Recent surveys reveal that maintaining healthy eating and exercise routines while traveling for business remains a significant challenge for professionals worldwide, with many gaining weight and abandoning fitness goals during work trips.
Data from Carlson Wagonlit Travel shows only 41 percent of business travelers from the Americas exercise while on trips, compared to 50 percent of those based in Asia. A separate Hilton Hotels & Resorts study found that 44 percent of millennial business travelers gained weight during their trips.
“Don’t feel the need to eat three full restaurant meals a day,” said JoAnn Yánez, Executive Director of the Association of Accredited Naturopathic Medical Colleges. “For most people, three full restaurant-sized portions are too much for a day’s caloric intake. You can ask for half portions or order from the appetizer menu.”
Travel health experts identify common mistakes including skipping breakfast, consuming oversized portions, inadequate water intake, and succumbing to social pressures around dining and drinking.
Simple strategies can help maintain healthier habits, including reading nutritional information, requesting dressing on the side, eating protein with every meal, and bringing a water bottle. Hotel selection matters too – experts recommend requesting refrigerators for healthier food storage and being cautious with continental breakfast offerings.
“Be careful when navigating the ‘sugarnental’ breakfast because 80 percent of the food you’ll find at a hotel or conference continental breakfast is some variation of breads and pastries,” explained Joey Daoud, CEO of New Territory Fitness.
For exercise, business travelers can pack lightweight gear like yoga mats and resistance bands. Technology also helps through apps like HealthyOut for finding healthy restaurants and Map My Run for identifying running routes. Passport Health also provides health solutions specifically for business travelers.
