Fit On The Road

Life doesn't stop so you can get fit.

So how do you travel with fitness and food in mind? You have to plan ahead and make the best choices possible while on the go. Between summer vacations and business trips, there are plenty of temptations to pack on the pounds and take a vacation from your fitness goals.

Michelle Pierson should know. She's traveled for work about every six weeks for the past year. The technology project manager and mother of two tries to focus on the big picture when she travels.

Michelle Teaching Strength Training

"Just because I'm on the road should't mean I sacrifice my healthy lifestyle and throw everything I've worked for out the window," said Michelle.

Michelle took up kickboxing and strength training two years ago and now shares her passion and talents as a coach and instructor in her free time at FXB Midtown in Omaha. She said her own mother had diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure and she doesn't want those illnesses to be a part of her own health picture.

Waiting to board her plane home to Omaha after a recent 5-day business trip, the upbeat and motivating coach shared some travel tips and advice.

• Take along healthy options. Michelle always packs protein bars and almonds. That way she has a quick and easy source of protein.
• Split meals with colleagues, or if you're on vacation, split a dish with a family member. 
• Take time to go to a grocery store and fill your mini-fridge with Greek yogurt, string cheese and carrot chips.
• Choose fresh salads at restaurants.
• Chew gum and drink lots of water. Skip the alcohol. 

Michelle said many times she's locked in back-to-back meetings and food is catered in. "If they have wraps, I'll eat the meat and veggies only. Yesterday, they ordered in deep-dish pizza, so that was a protein bar lunch for me," she said.

She tries to avoid refined carb temptations like pastries and cookies that are often offered as afternoon "snacks" in those long meetings.

"They just make you feel like garbage later," she said.

Michelle said she'll take a quick break to grab a protein shake or yogurt to keep her going instead.

She allows herself a "free" day to eat whatever she wants just once a week and said she didn't want to waste her free day on pizza in a conference room. She laughed that the "coach" in her never takes a vacation.

"I do try to encourage those I travel with to make healthier choices. 'Do you really want another handful of those wings?'" she'll ask co-workers.

Michelle also works exercise into her road trips, waking up before meetings and hitting the hotel treadmill or elliptical for 30 minutes and lifting free weights following the schedule at her home gym.

"I really try to stay active. I'm not spot on all the time. I'm human. I fall off my wagon," she admitted.

She said it's not always easy to take your fitness journey on the road, but it's certainly not hard.

"Don't give up. This is your journey and you have to own it and make it your own," she said. 

Families need a similar plan when vacationing too.

Randby kids enjoy clam chowder and crab cakes in Florida.

• Pack and plan healthy snack mixes with nuts and dried fruit.
• Bring along homemade, whole-grain muffins or cookies free of hydrogenated fats. 
• Find a grocery store and stock up on veggies, fruit and breakfast options like eggs, whole grain English Muffins and yogurt.
• Enjoy local flavors but keep portion sizes small.
• Bring along lean beef jerky.
• Prepare your own food when possible. 

My family even packs lunches to take on day trips when hiking or touring amusement parks. Turkey wraps travel easily in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. My husband carries the backpack and the kids love a picnic. On a five day vacation, we'll plan just two dinners at restaurants opting to pick up local ingredients and cook our own food. It helps with the vacation budget and our waistlines!


 Julie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Muffins

2 cups whole grain flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 over ripe banana

1/2 cup natural peanut butter

2 tbs olive oil

½ cup brown sugar (optional)

1 cup Stevia

1 large egg

¾ cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line mini muffin tins with foil cupcake papers or spray with cooking spray.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Mix oil, peanut butter, brown sugar, banana and Stevia in a large mixing bowl until creamy. Add egg and milk. Mix until smooth. Add flour mixture to peanut mixture; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared tins, filling ¾ full.

Bake 12-15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Mini muffins: 110 cals, 3 gr.protein, 12-15 carbs, 7 gr or less of sugar. 

Your Sweaty Friends

It was my first 5K and I was dragging at the half-way point. This petite woman running on my left with a pink baseball cap kept encouraging me. Who talks during a race? Who can even breathe, I thought.

I learned she was a marathon runner, with a spunky attitude and positive energy that gets things done. Then I found out what drove her. She was a breast cancer survivor who wanted to be as healthy as possible for the race of life. It was pure inspiration knowing that if Tina survived breast cancer and could run long distances, I could finish the next mile and a half.

An Accountability Partner Keeps You Going.

When I told her it was my first race, she hung with me, every step of the way. She could have breezed past and made better time. But she didn't. She stayed with slow poke in the slow lane and we crossed the finish line together.

That was about 5 years ago and Tina--that woman in the race, became my accountability partner. Also known as a friend! I actually tracked her down after Race For the Cure and asked if we could run together. I was inspired by her story, and I also wanted to learn how to run, train and pace myself.

In the beginning, we ran a couple times a week. When you know your friend is on your doorstep at 7 a.m. to accompany you in exercise, you don't leave her hanging. We used to joke that during our 3 or 4 mile runs, we would exercise, but also solve the world's problems with our endless banter.

