Complimentary Analysis

FUEL

How to do more than survive a trade show on the road

One of the aspects of business travel for many road warriors is trade shows, events, conferences, etc.

Whether you’re working them or just attending them, they can be an absolute grind that becomes even more of a challenge.

Those very long days and sometimes even longer nights expose many of our already bad road habits on the first day let alone an entire event!

I remember my very 1st large trade show that I was “working the booth” as we often say.

It was in Orlando in the early spring so I was thrilled by the weather coming from Chicago. Silly me to think I would get to enjoy ANY of that Florida sunshine. The show hours were ridiculous, then the customer dinners and corporate events/parties at night.

I was young, ambitious, foolish, and did NOT know how to pace myself in those early days.

For someone who’s never worked or attended these type of events, they somehow seem more glamorous than the true reality.

I rarely saw the sun, ate whatever and whenever I could. I was unable able to enjoy the hotel except crash on the bed in a complete coma which seemed like a nap then wash-rinse-repeat.

My voice was shot, my feet hurt, I was tired of giving the same elevator pitch to people who too often could care less, and I had my fill.

And the more my role changed and my title increased, the more responsibilities I had on any given day of an event.

At one point, I was working the booth, in meeting rooms, hosting dinners, attending 2-3 corporate events into the wee hours of the morning, then having to get up early for key breakfast meetings.

Day after day after day after day.

I did NOT know what I didn’t know and just grinded myself through the trade show / conference season not knowing there was any other way.

Here are three of the Most Common Challenges I Faced

1. Food-Related = how do I find a decent place to eat on a trade show floor or conference? And it’s a challenge with going right to an event after the show to a corporate event that only serves appetizers.

2. Sleep-Related = I get more sleep at home with an infant than I do during the week of a trade show event or conference!

3. Health-Related = all I do is stand and I’m wiped out. No time to workout and even if i did, I wouldn’t have the energy.

But…

 

 What can you do to not only survive a trade show or event on the road but really thrive?

I mean the kind of thrive where you stand out as the show goes on while others are tanking big time?

Three Event Realities:

Reality Number One – Only you can take care of you – most barely do on a normal travel week but all the more the week of a trade show and/or conference

Reality Number Two – You don’t have to attend every event or be there every moment

Reality Number Three – Winging it is a horrible plan – too many business people just “go with the flow”

So, how do you do more than survive a trade show on the road…?

CREATE A PLAN…

Four Thrive Plan Essentials at an Event

1. Sleep Schedule

I start with this because on these grueling weeks, this is the 1st priority to go. You look at the average person on day two not to mention day three and they’re a walking coma.

Sleep is our biggest performance enhancer on the road but it seems to become even less of a priority with a brutal morning-to-night event schedule.

We MUST prioritize sleep and remember reality #1 – only you can take care of you I know the amount of sleep I need to be sharp – not just coherent – so I need to do whatever I can to guard that sleep time.

When you’re tired you make tired choices that are the path of least resistance and are only convenient, rarely healthy or the smartest choice.

Michael Hyatt often says, “the more tired I am, the dumber I get.”

I’m starting with the biggest ask in guarding your sleep, but it’s the biggest difference maker to your energy especially at a trade show or an event.

You need even more sleep at trade shows, conferences, events because you’re consuming far more of your energy so make sure you guard your sleep ESPECIALLY your 1st and last night.

Why those nights? Get your event off to a good start and the last night you want to start removing the sleep debt you put yourself in and you don’t want to be a complete train wreck and useless to those back home.

Event Tip – if you’re at an event, don’t make a HUGE DEAL when you decide to leave. No one ever really knows unless you make a huge deal that you’re taking off. I’ve found when I used to make this BIG ANNOUNCEMENT, this is when the peer-pressure came in full force – and… I often caved. But if you just slip out to go to the bathroom then head out the door instead of back into the madness, you’ve just pulled off a masterful escape.

An ERW (Elite Road Warrior) knows when it’s time to go and is shameless about it. They know who they need to see at a corporate event or party, they know the end goal of that conversation and when they’re just hanging around just to hang out. Look at the bigger picture and what an extra hour at a late night event will do for you in the long run compared to an hour of quality sleep.

2. Water

We normally don’t consume enough water on an average day, but Continually Hydrate is a key focus area.

You need to be responsible for your own water which starts with carrying your own water bottle. I don’t know, maybe an ERW branded water bottle with a slick handle? Just sayin.

You need to stay hydrated if you’re up on your feet and talking to people all day. There are often places to “fill up” water but rarely anything to put water in more than a toddler dixie cup so BYOWB (bring your own water bottle)

Also, for you “adult beverage drinkers”… you absolutely must join the free 1:1 Match Program – create a rule that you won’t have a 2nd drink until you finish your glass or bottle of water.

This alone is a game changer for those who decide to get the happy hour drink and I don’t know, 4pm when they start serving it, hit 1-3 corporate events/parties and a customer dinner!

And shockingly, you don’t have to drink everything offered to you. Often, I save it for the “better stuff” later – you can take a pass just don’t try and make it all up later.

Another tip, know when you’ve had enough and just switch to water. Nobody there knows and to be honest, nobody really cares. They may actually like you better if you stopped a beverage or three ago!

The point? Get watered down, man.

Have water be your companion all throughout the day but especially the last hour before bed.

3. Meal Planning

I used to consume the worst food that was so overpriced and did absolutely NOTHING for my energy.

I inhaled it and felt like I ate nothing, but was reminded a couple hours later when my body’s trying to process it. I’m stinking up the joint looking around like it was someone else.

Remember, Food is FUEL and FUEL is ENERGY.

When you don’t eat or you eat poorly, it’s a direct correlation to our energy and that’s exactly what we need to not just survive but thrive at an event.

As a result, control what you can control and that starts with breakfast. Make sure you’re taking time for a Clean and Green breakfast to at a bare minimum set up your day guaranteeing you have a strong base if you don’t know what will happen the rest of the day.

Do whatever you can to guard your lunch break. If you’re working a booth, you’ll get a lunch break. Maximize it.

