Written By Jessica Marsh
the 3 key tenets to successfully staying on plan and driving progress while traveling
If one of those things you plan on doing on vacation is training (it always is for us), then make sure to scale your training to match your subjective energy and fatigue levels that day AND the week (this might be a good time to use lower volume so you can still train but wont beat yourself up). How nutrition, sleep and stress has been drives that decision making. It still won’t count as a deload because of all the other fatigue so you might still need a legit deload when you get back.
If you’re traveling for bodybuilding reasons (show prep, etc), then proper training, food and sleep, comes first. Readjust your days so you account for the inherent fatigue involved in travel. You’ll likely need to dial back slightly because things stil won't be 100%.
When you come back if you did beat yourself up on vacation (late nights, food deviations, hard training, etc) give yourself a short reset. This might be a deload from training, day off from work, etc to recalibrate. Getting back on plan with nutrition asap here is key.
Make sure to prioritize sleep. Yes, time zone changes, new bed, the fight or flight response of being in a new place etc, all make it harder to sleep. Fatigue management is not just managing WHAT you do, but how you are RECOVERING from what you do. You must sleep if you want to manage your fatigue while traveling.
Traveling is tiring. Build up your fatigue tolerance by staying on plan with food, managing activity/training, and prioritizing sleep. Don't put yourself in a recovery hole then just resume your stressful days in a hole you can't dig yourself out of.
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consistency in the chaos.
A core tenet of JackedNLeen Coaching is the idea of ‘Consistency in the Chaos.’ While this may seem similar to ‘Adapt and Overcome,’ the message here is a little different: there is some inherent variability in traveling so adaptability is key. If you know the things that drive good energy, provide mental, physical, and emotional stability, why would you not do everything you could to maintain that to regulate your environment and reduce the variability and need for adaptability? That is where the concept of consistency in the chaos comes in. Adapting is adjusting components of your plan to maintain as close to a homeostatic state as possible. Consistency in the chaos is actually riding that homeostatic line when things are happening during your day.
Your plan is home base for all of that. A highly underrated component of enjoying your vacation and coming back rested and rejuvenated is not to run yourself into the ground! If you feel like junk, was that really a “vacation?” I'm not saying you shouldn't have any fun, but that again also depends on your goals and phase of training.
Let's say you’re on vacation in an unfamiliar area. You are in the car and are hungry and maybe even have 2 screaming kids in the back. You were up late the night before at the pool bar and haven't slept and now you have to adapt and find something to eat. Your tired and wired brain chooses Taco Bell because it's easy and close. You eat it, but then experience the self loathing (and probably explosive) after effects. You spend the rest of your day sleeping and shitting, and now have ruined your vacation AND are right back to your stressful day when you get home.
NOW, imagine you were more emotionally and physically regulated and mentally clear because you knew there was a chance of chaos the next day. So you got your sleep, ate your prepped meals and are now driving around and have to find a place to eat. But now you have the mental wherewithal to find a local Protein House and eat something macro and gut friendly. Your body is happy, your stomach is happy and you enjoy the rest of the vacation and go back home feeling refreshed all because you were able to maintain consistency in the chaos.
Whether you're traveling alone to a new place, or a familiar place with young children (Or combine the two and you have true CHAOS), you need to regulate what you can so that you are better able to ADAPT when needed. Maintain consistency in the chaos.
Conclusion
Traveling can take a toll on you, mentally, physically and emotionally. That is just an inherent risk when traveling. If you want to enjoy your trip to the fullest (or make it as productive as possible if it’s for business), you need to adhere to the 3 main tenets of training while traveling:
Adaptability is key
Manage fatigue
Consistency in the chaos
All of these feed each other. If you are adaptable, you can manage fatigue and stay internally regulated while in the chaos. By managing fatigue, you are more adaptable and regulated so you can handle situations that are thrown at you better. If you are regulated because you have managed your internal state, you can better adapt when needed and manage your overall fatigue response.
Don’t use travel as an excuse to get off plan.