THI's Live Transformed Podcast

49. The Busy Person’s Blueprint: Part 4: Fitness That Travels — Staying Healthy Through Work, Travel, and Family Life

• Adam Kelley • Episode 49

Share episode

Send us a text

The myth that travel means abandoning your fitness goals is one of the most persistent obstacles to consistent health progress. When we constantly cycle between "on plan" at home and "off plan" during travel, work trips, or family gatherings, we sabotage our momentum and results.

The transformative truth lies in understanding that your health values don't change just because your location does. Your identity as someone who prioritizes movement, nutrition, and recovery travels with you everywhere. Research consistently shows that maintaining even 60% of your routine during travel periods creates dramatically better outcomes than completely stopping and restarting with each trip or holiday season.

This episode unpacks practical strategies that make health maintenance possible anywhere. From efficient hotel room workouts requiring zero equipment to smart restaurant ordering techniques, you'll discover how small preparatory steps create massive advantages. We explore the concept of the mental and physical "go bag" – the mindset and tools that ensure you're never starting from zero, regardless of your circumstances. For families, we reframe health as something to share rather than sacrifice, with strategies for modeling positive behaviors without adding pressure or guilt.

The cornerstone of travel success isn't finding perfect conditions – it's adapting to imperfect ones with confidence. Whether facing business trips, family holidays, or chaotic sports seasons with kids, you'll learn how consistent small actions in challenging environments produce far better results than waiting for "perfect" conditions to restart.

Ready to break the cycle of fitness starts and stops? Build your own travel go-bag with us and discover how to maintain momentum through life's busiest seasons. Your health journey doesn't have to pause when life gets unpredictable.


Study References:

  • CDC. Travel Health Tips & Resources.

  • Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. K. (2013). A pilot study and randomized controlled trial of the mindful self‐compassion program. Journal of Clinical Psychology.

  • Leidy, H. J., et al. (2015). The role of protein in weight loss and maintenance. AJCN.

  • van der Horst, K., et al. (2014). Cooking skills, food preparation, and their association with diet quality and health. Public Health Nutrition.

  •  Wing, R. R., & Phelan, S. (2005). Long-term weight loss maintenance. AJCN.


Click Here To Send Us A Message! 

Book Your Free Discovery Call! Complete this super short form.

For Motivation and More Free Content, Visit Our THI Facebook Page!

Click Here And Follow Coach AK For Even More!

Join Our Free Facebook Group: Live Transformed: Rebuild Your Health, Habits, And Headspace

Instagram: @coachadamkelley

www.transformedhealthcoach.com

Speaker 1:

One of the biggest myths that I hear from clients is this traveling means that I'm off plan. The truth you don't have to be off anything. Okay, progress during travel looks different, but it's still progress, and that's the thing. We understand that here at THI, everything is about progress over perfection. It's what can I do right now with the straps I'm given?

Speaker 2:

quoting the great Tupac, Welcome to the Win On Purpose podcast From health and fitness, business, personal development, relationships and more. We promise you will find inspiration to help you win on purpose in all areas of your life journey. Now for your host, adam Kelly.

Speaker 1:

Hello, welcome back to the Win On Purpose podcast, the show that helps busy people build a healthy, stronger life, even when life is unpredictable. I'm your host, coach Adam Kelly, owner of THI, transform Health Initiative. The best coaching program you can possibly work with Sorry, obviously I have some bias there can possibly work with Sorry, obviously I have some bias there. But anyways, today we're going to dive into episode four of our series, the busy person's blueprint for fitness. That actually fits. So. In our last episode, we talked about how to stay consistent through chaos, and I'm telling you this is episode four, guys, which means there's already been three episodes, and if I, if you don't know what we've talked about, you are missing some high quality stuff. Guys, be very helpful for you. So make sure to go back and check out the first three episodes. But now for today, on episode four, we're going one step further. We're going to talk about how to stay healthy during travel, work trips and busy family seasons, because we all know how difficult these times can be to navigate. These situations can be to navigate. These situations can be to navigate. This is where most people quit or they backslide big time, and it's just not a pretty thing. And this episode should be coming out around the beginning of October. So you know, we're kicking off holiday season for pretty much everybody in the world that celebrates holidays pretty much everybody in the world that celebrates holidays. So, regardless of your religion, faith, tradition, background, country, most everybody, most people, have holidays that they celebrate during the fall or the winter seasons. So, regardless of who you are or where you're listening to this at, you probably have something coming up within the next few months. So we want to make sure we can navigate these times so they don't become the enemy like they have in the past. We don't gain a bunch of weight and feel worse and get weaker, but we can actually still thrive throughout these times. So here's the truth Life doesn't stop for your goals, right? We all know this Work, deadlines, kids, sports, business trips, vacations, holidays, birthdays, so on, so forth. If you've ever thought I'll just get back on track after this trip, this episode is definitely for you. So why travel and chaos don't have to derail you.