I always and I mean always do intel on my options, how long it will take to get there and what food will be available for me.

If I’m not working a trade show floor, I have even more control and less excuses. Many conferences offer a lunch so MTHC (Make the Healthiest Choice).

Remember, food is fuel and fuel is energy. Where most people crash is in the mid-to-late afternoon depending on what they had for lunch.

Don’t be THAT guy or THAT girl.

Take control of your food because Food is Fuel and Fuel is Energy

4. Maximize Your Breaks

You have breaks at an event beyond your lunch break. Ask for them. Guard them.

Make the most of them – find or do something that brings you energy not consumes more energy

1. Snack
2. Go Outside
3. Watch or Read Something
4. Meditate

These sound crazy and require effort but remember, you’re NOT everyone else. You’re an Elite Road Warrior and your behavior is different as a result.

Here’s a Tip that combines #3 Meal Planning and this one, #4 Maximize Your Breaks:

Create a Snack Bag – I have a certain small lunch bag I carry with me to “Carry a Controlled Substance” and not be caught off guard. Normally I use these on the road but especially for the Trade Show / Conference / Event Week.

And even more so if I’m working a trade show. I’m a captive audience and that mid to late afternoon crash can be avoided and this is one of the biggest ways – having a healthy snack that is easily accessible.

You need to take control of your day. Let me give you a recent example.

I was in Vegas at a trade show after walking the show floor and had an event to attend in the early evening before a client dinner.

In the past, I talk myself out of going back to my hotel room due to all the effort and choose the path of least resistance and just stay at the event and drink cheap beer or wine and eat unhealthy appetizers.

This time, though, I choose to make the effort to go back to my room, workout for just 10 minutes in my room for some energy, FaceTimed with the fam, had a healthy snack (since I had a kitchen in my room and that was done on purpose!).

At that point I was more than ready for my evening with two corporate events and a dinner.

It can be done.

Let’s Land This Plane

There is a way to do more than survive a trade show and/or event whether your working or just attending it.

I want to challenge you. You have more choices than you realize when you’re at or working an event such as a trade show, conference, etc. Most “go with the flow and react” but not an ERW.

We have a THRIVE PLAN then execute it no matter what those around us are doing or not doing. If you can learn to take control in the toughies like an event, you’ve got this for the normal business travel trip.

Leverage that for road for YOU to become an ERW today.

You Got This!

How I’m Learning How to Do Keto On the Road in Five Challenging Ways

One of the biggest challenges we hear from Elite Road Warrior Group research is how hard or challenging or impossible it is to eat healthy on the road.

A theme quote from my book: If you want to do something you’ll find a way – if you don’t you’ll find an excuse. – Jim Rohn

My self-identified role is to push you, challenge you, and hopefully motivate you to move beyond the average. From the existing or exhausted road warrior to an elite road warrior. This is my Master Evil Plan.

One of the biggest challenges on the road – eating healthy.

How you eat affects so many aspects of your road life:

  • How you feel about yourself – confidence, disappointment or even shame in how you look (I remember those days trying to escape that overweight guy who kept following me to each hotel bathroom mirror – hated that guy)
  • Your energy levels – Food is Fuel and Fuel is Energy

 

I’ve always been a bigger guy since my college days of lifting and eating a ton.

In college, there’s the freshman 15 and
For the business traveler, there’s the Travel 20. And I was such an over-achiever I hit 40 pounds overweight to prove it.

If you want to see that picture, check out eliteroadwarrior.com and watch the video on the top header.

I loved eating the best of the king’s food and drinking the best of the king’s wine and have more than enough opportunity on the road.

Here’s one sad, revealing true story: I was at a large dinner party of 12 and someone after dinner challenged to pay money to anyone who would finish the table’s dessert.

Now, this wasn’t some dainty-cute dessert. This was one pound of brownie and a gallon of ice cream. Topped with a mountain of whipped cream.

Once they started throwing out large bills, I was in. I milked the experience acting like I was done so they would throw more money down.

I finished every last bite and did my “victory lick” with my finger of the last piece of chocolate.

I won.

Or so I thought.

I didn’t sleep for one second that night. I could not digest what I had just eaten mind you after appetizers, a Porterhouse Steak, and serious Vino.

I couldn’t even lay down. I was miserable for 72 hours.

Brutal. Stupid.

 

Once I dropped the weight, I would add 10 then lose it. Add 15 then lose it.

I didn’t look bad. I just didn’t feel my best. I felt it the most around my stomach.

Many of you can relate.

Then my wife got involved – that always changes, well, about everything!

She wanted to lose the weight from the last child. But although she’s in good shape, she just struggled to lose that last 15-20 pounds.

I’ve found myself there again minus giving birth.  My wife’s friends had been doing Keto but we were a little concerned about the quality of food they were eating, getting the Keto flu, with symptoms such as low energy/ nausea, hunger cravings, brain fog, constipation, bad breath, difficulty sleeping, etc.

My wife was wanting the same weight loss results they had, but we just left the whole Keto-thing alone for awhile.

We’ve been following Dr. Axe for awhile now and you can at DrAxe.com

He has his own practice and started seeing a number of patients doing Keto but had a similar experience as my wife’s friends. But it got personal when his own mother became very sick with cancer and he encouraged her to go on a certain type of Keto Diet which he tweaked with his paleo spin.

The results were amazing. Her cancer was gone and her health bounced back incredibly.

Dr. Axe saw similar results with a ton of his patients and ended up writing a book, ironically called Keto Diet by Dr. Josh Axe.

Since we follow and trust him, we picked up the book and the audiobook versions.

I listened to the audiobook on the road during a ton of drive time visiting California in early May. My wife listened to it on her commute to and from her elementary school as a 2nd grade teacher.

We were hooked on his style of Keto and were willing to try it.

But.. here’s the catch:

My wife didn’t want to start the Keto30 without a long ramp-up plan.

So, we used May to integrate the full-on Keto30 on June 1st.

Keto30 is a 30-day focus to jumpstart the Keto program.

