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Tips for Healthy and Productive Business Travel

Frequent business trips may bring you to far off places, but they’re definitely not vacations. Unlike time off, regular business travel accelerate aging, and increases the likelihood of suffering from a stroke, heart attack, and deep-vein thrombosis. It’s important that steps are taken to prevent this from happening to you. These conditions are very serious but frequent travel is only one of the causes of blood clot in lower extremities so you might want to look into it to see if any other parts of your lifestyle could be contributing to the issue.

In recent articles, Harvard Business Review not only highlighted the health risks of business travel, they also emphasized two approaches to that build endurance and maximize time on the road.

Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners and a former ski racer, suggests that business travelers approach their own trips like athletes, prepping ahead of time and supporting their health every step of the way. He draws contrast between histime traveling as a former athlete and the his routine as a business traveler:

As an athlete, my travel regimen started three to five days before my race trip. I made sure that I slept at least eight hours each night. I ate consciously, exercised moderately, and meditated religiously. I drank lots of water, but no alcohol.

But as a business traveler? Even before my trip starts, I lose sleep because I’m trying to finish work, prepare for meetings, and cross things off my to-do list before I get on the plane. And once I’m en route, I encounter unhealthy food everywhere…And when my energy lags or I start to feel stressed, I grab one (or five) cookies…It takes a severe toll on my body.

Instead of sinking into unhealthy routines so common on the road, embrace travel with the same rigor one would bring to a distant sporting event. Prepare with a lot of sleep, stop drinking after that first glass of wine, and make some time for relaxation. Make the most of your downtime by ensuring you have all your documents in place, especially your accommodation booking. If your business trip is in San Jose, you may want to stay at the Hotel Near SAP Center so you can make the most of your time away from your business meetings.

As a business traveler, you can still maintain your health and emphasize productivity. Dorie Clark recommends these short, productive activities for frequent travelers:

  • Listen to podcasts to engage in professional development
  • Make a series of short phone calls
  • On flights, focus on writing projects
  • Do some pleasure reading for “strategic renewal

As a business traveler, you can maximize your performance while maintaining both your well being and productivity.