Speaker 1:

One of the biggest myths that I hear from clients is this traveling means that I'm off plan. The truth you don't have to be off anything. Okay, progress during travel looks different, but it's still progress, and that's the thing. We understand that here at THI, everything is about progress over perfection. It's what can I do right now with the straps I'm given? Quoting the great Tupac, what can I do for now that can still keep me on track for my goals, even if it's not 100%, even if it's not 70%? What can I still do in my current situation? This is taking ownership. This is leading yourself. The truth you don't have to be off anything. Like I said, we really need to understand that. This does not mean that everything crashes and burns just because you go out of town. And let's break down why. All right.

Speaker 1:

Number one identity travels with you. Your environment may change, but your values don't have to. If you're someone who values movement, you'll always find ways to move. If you're someone who values fueling your body will, you'll always find ways to do it. Rather, if you're in a hotel, an airport or a family member's kitchen.

Speaker 1:

Number two progress isn't perfect conditions. Research consistently shows that consistency, not perfection, drives long-term results. So, even if you're at 60% while traveling, that 60% keeps momentum alive and momentum is everything All right. Once we stop, we all know how hard it can be to get back to it, so we want to keep the track rolling. Even if we got to slow down the speed, we still want to keep things in motion. Okay, A body in motion is a healthy body.

Speaker 1:

I don't know what that quote actually is I can't think of it at the moment, but if you know it, you know what I'm talking about. So I want you to think of it this way If you can keep your foot lightly on the gas during travel weeks, you'll be miles ahead of the person who slams on the brake and waits to restart every time, because for a lot of people, like work, trips happen more than once a year. Vacations, for a lot of people, happen more than once a year. Holiday seasons, for most people, happen more than once a year. So this can, you can see be a perpetual stop and start situation, to where every time you start making grounds and start making progress and start getting ahead, something else is there to throw you off, and it does not have to be that way. So let's get practical. What tools actually make all this possible? So next we're going to look at some tools for travel success. So here are the tools that I recommend to every client, and they're super simple, they're adaptable. They're realistic for busy people. Okay.

Speaker 1:

Number one would be hotel room workouts. You do not need a full gym. Okay, matter of fact, you don't even need a gym at all. A 15 to 20 minute body weight workout keeps your habit alive and your energy up. And so an example circuit that you can run I'm going to go and give you a workout right here. Guys, you're welcome, take me later. So 15 squats like 10 pushups, 10 split squats each leg, 20 second plank. Repeat that three or four times or however much time you have. See, you can narrow it down to time. So how many times can I get this done in 15 minutes? And then the next time you try to get another round in or you lengthen the time so you can get more in. And a bonus resistance bands fit in any suitcase and add variety, and I've never heard of somebody getting stopped at the airport for resistant bands. Okay, but you don't even need those.

Speaker 1:

And second note on that most of your hotels unless they're really small, you know, like a little small motel maybe, or some of them just don't, maybe it's closed, but a lot of hotels have fitness centers. They have little gym rooms. Now they may not have very much. But again, you can train your body with just body weight exercises and still progress very well. So, if they do have one, maybe they have some cardio machines. A lot of them will have like a dumbbell rack, um a bench that you can use. Some of them have actual machines and stuff, but that's an option there, and you can also look in your local area around your hotel to see if there's any gyms that do day passes, but that's for another conversation. Number two tool that you can practice is smart food choices.