Now, I’ll get into the weeds of how we’re doing it and how it’s going but I wanted to give you the backstory up front.

The first thought that came to my mind when my wife wanted/demanded I do this with her was:

“I can’t possibly do this on the road. Eating healthy is already hard enough but going Keto style is just not possible.”

Couldn’t or wouldn’t?

That was my first reaction and I do this for a living! The reality is if you want to do something you’ll find a way and I wanted to find a way.

And the 1st level of being an Elite Road Warrior is becoming an Experimental Road Warrior.

You’ll go back to Experimental Road Warrior time and time again, to try new things and this is exactly what I needed to do.

Our family is primarily Paleo which means we seek to eat foods that are Whole Foods.

Megan Blacksmith defines a whole food as “something that eats a plant, grows on a plant, but is never manufactured in a plant.”

In short: No label and/or fewer ingredients the better

Here’s the Keto Way

1. Limit the Carbs (focus on getting your carbs through vegetables and certain fruits)

2. Organic Protein (grass-fed meat and wild-caught fish)

3. Increase the Healthy Fats (avocados / nuts / coconut, MCT oil, Ghee butter, raw cheese, healthy oils, even dark chocolate, etc)

4. Quality Supplements (collagen / bone broth protein)

Ironically, grass-fed meat and wild-caught fish are high-fat as well.

The overall point of Keto is most of your food intake is high quality fats and proteins and selective, quality carbs that are at a minimum.

 

Now, at the time of this recording, at halfway through the Keto30 and our May ramp-up time, I’m down 17 pounds.

My wife doesn’t know that and she doesn’t want to ask since she’s not seeing it on the scale as much but I can sure tell.

You can see it all over on her and especially with her clothes. I’m so proud of her! We’re both having success. And the 1st week of June I wasn’t traveling which helped. The 2nd week was two days of travel and this past week was the entire week.

Here are the five challenging ways I’m Learning to do Keto on the Road

1. Hotels with Kitchens

My success starts with where I stay – normally my hotels have at least have a mini-fridge which is the bare minimum but when trying to do Keto I look for:

  • A large fridge
  • Oven
  • Stove

I want to prepare and cook my own meals

A question came to me from a Road Warrior: what if you can’t find a hotel with a kitchen that is near you?

Answer: leverage every square inch of your mini fridge and see if you can find a Whole Foods near you to eat their hot dinner

I’m willing to do the extra driving if a hotel with a kitchen is in striking distance. If I can pull it off on the Las Vegas strip finding a full kitchen, I can most places.

2. Grocery Stores

This is an absolute must – but my 1st day I BRING my own food depending how busy my 1st day would look like especially if I couldn’t get to the grocery store until Day Two of my business trip. I usually do this anyway on my 1st day of my trip but especially doing Keto and 100% of the time on Keto30.

Make sure you set up your business trip for the highest chance of success but ESPECIALLY on Keto30.

Another question that came in was: What do you purchase at the grocery store?

I try to shop at Whole Foods and/or Trader Joe’s every chance I get, even an Aldi which is owned by TJs has enough for me for a business trip. A regional chain grocery store will do if needed but read the label and ask questions, especially on the meat!

1st of all, I shop the perimeter which means the fresh stuff not the box stuff (remember the definition of a whole food – doesn’t have a box)

  • Greens – spinach / kale / Swiss chard / cilantro
  • Meat – beef / chicken / fish
  • Veggies – organic broccoli / cauliflower / green beans
  • Berries – blueberries / strawberries / blackberries / raspberries
  • Grass-fed butter to cook with
  • Mixed nuts
  • Avocados and olives
  • Almond Milk for smoothies
  • Grass-fed Yogurt
  • Matcha Tea

I know, it sounds like a week’s worth of groceries but I buy ONLY for my trip and IF there are any leftovers, I bring them home and if non-perishable, I’ll save them for my next trip.

Note: I cook most of meat at one time if possible: I’ll bake all three chicken breasts at the same time or all three pieces of salmon so I have it ready in case the next night I’m not in a hotel or it’s my last day of the trip

3. Add the Highest Quality Supplements

Dr. Axe teamed up with one of my all-time favorites Dr. Jordan Rubin to create an incredible supplement line: Ancient Nutrition.

  • Collagen
  • Bone Broth Protein
  • Digestive Enzymes
  • MCT Oil

I interview Dr. Jordan Rubin on Keto, supplements, etc. on my ERW podcast episode 032 for those of you who want the science behind Keto and the supplements.

4. Intermittent Fasting

This is not required but definitely a kickstarter to Keto.

Intermittent Fasting (IF) – eating within tighter windows within your day to give your digestive system a break and allow your body to burn more fat for longer periods of time.

Dr. Axe suggests 8 hour / 7 hour / or 6 hour fasting options.

My road experience when I don’t have control of my time as much. I’ll eat hotel hard-boiled eggs or make a smoothie in the morning to eat later, or whatever is easiest between meetings to try and keep on schedule.

5. Stop Drinking on the Road

To some of you, this is the easiest one of all because you’re not a drinker of the alcohol-variety.

But most road warriors are drinkers in some form. Statistically, road warriors drink over 30% more on business trips and too many are functioning alcoholics. Don’t believe me? Stop for 30 days on the road or how about just one business trip. Or just one night? See how THAT goes and let me know.

But what if you’re at at social event or client dinner?

This is for 30 days – it revealed to me my habit of how often, not necessarily how much I drink on the road.

Flights / evening after a long day / nice restaurant with a great wine list / corporate credit card where the shelf of the liquor is easily upgraded or doubled for that matter.

It’s been a challenge but good for me to take a 30-day break from any and all alcohol

If you’re going to do Keto30 and really see results, alcohol must go. It has so much sugar which Keto30 avoids except a limited amount of allowed berries.

Bonus Recommendations

1. My Life Saver Item – Lunch Box to Carry a Controlled Substance – I bought good quality Tupperware in different sizes that fit exactly in my travel snack box to maximize space along with a Spoon/Knife/Fork All-in-One.

