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Kris and I recently spent a long weekend in San Francisco. I was worried about how I’d handle my fitness regimen while away from home. Turns out I had mixed success.
On the down side, I didn’t get any regular exercise in at all. I didn’t have time. My three days were scheduled from start to finish. I couldn’t find a gym near or hotel, anyhow. (I checked the moment we got to the hotel. How’s that for obsessed?)
I did get some exercise, however. Our primary mode of transportation was our feet, and we spent a lot of time walking around downtown San Francisco. (Which, as I’m sure you’re aware, is not flat.) I forgot to take my pedometer, but I’m certain I clocked between three and five miles per day.
Food was a challenge, too, but I did my best to stick to my plan. Body for Life calls for six small meals per day. Because of our schedule, I knew this wasn’t practical, so instead I adapted as best I could. I ate a small breakfast every morning, a small lunch, and then I had dinner with whomever we were meeting. I didn’t restrict my dinner portions, though I did try to make smart choices.
For example, on the first night, I had Ahi tuna and a plate of olives. On the second night, we didn’t order from a menu — we were served portion after portion of wonderful food at Kokkari Estiatorio, a fabulous Greek restaurant. On the third night, I again ordered fish. 
For our lunch at Chez Panisse, I had pork and asparagus. And for our final meal in San Francisco, I ventured into Himalayan food by ordering a chicken chickpea curry dish.
The food was delicious, and I felt good knowing that I wasn’t overindulging (I stopped eating when I was full) and that by planning ahead with my other meals, I could afford to eat a “normal” restaurant with my companions every evening.
The best part of the entire trip, however, was returning home to find that I weighed exactly the same as when I left: 196 pounds. If I’d had a big breakfast every day, and a big lunch, that would not have been the case.
I do wish I’d been able to exercise while on this trip, but on the whole I’m pleased with the results.
Mac
9 responses so far ↓
1 Kym // Apr 9, 2008 at 10:36 am
Great job of managing healthy choices while on a trip, JD! Just be sure you’re eating enough. I’m following the Body For Life program right now too, and I’ve found that by eating the fist-sized portion of carbs and protein for the 6 small meals as recommended, I’m actually cutting WAY too many calories, mostly because you can eat a bigger quantity of healthier foods. Your mentioning having small breakfasts and lunches made me think of that.
2 Andrew is getting fit // Apr 9, 2008 at 10:41 am
You did really well. I always struggle when I’m away from home.
3 Stephen // Apr 9, 2008 at 10:44 am
When I’m visiting another city, I like to go for a run there as my exercise. It’s a great way to sight-see very quickly. For example, when I was in London I ran along the Thames and saw all of the bridges, Cleopatra’s Needle, Big Ben and Parliament, etc in about an hour. It was fun.
In SF, you could take a BART train from downtown to the waterfront and go for a run. You’d have views of the Bay, Alcatraz, and the Golden Gate Bridge.
New York? Take a run through Central Park. The important thing is to build it in and make it part of your schedule.
4 Kelly // Apr 9, 2008 at 1:40 pm
Congrats on maintaining your weight over your trip! Don’t be too hard on yourself about not getting in any workouts or eating like you do at home. It was probably better to spend that time together with your wife in the different locale than it would have to hit the gym. And I bet you DID walk a ton; I always do on vacation!
5 Cynthia // Apr 9, 2008 at 4:27 pm
I think it’s tough to keep exactly on track while out of your normal environment/schedule so I think you did quite well!
I also suspect you walked a LOT in SF… been there, done that!
6 kdub // Apr 9, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I travel all the time for work and it is tough to stay on your program while you are on the road so kudos! A couple of tips - I always carry Clif bars , water, a piece of fruit and almonds in my bag so I’m not tempted to snack on unhealthy things.
For exercise, I always have my computer with me and I have netflix so I can do exercise videos from their Watch Now program any time I want. It’s a pretty cheap way to make sure I can work out in my hotel room in case they don’t have a gym (and yes, that’s the first thing I check too!). I also always pack a yoga strap and have a yoga DVD saved to my hard drive so I have that option too.
7 Brigid // Apr 10, 2008 at 5:26 am
Great job on the road! It’s always a challenge no matter who you are.
I’ll echo kdub’s suggestion. If you can bring food with you - that’s the best. Depending on the hotel - you can request a small fridge. Some will provide for free, others may charge a fee, but it’s generally not too much. Just ask when booking the reservation. Don’t ask when you get there. They only have so many to dole out. Better yet, see if you can find a hotel that has the fridge/microwave combo as standard issue. You can save half of your really large restuarant meal for breakfast or lunch the next day.
I’ll bring a few nutrition bars. I’ve also brought packets of Myoplex (or equivalent), a small hand mixer and my big plastic mixing cup. It all takes up very little space in the luggage and it’s easy enough to clean.
As for workouts - running’s always good if it’s safe. I’ve been to some places that weren’t good running grounds - bad neighborhoods and/or complete lack of sidewalks. In a pinch, I’ve run the emergency stairs in the hotel. For strength training, you can do almost any variety of sit-ups, push-ups and even tricep dips off a coffee table or chair in the room.
Heck I even did squats and when they weren’t tough enough, I threw my suitcase on my back for more weight. Trust me, you’re not obsessive:-)
8 greenman2001 // Apr 11, 2008 at 6:04 am
Why couldn’t you eat six meals a day? What stopped you from doing that exactly?
Walking six miles a day certainly falls outside the FFL program, but I don’t think it can be characterized as not getting any regular exercise. Flexibility is the key to living a sustainable, fit lifestyle: in fact, it might be the very essence of sustainability.
9 m // Apr 18, 2008 at 5:20 pm
JD,
I live just blocks from Chez Panisse, would have loved to have met you for a cup of coffee on this trip, could have taken you to my favorite local cafe (it’s Guerilla Cafe for anyone who’s wondering) AND a hike in the beautiful hills for burning off all delicious Bay Area cuisine. Next visit, I hope, you may have room in your schedule for a meetup?Glad you enjoyed our wonderful region and dining options–and didn’t gain an ounce either. Good job!
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