Speaker 1:

Ok, so focus on protein and vegetables first. That doesn't mean only that, doesn't mean ruin your vacation or not enjoy your family time because you're not eating what everybody else is eating. Just focus on your protein and vegetables first. The single shift reduces overeating and improves satiety. Okay, and when I'm saying things like that I'm actually kind of low key quoting studies that will be in the show notes, so I'm not going to give the name of the study every single time. I'll put them in the show notes If you want to go back and look at this to see it for yourself, or you could just take my word for it. But I always say it's better to check things, Don't just take my word for it. If something sounds off or questionable or you just want to know more, go to the show notes and you can look up any study that I ever quote and you'll have the resource right there, because we believe in true evidence.

Speaker 1:

So, again, focusing on protein and vegetables first, then add in the extra stuff, then add in the drinks or whatever, but start, let your base be natural, you know, minimally processed whole foods, quote, unquote, healthy foods, and then whatever else happens, hey, enjoy yourself. Just, you know, be responsible, be an adult. Eat before you're starving. This is a big one, guys. So you can pack snacks, things like protein bars, beef, jerky, nuts, fresh fruit. So this prevents those desperate choices at gas stations or airports. Also, it stops us from being as apt to like going to a buffet for dinner rather than just a regular restaurant where we get a normal person serving. So don't wait until you're starving. And another tip for this if it's a family event or something like that, or a holiday, this is another great tip and I've seen myself I've done this and lots of clients have done this and it works great.

Speaker 1:

And that's either have a small healthy meal before you go or even on the way or even in the driveway before you walk in, or like a protein shake or something, something that's high in protein and high in nutrients, because that's going to take the edge off and you're going to be a lot less likely to just gorge yourself on all of this delicious food in front of you because you're not starving when you get there. You know, just kind of thinking on that. Most of us grew up with the mentality of you know, thanksgiving comes around and hey, just because I want to be able to eat as much as I can and really enjoy all of it, I'm going to fast all morning. So I'm not going to eat all morning and I'm going to wait till Thanksgiving dinner or lunch. And I know from my example or my experience, and probably yours too, sometimes that ends up being way later than we think it's going to be. So we're literally like chewing our fingernails off because we're so hungry and almost always bad things come from that. So it's better to have a meal that morning or right before, a high protein, low calorie meal. That way one it's easier to hit your protein totals for the day. You don't really have to worry about it as much the rest of the day and then again you're much less likely to just gorge out on all the food that's in front of you.

Speaker 1:

And then number three or my you know side note on smart food choices is being hydrated. All right. The CDC notes travel increases dehydration risk, especially on flights. Guys, this is a real thing. So carry a refillable water bottle and set reminders to sip often. That way you're not running to the bathroom a hundred times on the plane, but you're staying hydrated. That'll help with hunger cues, that'll help you feel better. That'll help with jet lag.

Speaker 1:

If you're traveling far distances, different time zones or you know different parts of the world, things like that can make a big difference. And then the third tool I'm going to give you is plan ahead. This is the biggest one, guys, be prepared. It's the best way to succeed is when you have a plan of action and you actually take action on it.

Speaker 1:

So look up hotel gyms, look by, look for you know nearby walking routes uh, go. Or look up grocery stores before you go. This is something I always do. So I try to find the closest grocery store because then I can go get, even if I'm getting, some snacks. I can get better snacks than gas station gas station snacks. There's lots of like frozen meals you can buy that are healthy, um, things like that. You can just throw in the microwave, um, uh, kind of eyeball where I can get my steps in. Rather, if they have a treadmill there, maybe I'm just walking the lobby or the hallways. I've done that at hotels, um, or you know, a lot of hotels, especially the nicer hotels, will have like smoking areas and just different little patio areas where they have sidewalks that you can get laps in, and all that.

Speaker 1:

Like I said, a lot of hotels have gyms and if they don't, most places where people visit and travel to usually have a gym somewhere close, and a lot of gyms have day passes, week passes. I definitely feel like it's a good investment. That's something I usually do if we're going to be gone more than a few days, especially if the hotel that we're at doesn't have any type of gym. Um, just because I really prefer lifting weights, like that's my thing. So I'm going to find me a gym to go to Um and um, if you know that you're going to be eating out, then you can scan the menu ahead of time.