2. BYOB – bring your own blender

This content is not for the faint of heart. You have to want to it to do it otherwise you’ll find an excuse, a whole bunch of people to side with you (who are most likely overweight and not self-disciplined).

I wanted to do something difficult, under he Energy Habit: FUEL,  and that’s doing not only Keto Diet but Keto30.

If you are serious about dropping some weight and getting control of your food and alcohol intake, hopefully I’ve proven this is a viable and possible option even on the road.

So, wherever you are on the road, do something, anything, just not nothing to master the business travel life.

Go and get your girlish figure back and leverage the road to get it.

You Got This!

10 Most Often Asked Questions Asked of Me About Road Life

One of my favorite parts of being a business travel performance expert is receiving so many questions whether through surveys, assessment, research projects, emails, or just plain conversation on a flight or at a hotel bar.

Recently, I spoke at a consulting firm and was flooded with GREAT questions from high-performing road warrior consultants who wanted to not get by on the road but get better and leverage the road to do it.

As a result, I’ve chosen ten of the most often asked questions for this article.

10 Most Often Asked Questions Asked of Me About Road Life

This 1st question is by far the most asked question but it’s also the one that gets the most pushback.

1 – How do you eat healthy on the road?

I failed miserably at this for easily the first half of my road career which has been too many years.

I viewed my business trip as a vacation when I ate, not a vocation. My filter was, “oh, that looks good!” I could spend more on an appetizer or dessert or glass of wine than I would on my entire meal with my own money.

The result? Ballooning to over 40 pounds overweight due to business travel. I hated how I looked in that blasted hotel mirror and felt lousy.

Then I came to the point where my perspective on food changed. I wanted energy on the road to be my best and Food is Fuel and Fuel is Energy.

I embraced four letters – MTHC (Make the Healthiest Choice)

And part of MTHC is three parts:
1. Continually Hydrate – I have an Elite Road Warrior water bottle and drink a ton of water ALL DAY LONG
2. Clean and Green – every meal is the cleanest I can eat and I add as many greens as I can
3. Carry a Controlled Substance – I carry a snack bag with Tupperware that has healthy snacks so I’m never caught off guard and always have an energy kick available

I have choices of what I put in my mouth and need to consciously choose how I feel after whatever I’m about to eat.

I favor hotels with full kitchens, shop at Whole Foods and/or Trader Joes whenever possible, and request eating someplace “Clean and Green” when going out with others.

I recently even did hard-core Keto30 on the road which you can listen to on episode 25 of the podcast.

Key phrase: MTHC (Make the Healthiest Choice)

2 – How do you workout on the road?

Time is your biggest enemy on the road.

I believed the lie “if I can’t get in a full workout, what’s the point?” – Lies, nothing but lies!

I had to change my mindset to “Something, Anything is Better Than Nothing.”

Sometimes my 20-minute workout is better than an hour.

Sometimes, going 10 minutes hard in my hotel room with bodyweight and resistance bands is more than enough.

“But I’m too tired to workout” – lies, nothing but lies.

Movement creates energy.

How many times have you worked out in the morning after dragging yourself out of bed and by the end of the workout, you were ready to conquer your day?! That’s me – every… single… time.

I learned the Increase M4X Formula
1. Stand More – think up on your feet, not down on your butt
2. Walk More – think forward, not still
3. Run More – think cardio, get your heart rate up
4. Lift More – think strength training

How I…

  • Stand More – stand at the gate / every 30 min on a flight / in meetings whenever possible / create stand up desks at the hotel (lobby or room)
  • Walk More – park at the back of a parking lot / choose a higher floor at the hotel / take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator or walk the escalator
  • Run More – do HIIT that gets my heart rate up – jog to run / burpees / stairs quickly
  • Lift More – bodyweight / dumbbells / resistance bands

Key phrase: Something, Anything is Better Than Nothing

3 – How do you get a better night of sleep on the road?

Ah, sleep, the ultimate waste of time on the road, right? How can you get anything done if you’re in a coma?

I used to view sleep as a “necessary evil”

I had to learn to make the sleep I was getting, which was 6 hours or less, better before I started to add any more sleep because it wouldn’t be quality sleep.

1. Prioritize Bed Time
2. Create a Bed Time Ritual
3. Create an Ideal Sleep Environment

For me…

Bed Time Priority always depended on the type of my trip – was I by myself or with others? Was I doing training, speaking, and workshops, or at a conference or trade show? Once I knew, then I could realistically prioritize bedtime. That may mean leaving the event or bar earlier but nobody really cared the next morning. Regardless, getting to bed with the foresight of what time I needed to get up was a priority.

My Bed Time Ritual:

  • Drop the Lights
  • Drop the Temperature
  • Change the Room Scent
  • Comfy Clothes – under armor shorts / Hurley soft t-shirt or Dep Sleepwear
  • Read
  • Guided Meditation

Ideal Sleep Environment:

  • Cool
  • Dark and I mean dark – towel over door crack/clip to keep the curtains shut
  • Bose Sleep Buds

Key Phrase –“Improve Before Increase”

 

4 – What is your morning routine?

It has definitely evolved over time. In fact, I have an entire podcast episode on the First Hour of Your Road Day called the Energy Hour

My routine used to be checking social media, sports scores, texts, and emails while still in bed!

Once I opened up any of those, they owned my day and I rarely turned it around.

So, I needed to make sure I took care of ME first before everyone else’s agenda.

And what took care of me?

Four of the six energy habits:

1. Develop
2. Move
3. Connect
4. Fuel – continually hydrate

My exact morning routine:

  • Hydrate – my drink
  • Develop – read my Bible / read something inspirational / pray and meditate
  • Move – workout
  • Connect with the Fam – I want them to hear from me first thing in the morning and I’ll talk about how in Q5

Key Phrase – “Hit the Four Before the Door”

5 – How do you stay connected with those you love back home?

This was an area where I was what you call, a Check-In Guy for WAY too long.

I just “checked in” when it was convenient for me with no regard to what was going on back home in the life of my wife and kids. It was selfish to be honest as I look back on it.

