Paleo Travel Food

Good morning fellow food enthusiasts! You may have noticed my stark absence and I assure you it has been well spent, doing things like resting, cooking, even cleaning (*gasp!*). Without even realizing it, I was stressed to the point that I no longer enjoyed a favorite past time of mine – cooking. Note: A tell-tell sign that something needs to go from your schedule is when you no longer enjoy favorite activities.

Did I notice this sign? Nope. And kept plowing through, sure to culminate in complete burn-out. Somewhere in the past month, however, I realized that the world would not end if I did not blog constantly. In fact, my anxiety reduced, my relationships improved, my satisfaction with all my different projects increased. My writing even improved by NOT writing so often. Paradox? At one point, I questioned my lifelong interest in certain areas and two weeks later I realized they are indeed lifelong passions of mine IF I cultivate them instead of non-dividend-returning pursuits.

I hope you love to learn about yourself and grow as much as I do. We’re all given opportunities, challenges, set-backs and it’s what we do with what we have that matters, not where we think we should end up.

Here’s an example. When I train clients through barbell lifts, we always start with a very light bar so they can learn the mechanics of the lift and how to move their body properly. Then we load the bar with some light weight so they can execute the movement with sound technique and train their muscles to move correctly in the future. Each week, we add a little bit of weight to increase the challenge of the lift and promote strength development. At first, clients zip through these lifts because they are not challenging. As we progress, the movement slows as they have to work for it. Eventually, the bar slows to a seeming halt as they struggle to cinch a lift. Some trainers would stop their clients here because it “looks” too hard and they are obviously struggling. I do not. As long as the bar is moving steadily upward, however slowly, progress is happening. Sure, they are struggling. Sure, it’s a challenge. But growth doesn’t come from the easy stuff.

If the bar path does halt, then I stop them, remove a bit of weight and return to the lift so they experience success. Next week, we add a bit less weight so we can continue making steady gains. At first, clients do not like “going down in weight”, but their confidence AND strength boosts when they are able to complete the lift and continue completing it every week. When they trust me as their coach with a “set-back” of going down in weight and look at it as an opportunity instead of a set-back, THEN they make continual progress because we are building a strong foundation for ultimate success.

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Eating quality foods and traveling do not clash. They are not a paradox and it is more than possible. Most people are frustrated because it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do while traveling. Like we discussed above, however, easy things do not produce real growth.

I’m leaving today for California for a conference. I’ll be in a hotel for 9 hours a day without access to my beloved kitchen. Oh no! I’ll have to eat gluten because nothing else is available and everyone else will look at me funny!

Not so fast, honey bunch! I don’t eat the way I do just for fat loss. In fact, I eat Paleo more for the way it makes me feel – alive, energetic, present, & vibrant! It’s not worth it to compromise, even for one cookie. Seriously.

So what’s in my arsenal for this trip? Three things and three things only:

1. Gluten Free Beef Jerky. My beautiful hubby was kind enough to stop at Costco and pick up some gluten-free, MSG free, preservative free beef jerky so I can have some quality protein.
2. Justin’s Nut Butter Maple Almond Butter. Yum. Enough said.
3. Intermittent Fasting. Wait. That’s not food. I know. Because my body is adapted to run off of fat, NOT sugar, I can skip meals without feeling terrible and like I want to die and blow up buildings and the world unless I get some food. In fact, I am able to concentrate, focus, and create better while fasting then while I’m full. My personal theory on that working while fasting focuses all resources on the brain instead of the huge deal of digestion.

Drop a comment below about your experiences eating Paleo while traveling.