Me, Backwards

Starting this week, it looks like I’m going to be getting back into semi-regular business travel.  I was reminded immediately today how tough it can be to stay focused and vigilant while on the road, with schedules disrupted, and fatigue being a bigger factor.

I’m hopeful that today set a good tone and example for the rest of my travels.  I didn’t work out in the morning because my flight was so early - I would’ve had to do a workout around the lake at an hour that is just uncomfortably early, both in terms of getting up and also in terms of feeling safe around the lake.  I have no issues with being out there early, even before it’s light, but only if it’s late enough in the morning that there are other early-morning exercisers out there with me.  Truth be told I haven’t investigated the 4:30-5:00 timeframe, but I suspect it’s not busy enough for comfort.

So that left me with needing to fit in a workout after a flight to Burbank and a full day of work.  And I did.  I came back to the hotel after the meetings were over; I still have a bit of work to do for the day, but instead of doing it first, I changed and went straight down to the gym, knowing that if I sat down, I’d probably never get back up.  Working out in the afternoon is definitely not what my body likes, but it did energize me to get a few more things done before I go to sleep.

And then there’s food.  I ate breakfast at home, so no trouble there.  It was earlier than usual so I ended up with two mid-morning snacks (both of which I brought with me).  I’m very fortunate that the cafeteria in the building here in Burbank has a wonderful number of healthy options … of course it’s also very, very easy to indulge there, too.  Today I made myself a salad at the salad bar, sticking mostly to lighter ingredients.  They even have plain olive oil and balsamic so I don’t even have to deal with over-sweetened pre-made dressings!  I added a bowl of chicken chili - and after eating the portion I had today I could probably go with a smaller portion on another day.  Shockingly it kept me full till well past 6 p.m., which is not normal for me.

For dinner, the hotel had given me access to the Concierge Lounge (not sure why - last I checked I didn’t have elite status - but I won’t complain).   I nibbled from the appetizers - a little cheese, a few crackers, some meatballs, and some really bland taquito things that I didn’t even finish.  As I returned my plate, the concierge had a plate of cupcakes and offered me one … and I’m proud to say that I declined and instead grabbed an orange on the way out; if I’m craving something sweet later on, it’s available to me.

Sure, one cupcake wouldn’t be a huge deal, but I know firsthand that for me, travel can be a huge minefield to navigate, and it was important to me to say no and to try to be very careful and moderate about my indulgences lest they become daily things.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 4th, 2009 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Life, Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.