Staying connected, especially if you’ve been traveling for any length of time, can, well, get old and stale. And for me, I wasn’t checking in enough and it really affected my family and friends back home.

Eventually, I leveraged my creative side to “spice things up” to re-connect with everyone to become a Connect-In Guy.

It’s done in three ways:

  • Connect Intentionally
  • Connect Thoughtfully
  • Connect Creatively – be memorable

How I Connect Now:

Key Phrase -“Be a Connect-In Guy or Girl, not a Check-in Guy or Girl”

The next five questions are more vulnerable.

I’ve not arrived as you’ll hear in the following answers. But I truly desire to transform my work, health, and home life on the road to master the business travel life.

 

6 – What took you the longest to change and why?

Learning how to rest and pace myself on the road. I’ve always been a hard-driver, Type-A, energy guy.

If you’ve not heard my back story, which you can listen to on the podcast in episode 002, I went so hard for so long, my body shut down to the point of complete exhaustion and I became very, very sick. It took months and months to recover and I had to learn to change my ways if I was going back to Road Life.

I had to prioritize three areas:

  • Sleep – improve then increase
  • Breaks – move the body, rest the mind
  • Downtime – time to be, not to be on

There was time for breaks and downtime – I just needed to take them and make them a priority – the payoff was beyond worth it.

I also had to learn to ask:

  • When is my energy the highest each day on the road?
  • Why is my energy low right now?
  • Is there anything I can do to change my energy level?
  • Can I match my energy with my tasks?

I had to become what I call an Energyologist (a Buckleyism) – the personal study of your own energy

Key Takeaway – You can have more energy on the road

 

7 – What do you regret the most on the road?

The answer is found in Energy Habit Six – Connect.

I regret not making my family a bigger priority especially when I first started traveling. I created some very bad habits in three areas:

  • How I left – abrupt and not sensitive especially to my kids’ feelings
  • When I was gone – When and how I contacted anyone back home revolved only around me and my schedule
  • How I returned – I was always exhausted when I came home and it was always about me. I demanded the house be in perfect condition and life revolved around me. I wanted to be left alone to “transition back into civilian life” yet I was angry when everyone went on with their lives.

My family hung in there but I had done some damage that took years to repair and I regret it. Thankfully I was able to turn it around and it’s become one of my strengths.

Learn from my costly mistakes.

Key Takeaway – Prioritize Others Just as Much

 

8 – What do I still struggle with on the road?

Drinking too often and too much.

I don’t get drunk on the road or take it too far. I learned very early in my career to never “be that guy” but only see or hear about “that guy”.

I love good wine and craft beer but have learned to minimize it big time especially doing Keto on the road.

I’m a Vodka Tonic guy and too easily justify a drink or three (always a double) after a long day, customer dinner, or event.

Doing Keto30 of absolutely no drinking was a very good thing for me along with not drinking on any weeknights when I’m home.

This is a struggle and growth area for me.

My biggest change has been adding one glass of water with every alcoholic drink. I call it the 1:1 Water Match Program – and it’s absolutely free to join

Key Takeaway – Make Sure You’re In Control

 

9 – How do you handle it when you blow it on the road?

I’ve adopted the James Clear concept called “Avoid the 2nd Mistake” – If I have a bad meal, I don’t justify the day or even the rest of the business trip.

If I don’t work out the 1st day, it’s not a free pass for the rest of the trip.

If you watch baseball, the best closers have the essence of short-term memory. If they blow last night’s game, they need to come back out the next night like it never happened and “begin again.”

Depending on what “blowing it” was for me, in the early days there was some regret and guilt. I had a couple of close friends I could tell “the real story” for some confession and accountability. I wanted to monitor the heart.

Another phrase I use that is helpful to me is “Dip NOT Dive” – when I go “off-road” as I call it from the 6 Energy Habits, I need this to be a quick dip and get right back to what allows me to master the business travel life and avoid the downward spiral and the 2nd mistake.

Learn from it and move on.

Key Takeaway – Avoid the 2nd Mistake

 

10- What advice would you give for a newer business traveler?

  • Learn and apply the Six Energy Habits immediately in your Road Career.
  • If you have bad habits at home, road life will only expose them.
  • Don’t worry about “what everyone else does or says”, you take care of yourself first and foremost.

Learn from my mistakes and others. You don’t have to do it the hard way with a brutal crashing and burning, 40 pounds overweight, burned out, stressed out, and disconnected from family and friends.

Key Takeaway – Own the Six Energy Habits right now!

 

I hope these questions and answers were helpful. They’ve been asked by a number of people, so here it was:
* The good
* The bad
* The ugly

I hope you gained some ideas and appreciated my honesty with the goal of helping you become an Elite Road Warrior.

If you want any more detail or further examples, you can find them in my book, ERW – 6EH to Master the Business Travel Life. It’s available on Amazon in the print version, Kindle digital version, and also on audiobook via Audible.

So, wherever you are on the road, do something, anything, just not nothing to master the business travel life. You Got This!

Why You Must Carry a Lunch Box to Work on the Road

Elite Road Warrior Group Research shows that this one simple bad habit takes down many road warriors. You find them everywhere. In the airport, flight, gas station, board room, the bar, and on and on.
What is it?
Snacks.

Now, Russ loves snacks. The problem is, he eats them on the road at the worst times, not to mention he eats the wrong things.  It starts with plane snacks (and I don’t mean plain), whether at the airport or on the actual plane.

Then there are snacks offered during a meeting or a conference.

And how do you resist “snacky” things at the bar? (You know, the ones that have had who knows how many drunk hands touching them?)

Russ wonders why he feels like he never really eats a full meal yet he is overweight.  C’mon Russ, seriously?

Why You Must Carry a Lunch Box to Work on the Road

One of the smallest yet most effective energy habit changes I made on the road was learning to carry a controlled substance. I know, most of the time that’s illegal, but as most things, there’s a way around it.

In this case, it’s carrying the correct controlled substance: a healthy and sustainable snack.

The power behind the concept is two parts and in the name.