Speaker 1:

Okay, rather, if you go to their website QR code, something like that decide on a protein and veggie options before you get there. And this is what I express to people anytime they're eating out and they want to have some control there and some discipline. Look at the menu before and already know what you're going to order. Because if you wait until you get there and you start smelling all that delicious food and you see all these plates coming past you and you see your friends or your spouse or whoever you're with is looking at the menu and they're talking about all the tasty things they want to order, your chances of being consistent and making better choices is not very high. But if you go in, you already know what you want. You've already picked it. Your willpower is going to be a lot higher. You have to depend on willpower less because you have a plan and then you can get that. Hey, if you want to add something on the side, that's your decision. If you want to snatch off your spouse's or your friend's plate to enjoy some of the other tasty things, totally your choice. But if you start with protein and veggies, you know you're at least getting in high quality protein and you're getting in plenty of nutrients and you're putting bulk on your stomach so you're less likely to just continue to eat and eat and eat. If you've been listening and something in this conversation hits home, maybe you've tried before and struggled, maybe you've tried or started over. Just know that you don't have to figure it out alone. That's why we created Transform Health Initiative to give give you the structure, the support and accountability to actually make lasting change. If you're ready for a plan that works in real life not a quick fix, not another fad come connect with us. You can start by joining our Live Transform community on Facebook or reach out directly. When you're ready, we'll walk you through All right back to the episode.

Speaker 1:

So this one time, guys, I worked with a client who traveled 15 to 20 days a month, like she was literally always on the road, matter of fact, we she lived locally, but we did online coaching just because she couldn't hardly ever be at our facility and she thought that weight loss was impossible because of her schedule, because that's been her experience up to that point, which makes sense, I get it, but once we simplified things. So focus on hotel workouts, you know, in her hotel room, or if they had a little gym, even a swimming pool where she can go get some laps in protein at every meal, so making sure that protein was a staple every time she ate, and some evening walks thrown in there, especially if she couldn't work out. She lost 18 pounds in six months and, more importantly, she stopped feeling like travel ruined everything. She realized that she could actually control the situation, even though it didn't look like it would you know that week that she was at home, but she could still control the situation and she still had very good results and felt so much better and felt in control. She took that power back.

Speaker 1:

But what about when you're not just traveling but you're in the middle of family life chaos? So let's look at family life without the guilt. Okay, here's the mindset shift. Your health doesn't have to compete with family. It can actually be something you share with family. So let's check this out. Number one family walks Great option, even 10 minutes after dinner. Improves blood sugar regulation and gives you quality time together. Get your family active, get everybody feeling a little bit better, help everybody sleep a little bit better, especially if you're on vacation. You know if, like the beach or something, or the beach is close by, go for a beach walk after dinner. Go eat dinner at the beach and then go for a walk. Like talk about enjoying the scenery, the fresh air, all the enjoyment and moving your body with your family together. You don't even have to separate yourself for that. Cooking together is another one.

Speaker 1:

So research shows kids who help with food prep are more likely to eat healthier long term. Okay, so this is big. Leading by example and getting them involved'll get them excited about eating better. We'll get them excited about being creative with cooking and it's a beautiful thing to see. Ok. And then modeling matters. So kids learn more from what they see than what they're told. You can tell them all day long they need to eat healthy, but if mom and dad are eating like trash, what do you think little Billy and Sally are going to do when they see that you prioritize your health? They absorb that as normal. Ok, and I can attest to this. I've seen this with my own kids.

Speaker 1:

Because we don't push, you know weight, you know being a certain way certain body shape, anything like that. We express the positive things. So, hey, we put good things in our body because it helps us move better, operate better, think better, sleep better. It helps our whole life be better. It helps us play better, have more energy, feel better. Um, and that's what we focus on. Like, we focus on the positives of getting in protein, because it's so important. You know, they're growing and they see that and they see dad doing it and they're like okay, I want protein in my oatmeal or I want eggs for breakfast.

Speaker 1:

You know my youngest, he's seven, he's quite the character and you know all the time he's like you know what? I'm eating? A healthy breakfast. I'm going to eat a healthy breakfast like dad. I don't want junk food, I don't want that. I don't want cereal, I want something healthy. Dad, I don't want cereal, I want something healthy. Dad, will you make me something healthy? And now I'm in the kitchen even longer, but it's worth it because I see the impact that it has by me modeling that behavior for them rather than pushing it on them.

