How to Ensure a Great Night's Sleep While Travelling on Business

Travelling on business can play havoc with your sleep routine.  Jet lag is one thing but even with minor shifts in time zone, trying to sleep well in hotels can sometimes feel like a struggle.

In the latest instalment of our healthy business traveler series, we offer some simple tips that will help.

1) When you travel, your regular routine will be disrupted.  Even those who sleep brilliantly at home can sometimes struggle when on the road.  The solution is to maintain as many elements of consistency between your home routine and your travel routine as you can.  Aim to observe your usual bed time and follow your regular pre-sleep routine.

There may be nights when meetings run late or a business dinner rolls on for hours but keep an eye on the clock and make a judgement on when the event stops being the best investment of your time and may begin to jeapordise how well you'll perform the next day.  Even if you can't follow your home routine exactly, aim to get close to what works in your usual environment.  Just because you're away from home, don't turn your regular habits that work for you completely on their head.

2) Pay attention to your sleeping environment.  At home you have space to organise your life and your surroundings as you would like them.  In hotels, although the rooms are clear and inviting when you first arrive, it doesn't take long for you to make your presence felt so check regularly that you're keeping the space tidy.  Less clutter helps create a relaxing environment for restful sleep.

3) Take time to get the temperature of the room right and establish some clear boundaries for where you work in the room and at what times you work.  The right amount of work, at a desk, will help you stay organised then you can pack your computer away with a clear head for the night.  Beware working on the bed until you feel drowsy and then fall asleep.  This will not lead to a quality sleep.

4) Make sure you have a book, magazine or relaxing music with you in case you wake during the night.  Embrace the fact that you're awake and then distract yourself knowing that you'll fall asleep again soon.  Without some relaxing distractions your mind will whirr with work thoughts and this is likely to keep you awake for longer.

Click here to read Healthy Hotel Eating: A new perspective

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Healthy Hotel Eating: A new perspective

Today is part 3 of our Healthy Living for Traveling Executives series and we're looking at how to eat healthily in hotels.  It's something that people we work with often raise as a challenging issue but I'd urge you to keep the solution as simple as possible.

All you need to do is remember that, even though you may be eating in a hotel, you still have control over what you choose and how much you eat.  In fact, healthy eating can be easier in this environment than it is at home or in the office given that someone else has made all the effort in planning and preparing the options that are available to you.  All you have to do is make the right choices from what's available or request anything additional that you'd like to eat.

So rather than focusing on the possible limitations or challenges posed by eating healthily while traveling for business, think instead about the healthy eating opportunities afforded to you while on the go.  These include:

1) The opportunity to try new foods
Different colours, tastes and textures will all provide you with a variety of energy, vitamins, minerals and nutrients.  Take advantage of the fact that someone else is planning the menu and experiment with foods that you wouldn't buy or prepare at home.

2) The chance to experiment with different recipes and combinations
As well as trying new products, make an effort to sample foods that are familiar to you but that are prepared in new ways and presented with different combinations of side dishes or accompaniments.  This will give you inspiration for future home cooking and / or restaurant eating.

3) An environment to practice planning your food and making specific requests
You can use your stay at a hotel to get into the habit of planning what you'll eat in advance.  Making a plan ahead of time and asking a hotel to set this up for you is easier than planning and preparing food for yourself, and will get you into the routine of not leaving it until the last minute to figure out what's best to eat.

4) A forum to practice portion control
The key to healthy hotel eating is to moderate your portion sizes.  Just because you're away from home, busy with work and there's plenty of food on offer, don't be tempted to eat too much or too frequently.  Continue to follow the schedule of regular eating focusing on the right things in the appropriate quantity throughout the day.

With a little bit of thought, your stay at any hotel will make following a healthy eating routine easier than during your regular office based routine where you have to think more about what you have access to and also spend time acquiring what you need.

Adopt a mindset where you view business travel as a chance to take your healthy routine to the next level rather than thinking of it as an obstacle to healthy eating and you'll find your energy levels and your effectiveness for the whole trip will take a turn for the better.