1. Carrying – You bring it with you/carry it along with you. I can already hear the whining (and I don’t mean vino):

  • I’m trying to pack light.
  • I already have too much to carry.
  • What if it needs to be refrigerated?
  • I have small hands and it will bring attention to them (okay, I may have pushed it on that one).

These are all easy issues to overcome, and we’ll address them later, but for now, you need to carry – packing some heat, my friend.

2. Controlled – This is the opposite of Russ because it is not reactionary but controlled.

  • You bring it – You literally bring food with you from home (it’s possible and we’ll talk about what and how).
  • You buy it – This requires a little more effort on the road, but you literally find a healthy store to buy controlled substances for you to have on hand to eat on the road.

Carrying a Controlled Substance is YOUR Lunch Box you must carry with you on the road.

The point of this article is minimizing and ultimately eliminating being caught off guard. When I don’t Carry and Control my supplemental nutrition, I get reactive and lazy.

Not a good combination on the road.

You may be asking, “But what do you put your food, your controlled substance, in while traveling?
Well, it’s not an old school or a “carrying booze” paper bag, but a well-thought-out item.

And full disclosure, I tried one of those old school metal lunch boxes but I couldn’t fit everything I wanted in it. Just goofin – although, that would be cool and a great conversation starter in an airport.

The one I finally landed on I found on Amazon (imagine that) it’s called the OPUX Premium Insulated Lunch Box

This OPUX lunch box has:

  • Black Fabric with two zippers
  • 10 x 8 x 5.5in
  • Two handles – one on top and one on the side. The side handle has a clip to attach it to anything you want
  • Optional strap if you so desire to use it
  • Insulated inside as well as an insulated pouch
  • 10 Different color choices

What I love about the one handle is I can attach it to my carry-on handle. I put it on top of my computer bag so it’s easy to get around and not “one more thing” to carry.

 

THREE WAYS YOU CAN CARRY A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE

1. YOUR FIRST MEAL

So many road warriors become victims right out of the gate (literally and figuratively). They leave the house and decide to get a quick breakfast at the airport. I meet a certain guy often on the plane and have even given him a nickname: Egg McMuffin Man.

Let me tell you his story…

He sits down (we’ll call him Ed McMuffin), opens up his McDonald’s bag, and pulls out his two Egg McMuffins, hash brown, and his extra-large Diet Coke. (Pause) Of course.
As he’s scarfing down his food like someone is going to try and steal it or something, he looks over at me.
Let me set the full picture: I’m eating a controlled substance. I brought my own breakfast called the Anchor Day Casserole through security and even on to the plane (I know, crazy, right?!). I feel stoked to have my clean and green meal, and in this case, it is the first meal of the day on the first day of my business trip.

Egg McMuffin Man looks at me, looks at my controlled substance, looks down at his food, then the justifications begin.

Ed: “Yeah, I was in a hurry this morning.”
Me: “Really?” (With just a touch of sarcasm leading him to tell me more…)
Ed: “Had to grab something quick.”
Me: “Hmmm.” (Long pause for dramatic effect.) “In that long McDonald’s line?”
Ed: “Yeah, it took like 20 minutes.”
Me: “Bummer,” (then with a sense of pride and joy,) “this took me two minutes to warm up and 30 seconds to put in this Tupperware to take it to go.”
Ed: (Quickly responds) “I used to be THAT guy. Now I’m THIS guy.”
Me: “Why don’t you get back to being THAT guy again?”
Ed: (Starts talking again as ketchup drips on his dress shirt)

and the excuses begin all over again…Give it a rest, Ed. Make a healthier choice.

I want to do everything I can to make sure the very first meal of my trip or the very first meal of any day on the road is clean and green, and I’ll go to great lengths to make that happen.
You have control. Step up and take it.
This principle can also apply for your last meal, and I don’t mean “dead man walking” on Death Row.

I’m talking about before your flight home.
Often, I’ll purchase a healthy meal and take it to-go so I can eat at the airport or on the plane so I’m not left with minimal options and maximum justifications.
This can be done and carrying a controlled substance in your Work Lunch Box makes it possible.

2. YOUR GREENS

The road offers “greens” and I don’t mean cold hard cash, but they’re often hard to come by on the road.
I mean nutritional greens that you intentionally add to your daily nutrition. Well, it is difficult if you leave it to chance.

Do you get a sense I don’t leave this to chance anymore? Nor should you! You need to have a plan for making sure you’re getting proper fuel in your system on a consistent basis, and this begins with your greens.

HERE ARE THREE QUICK WAYS TO KEEP THE GREENS COMING DURING YOUR DAY:

  • ASK

There are certain hotels that will have greens with their breakfast. If you are at a hotel that has a breakfast buffet and an omelet bar, they most likely have spinach. I’ll request a large side of sautéed spinach, which is a perfect way to add greens to your breakfast.  At every restaurant, I ask for more greens than what’s on the menu, but here’s the difference: I ask for one now and one to go. I want to have them later, even if later never comes (but somehow it always does).

  • BRING

This is my master evil plan all the time. I make sure I have at least enough greens for my 1st day of travel and not leave it to chance.

Again, in a pinch (literally), you could use a high-quality greens powder to keep all your options open.

  • BUY

Begin to get in the habit of stopping somewhere to stock up on your snacks, especially your greens, so you can have them when (not if) you need them. I’ll buy a bag of spinach, kale, or spring mix to have and can keep in the hotel fridge. It’s only a few dollars and worth having on hand.

Now, the 3rd way to carry a controlled substance in your Work Lunch Box is…

3. YOUR GO-TO SNACK

All of us tend to have a snack we prefer. We eat it by default and we choose it regularly.
On the road, we need to make the healthiest choice and choose a healthy go-to snack.
Mine is mixed nuts (peanuts and fillers sold separately and for the record, I used to work for peanuts, so I don’t need to eat them!). It’s one of two fuel foods I purchase every time on the road (the other being mixed greens). Here are my choices of mixed nuts confirmed by the research of Dr. Axe

  • Almonds
  • Walnuts
  • Brazilian Nuts
  • Cashews
  • Pistachios

Nuts are rich in fiber and smart fats. Since your brain is approximately 60 percent fat, you need good fat in your diet to nourish it, and nuts are one of the most brain-nourishing choices you can make.