I've run lots of races since then and improved my times. I admit, I've been known to talk to complete strangers and encourage them in races. I try to be an accountability partner to friends, because I know it matters.

So who is your accountability partner? Is it a spouse, a girlfriend, the guy in the next cubicle? Having a partner on a fitness journey, or even a coach or trainer to hold you accountable can really be the key to reaching your goals and finding sweaty success.

Me and Megan

I have noticed that friends or spouses who sign up for group exercise classes together lose more weight and keep it off longer because they create a level of expectation for each other. They're also more likely to share common interests, like healthy cooking and an active lifestyle. You essentially are a reflection of the people who occupy your time.

An accountability partner is someone you don't want to let down. It gives an added layer of pressure to accomplish things you might never do on your own. If I'm on the treadmill by myself in the basement, I'm probably just giving the bare minimum amount of effort. No one will know but me.  But kickboxing on a gym mat surrounded by 50 friends, I'm kicking it into gear.

I worker harder as part of a team. You've probably seen the acronym: T.E.A.M.

Together Everyone Achieves More. It's a little corny maybe, but so true.

Megan and Me

And I've learned that sweaty friends, are the best kind to have.

Veggies Unveiled

Your mom fed you smelly canned peas once and you haven't tried them since. Just the thought of spinach on your tongue makes you gag and the only vegetables you'll eat are corn--swimming in butter, and french fries. You'll eat salad on occasion, but only if there's ranch dressing involved.

We need a veggie intervention.

Eat colorful vegetables. Red cabbage is the star of Asian Slaw

After a couple years of marking friends' food logs with a red pen, I can tell you across the board, most people have a veggie void. They just don't eat enough. Maybe they don't want to bother with washing, cutting, and peeling. Or something in their childhood triggers the "ick" reflex.

Veggies are worth the bother. Think color. You'll hear nutritionists say to eat the rainbow-- green broccoli, red cabbage, blueberries. That's because colorful produce is loaded with phytonutrients. What the heck are those? They're natural chemical compounds--only found in fruits and vegetables. These natural chemicals work with other nutrients to keep our bodies operating at optimal levels, fighting cell breakdown, regulating hormones, keeping us healthy. Plus the fiber keeps all systems moving smoothly.

O.K., how many do you have to eat? The general guideline among health experts is 5 a day. 2 servings of fruit and 3 servings of veggies will get you in the ball park of feeling energized--giving every cell in your body the proper fuel it needs.

Research recently published in the British Medical Journal looked at more than 65,000 people's veggie intake. What's the magic number? That study found 7 servings a day of produce significantly cut the risk of dying from cancer and heart disease and veggie eaters lived longer overall.

Don't suddenly stuff yourself with 7 servings of produce. Your body has to get used to the idea or you'll be a bit of a gas bag.

Add vegetables like kale to eggs.

Start slowly and ramp it up. At breakfast, saute some chopped spinach in a pan with at touch of olive oil before scrambling your eggs. Put the eggs on top of sliced raw tomato. Save some veggies from the night before and toss them in the pan in the morning with your omelette. This takes less time than waiting for a sugary toaster pastry to pop up out of the toaster.

For snack time, take your veggies to work. Bag up some sliced red bell pepper and dip it in natural hummus. Red pepper is sweet and crunchy and fills you up. Add snap peas to your wraps or turkey sandwich and put it in your chilled lunch bag.  Eat a salad every day. Add sliced radishes, or shredded carrots. Most of these veggies come pre-washed and bagged, so they're super convenient.

Put dark leafy greens on everything and try kale.

Make a salad you haven't tried before--like broccoli apple slaw, or Asian slaw.(see recipes below)

To steam vegetables, put an inch of water in a pot and bring it to a boil. Place a metal steamer basket in the pot, and put your veggies on top. Put a lid on it and steam for a few minutes until the produce is tender crisp. All veggies are delicious with a squirt of lemon juice or brush them with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper, or fresh herbs.

A steamer basket keeps veggies from getting soggy.

Roasted Brussels sprouts are a favorite at my house. Wash them, then remove the stems and loose outer leaves. Slice them in half and brush with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper and tiny pieces of real bacon.  To roast any vegetable, bake in a pre-heated oven at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. Always brush them with olive oil or hit them with cooking spray first.

Experiment with roasting veggies. Just make sure the pieces are about the same size so the broccoli doesn't burn before the onions are cooked. Baby red potatoes, onions and fresh minced rosemary make a delicious roasted combo.

Stir frying is another way to meld all those flavors together. Give everything a good chop, preheat your oiled pan, and keep those veggies moving. Add some low sodium soy sauce, fresh grated ginger and garlic too. Toss in a little chicken broth at the end, along with your cooked meat, and call it dinner.

Soon, you'll be on your way to 7 a day!

What's your favorite way to eat veggies? Please, share your ideas and recipes with me in the comments section.