If you think people in your business would benefit from targeted wellbeing advice we can help you set up a wellness programme that will have a real positive impact.

Visit www.the-tonic.com to download your copy of our new guide “Successful Corporate Wellbeing Programmes: How to create a dynamic, energised and engaged workforce and boost business results”

Click here to read 'How to eat well on a plane'

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How to Eat Well on a Plane

Continuing our 'Healthy Living for Traveling Executives' series, today we're looking at how to maintain a good food routine while traveling by plane.

I've often heard executives say their trips get off to a bad start simply because airline food is so poor.  My response is the same as it would be for any area of healthy eating.  The more you leave things to chance and make decisions at the last minute based on how others are catering for you, the greater the likelihood of you having to settle for something that isn't right for you and your energy levels.  

So don't leave anything to chance.  Plan ahead in the following areas and you can step off the plane feeling refreshed and energised:

1) Check the airline's catering options at the time of booking your ticket and make specific requests if necessary.  Remember you don't have to be a vegetarian to eat the vegetarian option of the meat based meals don't appeal to you.  You'll probably be surprised at the range of options available from most airlines for those who do a quick bit of research before take off.

2) Decide in advance what you'll do with each section of your journey.  What will you do at the airport and what will you do with each hour on the plane?  This includes how much time you'll spend working, dealing with emails, making calls, reading for research, leisure reading, listening to music, eating, drinking and sleeping.  Then plan your food routine accordingly.

If you want to minimise the disruption of your travel, aim to follow a food schedule that's similar to your regular routine.  If you don't plan ahead, you may not be as efficient with your time which can lead to stress which can in turn lead to poor food and drink choices.  Also, without prior planning, you run the risk of mindless eating where you are grazing while attending to other tasks.  This can lead to overeating and too much alcohol.

3) Pay attention to the quantity of food you are consuming.  People often eat to relieve the tedium of travel or eat more simply because of the proximity of so much food.  There's no need to eat in the lounge and then eat everything that's on offer on the plane.  Be selective and choose fresh options that your body can process easily while you are stuck on the plane in a less than ideal position for comfortable digestion.

4) Decide on an alcohol strategy.  A little alcohol may help you relax and sleep but, given that the effects of alcohol are magnified on a plane, it's likely to be just a small quantity that will do you good.  Too much and you'll feel dehydrated, sluggish and make poor food choices.  Regardless of how much alcohol you drink, pay special attention to staying hydrated.  Always drink more water than alcohol or coffee.

Follow these guidelines and you'll get your trip off to a great healthy start which will set the tone of the days to follow.

If you think people in your business would benefit from targeted wellbeing advice we can help you set up a wellness programme that will have a real positive impact.

Visit www.the-tonic.com to download your copy of our new guide “Successful Corporate Wellbeing Programmes: How to create a dynamic, energised and engaged workforce and boost business results”

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Fitness tips for business travellers

Next up in our 'Healthy Living for Traveling Executives' series: Exercise.  Here are the top tips to keep your fitness levels up and maximise your energy during business trips.

The key point is to plan your approach to exercise well in advance of your trip.  Every day of travel should have a basic amount of activity and the easiest way to achieve this is with walking.  This can be functional walking as part of your schedule of meetings, casual walking, perhaps to see the local area, or even walking on a treadmill at the hotel gym. You can use a pedometer or smartphone App to help you clock up your daily steps. 

For every two days you are away you should aim for one workout that raises your heart rate higher than your regular walking speed.  You can use the hotel gym or swimming pool or you can put together a short workout in your hotel room or you can exercise in a local park providing the environment is safe.  

Whatever exercise or activity you have access to, focus your attention on a short workout during which you push yourself.  There are four reasons for this:

1) Exercising at a higher intensity will save you time.  

2) Planning a shorter workout will mean you are more likely to follow through on your plan.  Getting a workout started is often the toughest bit and, even though you plan for a short workout, once you've begun chances are you'll keep going for longer.  