I’m a huge fan of mixed nuts because of their big punch of nutritional value and how easy they are to take on the go.  Not all nuts are created equal. While there are plenty of nuts jam-packed with nutrients, some types of processing may diminish the health benefits of nuts.
Pre-shelled nuts, for instance, leave the natural casings of the nut exposed, causing the natural fats and oils to break down and become rancid more easily. Pre-seasoned or flavored nuts can also be high in added sugar or salt, reducing their health properties. Even nuts that are roasted can be unhealthy because they are roasted in harmful hydrogenated vegetable oils and fats.

You don’t have to choose my go-to snack (although I highly recommend choosing at least a couple of mixed nuts that you like).

Here’s the Key: Find something low in sugar and high in protein every chance you can.

PRO TIP: Stop at a grocery store (healthier the better like Whole Foods or TJ). But I hear often, “I don’t have the time!” You’re right, you never “have time” you must “make the time.”

If you plan for it, it’s amazing how quickly you can get in and get out. But again, this is a pro trip, not an excuse tip.

Lastly, what do I actually put the food in and how do I eat it?

Key Items to Maximize the Lunch Box

1. Spork – but wait, there’s more. The one I use has a knife option as well. I know, right?
I used to bring crappy plastic wear from home or picked them up at the airport but often forgot them or they were just so flimsy. I invested a few dollars and bought a camping style spork with a knife – 12 Pack Sporks, Durable & BPA Free Tritan Sporks, Spoon Fork & Knife Combo Utensils

I carry two with me at all times and put them in the inside pocket of the Work Lunch Box

2. Tupperware – I geeked out on this one after thinking any kind would do.
But I wanted to maximize my space in my lunch box and I also wanted the Tupperware to stay sealed.
So, I use one that is: “8.5 x 2.5 x 6
Then two that are: “6 x 2.5 x 4
So it maximizes space and can stack right on top of each other
Ironically, I found mine at Pavilions in Southern California. Go Figure. I haven’t been able to find the exact ones on Amazon just yet.
I did find something close here

You just have to experiment with whatever you chose as your Work Lunch Box.

3. Pink Sea Salt / Pepper Grinders – I’m a big fan of pink Himalayan sea salt due to the incredible trace minerals found in it and it’s the healthiest salt you can eat. I also like ground pepper so I have two small grinders that easily fit in my Work Lunch Box. I found mine at Trader Joe’s.

4. Individualized Wet Wipes – Why? Have you seen me eat? Just kidding.
But I want to stay as healthy as I can on the road and one of the most germ-infested locations is a plane and specifically the seat tray.
How many times have you seen someone sick rest their head on the seat tray and hack all over it.
And I’m going to put my Work Lunch Box and healthy meal on THAT? Not a chance.
So, I have these individualized wet wipes to wipe down the tray AND seat
I have them on the road in a pinch.
I bought off Amazon: Wet Ones Antibacterial Hand and Face Wipes Singles, 24-Count (Pack of 5)

Note: I also carry tea bags in my Lunch Box (I’m not a coffee guy but a tea freak, okay snob) and both the Individualized Wet Wipes and tea bags easily fit in the front zipped pocket.

Packing your own healthy food may be a new concept for you. So, your baby step to carrying a controlled substance may simply be to bring your first meal or bring some healthy snacks at home. Or it may be to get the suggested lunch box.

Do something, anything, just not nothing to master the business travel life.
Go and get your Fuel Edge on today!

This article is brought to you by the Sleep Score Labs where you can find all types of sleep resources such as blue-blocker glasses and eye masks that I endorse and actually carry in my Road Warrior sleep kit.

Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

Terra is a hard driver. She’s up early and at it late. She never takes breaks and actually prides herself because of it.

During every possible break given in a meeting or conference, she’s working. Her brain is always engaged, and her legs are never moving while she’s sitting in those conferences.

Her philosophy is “who has time for a break?!” and she actually looks down on those who do. She would never say they are lazy but she does question their work ethic. Is Terra right? After all, you’re on the road to work and crank out as much work as possible.

Or is there a reason to take a break?
This is a major pushback for road warriors: the topic of a break. Terra is not alone in this area. But Terra, give it a break already!

I know what you’re thinking: “I barely have time to go to the bathroom let alone pause for lunch. How could I ever have time for a break?” Well, you never “have time.” You “make time” for things that are important. Believe it or not, breaks are important and they matter.

Four Natural Pushbacks To Taking A Break

1. I don’t have time to take a break.

I’m behind before I even start my day and will only fall further behind if I stop and take a break.
I will literally lose more time if I stop. I have TOO much to do and NOT enough time to do it. How could I even consider stopping for a break?

2. I feel fine, why take a break?

Those of us who are locked in and get “in the zone” can easily push back on this one. This is especially true for those of us who love what we do.

3. I forget to even take a break.

If it’s not something we do regularly, especially when traveling, it’s easier to just do a drive-by and miss a break, even if we want or need to take one.

4. My travel schedule does not allow me to take a break.

This used to be me. I never took a break on the road, and the main reason was I never scheduled it. When I started padding my schedule by just 15 – 30 minutes once or twice a day, the results were outstanding.
The problem is, most road warriors rarely take a break, and IF they do, they do it wrong. How do you screw up a break? Let’s start with what a break is first.

I define a break as: MOVE THE BODY/REST THE MIND.

If people choose to take a break at all, they do the opposite – they rest the body and move the mind.
They stay seated and move from one screen to another (computer to phone for social media or personal email). Aka: they screw it up. They’re not moving because they remain seated and their mind is not resting; it is engaged in something else.

They miss an opportunity to leverage the energy that a break can give you IF it’s done correctly.
A true break is designed to move the body – stand/stretch/walk – MOVE! Resting the mind means stop concentrating and let it roam free. Breaks mean running the car, but on idle.