Apple Broccoli Slaw

Apple Broccoli Slaw

½ bag broccoli slaw or rainbow salad, coarsely chopped

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup apple juice or white grape juice

1 gala or honey crisp apples, washed, cored and diced

Juice of one lemon

Sprinkle of sugar, Splenda or Stevia.

Combine chopped apples with lemon juice. Add chopped Broccoli slaw ( I take it out of the bag, and chop it all again to make it easier to eat.)

Add fruit juice and combine. Top with cranberries. Add sweetener to taste.

This is an awesome side salad or veggie with any protein. My children love this and don’t know it’s broccoli. It’s really good next to salmon, grilled chicken or turkey.

Serving size, one cup.

Carbs, approx: not counting broccoli, 16

Calories: about 75

Asian Slaw

4 cups shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrots
1 small red onion chopped
1 cup shelled edamame (it comes frozen)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp rice vinegar
1/3 cup fat free may or plain Greek yogurt
1 1/4 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp sriracha chili sauce
1/4 tsp sugar or Stevia
Low sodium soy sauce to taste
Asian noodles, peanuts or sunflower seeds

Toss chopped cabbage, carrots, onion and edamame in a bowl. Season with pepper. Whisk together vinegar, mayo, sesame oil, chili sauce and sweetener until smooth. Taste and add soy sauce as needed. Pour dressing over slaw and toss to combine. Top with crispy noodles or peanuts before serving. 1 cup serving is about 80 cals, 8 carbs.

Cook Once, Eat Three Days

So many times people who want to lose weight will say, "I don't cook," or "I hate cooking," or "I don't have time."

There is nothing more important to your health than taking time for something that is truly going to sustain you and fuel your body all week long--and really for the rest of your life. You don't need a bunch of fancy kitchen stuff to cook, just a bit of time and a passion for food and flavor.

Eat real food.

 If you have a family, there's even greater reason to cook. How will your children know how to make healthy choices when they grow up if they never see you in the produce section or in front of the stove? What recipes will you pass down to them? I run into overweight college students all the time who live with this void. They never learned to cook so they move from one drive through to the next.

There's a reason 68% of Americans are overweight or obese. They're eating out too often and not taking charge of their nutrition. They're eating highly processed food that has little nutritional value and comes in a bag, box or can. We need to eat real food, as close as possible to the way it grows out of the dirt. It's called "clean eating."

 One in 5 American 4-year-olds are obese. And I'm quite certain they're not doing their own grocery shopping. They eat what adults feed them. 

 You simply can't lose weight if you're eating calorie laden restaurant food several days a week. You must cook or at least be willing to spend a few minutes planning and prepping each week. If you're not prepared, you will fail when it comes to choosing healthy options.

So how do you make it simple and tasty? Start by planning ahead. On your day off, plan at least three meals and go grocery shopping. If you're going to dirty a pan anyway, make more than you need, and freeze a portion for next week. Better yet, cook once--and eat something different for three days.

Here's one way to do it. On Sunday, grill a bunch of chicken breasts. Brush them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. For Sunday dinner, we'll have grilled chicken, with brown rice and grilled zucchini. Well brush fresh peach halves with honey and sprinkle them with cinnamon and put those on the grill too. That's pretty basic and delicious.

A Grilled dinner

On Monday, I cut up half the leftover chicken, add chopped celery, plain Greek yogurt, salt, pepper and a splash of cooking sherry and turn that chicken into chicken salad. You can mix it with cooked whole grain pasta or serve it on whole grain wrap with raw spinach, or stuff it in a pita with a side of fruit. Or skip the bread and put it on a bed of salad greens.

Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt

 Tuesday, we turn that chicken into enchiladas by adding black beans to the chicken, some cumin and chili powder, and folding that into low-carb tortillas. Place in a pan sprayed with cooking oil. Top them with a canned enchilada sauce, chopped fresh tomato and a little shredded cheddar.

Chicken and black bean enchilada

Each of those meals takes about 10 minutes to prepare once the chicken is cooked. Slice a cucumber and tomato and add a splash of vinegar, salt and pepper for a side summer salad, and you have a meal.

If you're running a kid to a ball game or swim practice, roll up chicken wraps with some light mayo, snap peas, shredded cheddar and lettuce. Wrap it tight in foil to keep it together. I can't tell you how good this tastes when I look around and see families dining on congealed fake cheese nachos from the concession stand.

You don't have to stand in front of the stove for hours, wearing an apron and yielding a whisk. But in order to succeed on a weight loss journey, you have to do the work: The planning, shopping and chopping. Work smarter, not harder. And eat, to live.

Chicken Three Ways:
Grocery list:

6-8 chicken breast halves
brown rice
zucchini
peaches

cup, plain Greek Yogurt
whole grain pita bread or whole grain pasta
fresh spinach
celery

can black beans
low carb tortillas
can enchilada sauce
shredded cheddar
avocado

extras:
cucumber
tomato
snap peas
fruit for side dishes
salsa
rice wine vinegar
spices