3) Exercising at a higher intensity requires you to engage your brain more than low level activity.  This can help clear your head of the 'busyness' of a challenging trip and help you manage stress levels.  

4) Exercising hard will tire you out and can enhance the quantity or quality of your sleep helping you to minimise any possible effects of jet-lag.  

Planning your activity in advance will set your expectations of the trip and enhance your chances of staying in good shape while you're away.  At a basic level it will also ensure that you take the appropriate kit with you and won't be able to use this as an excuse not to get active!

Order your copy of “Successful Corporate Wellbeing Programmes: How to create a dynamic, energised and engaged workforce and boost business results” from our website today.

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A Varied Diet Helps You Sleep Better

The individuals and organisations we work with regularly raise the issue of how travel, both for work and for pleasure, can impact on the ability to live a healthy life.  

So, over the next couple of weeks we'll be highlighting some of the key tips - relating to sleep, jet-lag, healthy hotel eating and exercise on the go - that we see making a real difference to how people perform when they have a schedule that includes travel.  

To get us started, here's some advice that will help you sleep better wherever you are in the world.

Eating a wider variety of food has a direct impact on the amount of sleep you get each night, according to research from the Centre for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology at the University of Pennsylvania.  

Lack of vitamin C, selenium (found in nuts, meat and shellfish) and lycopene (found in red and orange-coloured foods) contributed to poor sleep patterns.  A diet of too much saturated fat, chocolate, tea and alcohol was found to prevent good sleep too*.

So, to boost your ability to sleep focus on snack choices that combine fruit and nuts and choose meals that are constructed around chicken or fish.  Aim to consume a maximum of 1-2 teas or coffees per day and 1-2 units of alcohol.

*Source: Men's Running Magazine

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How to stay fit when you travel with work

Many of the business people we work with travel a lot. Some can be away from home for up to 10-months in the year! Even for those who are on the move for a few weeks each year, keeping a healthy routine can be a challenge. Or at least that’s what they tell us. Others report that they actually find it easier to stay healthy when they’re on the road with hotel swimming pool and gym open 24 hours etc.

So how can it be easy for some and hard for others?

It's all about the way you look at it. Here’s a selection of top tips to keep busy executives sharp and energised while traveling for work.

1.Plan ahead
Always book hotels with fitness facilities or a swimming pool, or preferably both. Hotels in areas close to parks are also great. Keep a resistance band and a couple of ideas for hotel room workouts in your suitcase at all times and never leave home without your trainers. Simple truth is if you don’t plan for fitness it won’t happen. Business travel can be demanding and any obstacle to exercise can put you off. The best case scenario is that your trip provides you with some different options for exercise. That way you’re looking forward to trying something new – running or cycling in a new city for example. Safety first - always check with the concierge about the best running routes in cities you don't know.

2. Be experimental
While away you’ll be eating in hotels and restaurants but this needn’t be a problem. The great thing here is that someone else is doing your food shopping and cooking and you just have to make the right choices. So, while someone else is preparing your food for you, take the opportunity to try something new. It may be a completely new food or a familiar food cooked in a new way but any new dish will provide the chance for your body to experience some new tastes and nutrients.

3. Pace yourself
Busy executives have a habit of packing their schedule on every trip so they can fit in as much as possible. A difficulty with this is that trips will be tiring and you can return home feeling shattered. Every trip should have some rest and recovery time built into the schedule. This can include a massage or a yoga session, both of which can be booked in advance of your departure. Make these appointments that will recharge your batteries, and protect the slots as you would for your client meetings and you’ll find that your trip will feel more balanced.

4. Get creative with routines
People often think they can't plan routines and patterns when they are traveling. But chances are that business trips eventually fall into their own routine of location, hotel type, meeting schedule and eating patterns. As you get to know the patterns of your business travel, learn to plan around them and know when you’ll take exercise, what you’ll eat and when, how you’ll relax and how you can sleep best. The more you can follow tried and tested successful strategies for staying healthy on the road,, the easier every trip will be. You might even return home feeling better than when you left!

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