not whole wheat/whole grain - don't eat it. Don't eat excess sugars either... they'll cause tiredness throughout the day at all of those meetings! Easiest way to stick to this plan is to look for lean meats, vegetables and whole grains on the menus. Breakfast is easy - there's usually healthy options at hotels. Lunch is harder. If you're at a restaurant and the options are minimal... just get a salad with grilled chicken (boring but you'll feel better later). If you can't stomach a boring salad... Pick a sandwich and make modifications. Ex: turkey club, no mayo, no aioli, on wheat, no fries. When it comes - take out the middle piece of bread - is that really necessary? Plus, I can't even fit it in my mouth when they do that! You can leave a strip of bacon - it won't kill you - there's only 45 calories in a strip.... just don't load it up.

Last but not least, dinner. Same rules here. Dinner is sometimes easier... a lean piece of meat with a side salad, baked potato (yes baked is fine - don't load it up!), and veggies (steamed). It's also fine to get something that tastes a little better and is moderately healthy, as long as you don't finish it - it's probably huge anyway, right? One of my favorite things to get is a caprese salad and a shrimp cocktail. So healthy and so not boring! Red wine is fine. Keep it under 2 glasses.

Almost done! Getting in a calorie burn: During the meetings, if you can't handle sitting any longer (this happens to me) Go to the back of the room and stand... just say your back hurts (it probably does, right?) Also, fidget, move your leg, clench your abs, etc. I'll be sipping green tea all day if I can swing it... calorie burn w/o movement... yes, please.

Next, bring workout clothes! Even if you're not a morning worker-outer... it's SO EASY at a hotel. First, usually you get to wake up a bit later because your meetings are in a hotel - no commute. Next, it's in the building - need I say more? You'll feel so much better during the day. Plus, it's fun checking out different gyms (at least I think so?) At the very least... do this: 20 push ups, 50 jumping jacks, 20 squats, run in place for a minute, 20 alternating lunges, 30 jumping jacks, 10 push ups, 10 burpees, repeat as many times as you can handle.

Hope this helps on your next trip - have an awesome night/day, everyone!

Oatmeal, green tea, white tea, stevia, and detox tea. It all fits in a little ziplock!

Ok, we're going to give my recipes a break today. Let's get scientific on a Saturday morning and talk about ATP. So often I am told by friends and acquaintances that they 'just don't have the energy to work out'. Well, there's a reason they feel that way. I am going to try to explain this in the simplest way possible... forgive me if I get too technical. I could go on and on about the details of the energy systems, but, I'm going to try to keep it concise. Most of my posts won't be this scientific (I feel like I'm writing a research paper today), however, I hear the above statement so often that I think it's necessary to explain. Plus, I'm a nerd and find it fascinating!

- First, here's your definition of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP): Intracellular carrier of chemical energy produced by the body for muscular work. 1

- What this means: The three energy systems I'm about to discuss have a goal of breaking down food to release the chemical energy that makes ATP, which ultimately supplies energy to muscles.2 (Ah, you're catching on now right?) ** You need ATP to make energy to make your muscles move** If you don't have any stores, you won't have the energy to work out - make sense?

There are three energy systems in the body. The Phosphagen System, Lactic Acid System, and the Aerobic System. Two of these systems can operate in the absence of oxygen (Phosphagen and Lactic Acid) - These are your anaerobic systems. 3

1. The Phosphagen System supplies energy very quickly (therefore produces ATP very quickly, but, you will also fatigue quickly).4 Exercises that do this: Jumping, Sprinting, Lifting heavy weights, Kicking, etc.)

2. The Lactic Acid System - This energy system uses glucose and produces more ATP than the Phosphagen system, but, it is still limited because its end product is lactic acid which is not well tolerated by the body.5 Exercises that do this: High-intensity sports that result in fatigue after 45-90 second bursts) Soccer, hockey, tennis, etc.

The third system needs oxygen to function.

3. This system is the Aerobic System which uses carbs, fats, and proteins as sources of fuel and produces water and carbon dioxide as end products which means this system has really a never-ending ability to make ATP.6 It is produced when you stand, walk, fidget, etc. As these activities become more intense - the other energy systems turn on so that ATP production will be complemented. 7

Ok, so now you want to work out, right?! Here's my workout for the day. It mainly uses the Phosphagen system. (Aren't you glad you know what that is now?) And you can do it in your own living room - you just need some free weights!

- Jog in place for two minutes

- 30 jump 'n jacks

- 30 butt kicks

- Stretch for a minute

- 20 Squats with overhead press: Grab some free weights (5, 8 or 10 lbs - depending on your strength levels) Check your form on your squat (refer to yesterday's post) and as you push up in your squat put your arms at a 90 degree angle and push the weights up over head

- 20 Alternating lunges with bicep curls (so as you lunge forward, curl your hand weights) Watch your form - make sure your knees do not go over your toes, and push through your heels

- Hit the floor and do 20 bicycle crunches - slow - don't rush these. These are AMAZING because it works your entire abdominal plus your obliques all at once

- Flip over and hold plank for 45 seconds: Form: you should be completely flat and your back should never dip, if you tilt your hips forward in this position, you'll feel your abs engage and get into perfect form

- Push back into down dog to get a good stretch in

- Get back down into another plank for a minute (if you can't hold it - drop down - we don't need any back injuries) you'll get there eventually

- Do 10 push-ups

- Stand up and do 30 knee highs

- Repeat the squat, lunge, pushup sequences

- End with 30 jump and jacks then cool down and stretch!

Have an awesome Saturday, everyone! Tomorrow we'll talk about pre- Superbowl workouts and snacking tips! GO PATS!!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 (Fitness Theory & Practice, pg 486, Pfeffer, L., Fawcett, J., Foss, R., Gillete, N., Gladwin, L., Stevens, K.)