I agree with what The Huffington Post says on breaks: “It is difficult to see things from a new perspective or find new insights when we come at it the same way all the time. Taking a step away — literally or figuratively — might be just what we need to recharge.”

A break is productive only when you disconnect from the work you are doing and indulge in any other activity that takes your mind off the task at hand. The reality is, we have to see the benefit of a break if we’re going to gain anything out of a break.

Benefits of a Break

1. Your mind gets to rest

I don’t know about most people, but the moment I begin my day, my mind is going, and I don’t want to admit it, but it doesn’t stay sharp all day. The reality is my mind begins to fade, especially being around people on the road all day unless I do something about it. That’s exactly why taking a break to give your mind a rest is so vitally important.

It’s good to push your mind, but if your goal is to stay sharp and productive, we need to consider a mental break. We can only focus for so long before quality begins to decrease. If we’re honest, we’ll admit this truth. Resting the mind is exactly what is needed to become more effective and to increase productivity.
What does resting the mind look like? Well, it doesn’t look like moving from one computer tab to another, from CRM to Twitter, from computer to phone. It means allowing your mind time to roam and not concentrate so it is free to engage in something else without intense focus.

2. Your body gets to move.

One of our biggest unknown challenges is being sedentary. Most of us sit almost the entire day, especially when we travel. We’re in a rental car or rideshare, then to the conference room to dinner and then we crash on the bed.

We are not designed to sit around all day, and it’s definitely not helpful for your creativity or productivity. Getting up for a few minutes gets our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain.

We NEED to get our blood flowing and oxygen to the brain to be at our best. Often times, since you’re naturally sitting most of the day, you just have to take the initiative. How many times have you been in a situation where someone said, “Can we take a quick break? I need to… (Get coffee, go to the bathroom, make a quick call or return some messages)”?

This is the timeout in sports you’ve been looking for but use it wisely. Often, people just sit there and completely waste the break. They stay seated on their can and check social media or talk about absolutely nothing.

Not you, road warrior. Exit stage left and go for a walk. Change locations. Move the body and rest the mind. Leave the building if you can. At least, walk around within the building. Often, I take a few stairs and at least step outside. In this way, I’ve moved and taken in some fresh air and scenery.

3. You come back more focused.

This is where taking a break actually increases your productivity. We don’t want to just do our work; we want to do our best work, and that’s what happens when we’re focused and creative. When blood is flowing through my body and oxygen is getting to my brain, both have had the break they need to come back more focused.

It’s amazing how people can screw up a break and are worse off after a break. Not you, road warrior. You’ll come back sharp and ready to knock out the rest of the time.

So, we’ve given excuses of why we can’t or don’t take a break. And we learned the benefits of taking a break. Now, let’s get very practical on how to actually take a break while on a business trip.

Here are Six Ways to Take an Energy-Giving Break on the Road

According to the book Rest, a true break from work – the kind that allows what sociologists call detachment, the ability to put work completely out of your mind and attend to other things – turns out to be tremendously important as a source of mental and physical recovery from work.

I realize breaks may be a change of mindset for you, but if you begin to simply change how you view a break, whether given or self-imposed, you will experience the benefits of moving your body and resting your mind as you get the full benefits of a break. Take a short walk and change your environment for a few moments to catch your breath with the goal of coming back refreshed and ready for another round.

Some break ideas are:

  1. Breath Break
  2. Stand Break
  3. Stretch Break
  4. Bathroom Break
  5. Snack Break
  6. Walk Break

These may seem obvious, but so often, we’re simply not doing them.
We’ll choose six excuses. Think creatively about how you could add them to your travel day. If you think you don’t have ANY time for a break, consider the following with examples of how to use the six different types of breaks.

Your goal: Be an overachiever and combine break types.

Three types of breaks on the road:

1. MICRO – Think Seconds/Small Length
We may not have time for anything longer at the moment or we just need a quick energy boost, and that’s exactly why we should take micro-breaks throughout the day.
Here’s a stat for you: a 30-second micro-break can increase your productivity up to 13% and a 15-second break from staring at your computer screen every ten minutes can reduce your fatigue by 50%.

Here are three different types of micro-breaks:

  • Breathe break – Take in oxygen to the brain.
  • Stand break – Simply standing and walking a sedentary body will do more for you than you think, even with such little effort
  • Stretch break – take that stand and move it to a stretch to get some additional blood flowing. You’d be surprised what a simple, calculated stretch will do for your energy.

EVERYONE on the road has time for MICRO breaks. They don’t affect your time but definitely affect your energy!

2. MINI – Think Minutes/Medium Length
Micro is seconds; mini is minutes. You can sneak a little break in with only a few minutes.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) research reveals that taking mini-breaks that range up to 5 minutes can improve mental acuity by about 13 percent. That’s GREAT ROI for just five minutes!

  • Bathroom break – This can be a mini-break. If you’re drinking water, this is a natural by-product of your hydration donation. Most on the road have time for mini-breaks either from your meeting that gives you a break, in-between meetings, or self-appointed mini-breaks.
  • Snack break – There’s no shame in getting a snack throughout the day. In fact, it’s probably a good idea to get some other sources of energy to your body so that you can work most effectively. Just remember to put good food into your body to help this mini-break be effective.

3. MAX – Think Unplug/Large Length
This type of break is harder to come by and is either granted during a long meeting or you just have to take it.

  • Water break – Again, if you’re drinking water, you’re going to need a refill, and this is the time to do it.

This couple of minutes’ break does more than you realize and is worth the quick stop. Often, this is a natural upgrade from the micro and mini breaks.

If you’ve been concentrating for a while, at some point in your morning and/or especially in your afternoon, you need a max break. How often have you found yourself pushing through the mid-to-late-afternoon and everything just seems to take you twice as long and the quality is half as good? The solution? A max break. This is a true un-plug.

I’m not talking an hour or even 45 minutes; 15 minutes is a great place to start with a max break.

Breaks are all over for you on the road if you just begin to look for them then learn to leverage them.
The ultimate goal is maximizing that break for all it’s worth to gain the energy you need for your day on the road.