no rules

I think it's crazy how I somehow consider myself exempt from most rules when I travel...well, at least all the healthy ones.  Travel makes me nutty. There may be slight differences between business and personal travel, since the former has someone else footing the bill, but for the sake of argument, let's lump them together.

For me, it starts almost the minute I'm out the door. When I arrive at the airport, all of a sudden I have to have a snack.  Nevermind that I probably ate before I left the house.  Who knows when I'll eat again? It's travel!  That snack has about a 25% chance of being healthy.  All of a sudden, those seem like good odds.

Next, there is the "mentos phenomenon".  For yet another inexplicable reason, I always buy peppermint, and only peppermint, mentos before I fly. I NEVER buy them at home. Ever.  Wouldn't even consider it.  I don't know why, but it's firmly ingrained as part of my pre-flight checklist.  Water? Check. Reading material? Check. Mentos? Check.  Ok, time to board the plane.

I also eat things on a plane I would typically never choose, or like.  Those who know me know I'm not a fan of cheese.  What did I order on a flight once? A cheese plate!  Eat a whole bag of chips at home? Rarely. On a plane? You bet!  Doesn't matter what the meal is, I'm eating it. Who knows when I'll eat again? It's travel!

At home, I love to workout - yoga, running, weights, you name it.  I enjoy it and it makes me feel good. When I'm in a hotel, hmmm, not so much.  I'm a little tired.  I shouldn't over do it.  Gotta take it easy...it's travel! 

However, the opposite applies to sleeping.  For no apparent reason, I find it impossible to go to bed at a reasonable hour in a hotel.  When I'm home I'm begging for sleep, but I'm far too busy. Just have to wrap up one more thing, then I'll sleep. At a hotel I've got nothin' going on, but do I sleep? Nope.  What the heck's wrong with me?  Rules out the window!

Of course, meals are all in restaurants, and I'm reasonable with ordering healthy there (again, inexplicable, given everything else I've said. I know), but who doesn't want to be just a little decadent and get dessert? I do! It's travel!  It's not like I eat like that every day...right?  Since I'm traveling more and more I really need to find a way to manage this...it's becoming an every day thing.  Out of control.

I reached my 'no rules' peak (or rock bottom, depending how you look at it) during the break at my training class today.  There were cookies and brownies.  My typical rule would be no cookie and no brownie at home at 3:00 on a regular day.  But it's not a regular day...it's travel!  Guess what I ate? A cookie AND a brownie.  No kidding. 

Going to hell in a handbasket, I tell ya...but hey, it's travel!