#BEATTHEBELLY Daily Tip: Avoid Weight Gain on the Road

Something I always look at with men who want to lose weight is backup planning for situations in which the good intentions fall down.

You might have the best diet in the world at home with the support of your partner and family. Your daily routine might be fantastically healthy including cycling to work, eating healthy snacks, 5 a day and drinking plenty of water, going to the gym on the way home and eating a healthy dinner.

However when men hit the road this lifestyle plan is sucked out of the window on take-off.

Why is travel so hard and how can we rein in this area of our lifestyle?

Many of us travel for work, some for leisure. How can we maintain a good lifestyle in this complex challenging and fluid arena?

There are so many threats to your usual lifestyle when on the road - your timetable will change, your timezone may alter, your sleep habits may be affected, you need to be productive and alert while travelling, boredom and stress kick in when on the road and guess what - we reach for the nearest junk food because it is convenient, available and there is no organic farmers market stall sitting in the departure lounge or motorway service station!

How can we plan to succeed in this area?

This is about battle planning, pre-decicions and identifying key points when your resolve will be compromised by an unconscious removal of the normal decision process of choosing the healthier option.

For example, Ollie my assistant will tell you that I made a resolve to stop eating sweets in the car when travelling back from the Gathering conference where I launched #BEATTHEBELLY.

What he might not say was that I actually made and broke the resolve in a matter of minutes, when I found a family bag of wine gums in the side pocket of the car as we transfered vehicles and headed for home. Instantly I knew I could not resist, as my habit has been to eat sweets when on the road -somehow I had made a deal with myself many years ago sweets when driving was ok-actually when I think back this long journey scenario was one of the few times my parents GAVE us sweets.

So for this scenario I need a plan to slake my boredom appetite and something more healthy to nibble on e.g. raisins.
I also should take more time over the journey, have regular fluids and consequent toilet stops, but this means taking longer to arrive which I find frustrating.

I would generally avoid eating sugar free sweets on the road as these can increase urinary frequency and give diarrhoea; even chewing gum for long periods can be harmful as it overstimulates gastric acid production; however if you do eat on the road chew sugar free gum for 5 minutes afterwards to reduce dental decay.

When you stop at the services its tempting to get a KFC, Mc Donalds or Burger king as these are the only food on offer. More recently waitrose and Marks and Spencer have moved into these commercial areas and can often offer fresh juice, fruit, salads and healthier alternatives such as nuts to nibble on - head for these services and find out which have the better food - its about the same cost as junk food but a healthy swap without the coke and pop.

Lastly I have recently taken up running so that I can get a quick workout wherever I am - i just need my trainers and my iphone to plan a route. Its better than trying to find a gym and its cheaper and more flexible. Try to run on verges or grass rather than hard surfaces like road - your knees will last longer.

Check here for more tips on keeping healthy weight on the road from Menshealth Magazine.

Dr Ben Sinclair Sinclair Health Limited 07403110640 https://www.optimiseclinic.co.uk Twitter: @menshealthtips Linked In: http://ow.ly/5iykm