We went on a little trip to see some family and I discovered first hand what it means to fail with preparation.
Don’t get me wrong, we had a ton of healthy snacks packed!
Fruit. Granola bars. Mixed nuts. Some meat/cheese snack packs.
Those were all fine and dandy until it came time to eat lunch. Fail..
As the great Benjamin Franklin (and many others) said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”
Of course we stopped at a fast-food joint, grabbed some items off the dollar menu, then proceeded to stuff it down our throats.
This is when the regret (aka upset stomach) started to set in!
It wasn’t until that point where I told Erica, “We should have gotten a salad instead.”
The best part about failure is being able to learn from those situations.
If we continue to commit the same mistakes over and over again, we will continue to have the same results we’ve always gotten.
PREPARATION is key.
Even when you arrive at your destination, you aren’t necessarily out of the gauntlet! If you get out of your daily routine because the environment you travel to isn’t as structured as your own, you have to make plans to make it more like your own.
So here are a few steps to consider when traveling:
- Grocery shop- I found my favorite grocery store and stocked up on salads, more bars (I love Oatmega bars), freshly ground almond butter, and various fruits and veggies.
- Search for good proteins and decent carbs at a gas station (if that’s the only place around)
- Get menus from local restaurants you may visit so you can decide what you’ll order in advance
Remember, each day is in fact a NEW DAY.
If you don’t stick to your plans for one meal or maybe even an entire day, don’t beat yourself up over it.
Move on.
Make plans to get better the following meal or day.
Aim for progress, not perfection. If you aim for perfection, you will come up short every single time.
For a more detailed description of how to eat while traveling, check out this infographic from my favorite source for quality nutrition info, Precision Nutrition.