Speaker 1:

So, instead of guilt like I can't work out because of the kids, think opportunity. I get to show my kids what health looks like in real life. That is a heck of a legacy to leave with future generations, and whether it's family life or business travel, preparation is what makes all of this possible. That's why I said that earlier being prepared is everything. So I want you to focus on packing your mental and physical go bag. Ok, let me explain what that means.

Speaker 1:

So one of the most practical tools I teach clients is the go bag strategy. Ok, and if you're a client and you've never heard me word it like that, that's because I've kind of tagged a name on it for the podcast sake but all these principles and stuff that we talk about on a regular basis. So your mental go bag accept imperfection. Travel weeks will never look like perfect weeks, and that's okay, like it's all right. Trust me and practice self-compassion. So Neff and Germer in 2013 found that self-compassion reduced stress and improved adherence after setbacks. So a lot of us are used to that old school style of be super proud of myself, beat myself up, come on, get it together. You're better than this. Quit being weak and you're going to tough your way through it. Well, evidence and anecdotal evidence what I've seen in myself and clients being self-compassion and understanding what happened, learning from it and moving ahead works way better and helps you get on track way faster.

Speaker 1:

And then your physical go bag. So here's what I recommend packing every time Resistance bands. Like I said, you never know what situation you're going to have and resistance bands can go a long way. But also, you know, low key plug here with our coaching programs we actually will build out workouts for you to do while you're gone. So if you find a gym that you're going to train at, we'll build a workout for the gym. If your hotel has a gym, we'll look it up with you, you know, see what equipment's there, build a workout around that equipment. Or, worst case, or okay case scenario, we'll build a workout just body weight exercises that you could do in your hotel room, you know, before you leave or when in the evening, before you settle down. So, um, yeah, that's why we're the bomb.

Speaker 1:

Just kidding, I mean we are, but anyways, uh, packing things like protein bars or single serve whey packets so you know, having some whey protein on hand, obviously having ready to drink ones that you can't chill, may be an issue. But if you have some protein powder, especially and this is just a recommendation, you know, for TSA and your experience flying probably shouldn't go with a clear plastic zip up baggie. If you have vanilla protein or a white protein powder, just saying, okay, just save yourself the issues. Even with chocolate, it may be questionable, but a lot of companies sell individual serving size packets, so that's an option. Things like nuts and jerky okay, be careful with the nuts and seeds because they tend to pack a lot of calories. But it's way better than that greasy cheeseburger and fries that you would get at the hotel. Even though it sounds delicious, definitely not going to help your health.

Speaker 1:

Um, keeping a refillable water bottle again you may. Who wants to pay four dollars, eight dollars, twelve dollars for a water? Most likely you're going to get something a little less healthy. So having a refillable bottle that you can travel with can totally be a game changer. Um, a lot of airports have water fountains, so easy solution.

Speaker 1:

Uh, sleep support something that a lot of people may not think about. I mask earplugs, you know, you never know how loud the environment's going to be where you're at or on the airplane. And maybe some magnesium or something that's natural that can actually help wind down and sleep, because different circumstances, different bed, different pillows, different you know just life and at that time can really throw off sleep. And then comfortable shoes for walking. Make sure that you got some walking shoes. If it's a business trip and everything is slacks and business casual. Keep you some walking shoes that you can throw on. You can easily pack those in your bag and when you have these tools, you're never starting from zero. You're always equipped.

Speaker 1:

Okay, so let's land this plane with your big takeaway. Pun intended, here's the bottom line. You don't need a perfect environment to live your health values. With the right mindset, a few simple tools and a little planning, your fitness can travel with you. Work trips, family chaos, vacations none of it has to stop your progress.

Speaker 1:

So here's your challenge for this week. Okay, here's your homework Build your own go bag. All right, get out a piece of paper or your phone notes in your phone. We are, you know, modern day. Here we can use our phones, write down or type in three to four tools you'll carry into your next busy season, whether it's a hotel stay, a tournament weekend with your kids, a family vacation, family holiday trip, whatever that may be. And if you want help building a plan that works, no matter where your life takes you, that's what we do at transform health initiative. When you're ready, we'd love to help. Just reach out. You can sign up for a free consultation or a free phone call um on our website, transformed health coachcom. We'd love to chat with you about how we can help, but until next time, do something good for yourself, something good for your health, something good for those you care about.

Speaker 1:

And whatever you do, make sure you win on purpose. Talk to you next time.