Random schedule makes it hard. HELP!!!

C

Charlie Golf

0
ARGHH!!! I was doing SO well but I recently started a new job and my work schedule is random and hectic.

Here's an example from this week:

Sunday -- At work at 6:20 AM. I was sealed in an aluminum tube at 35,000' going 80% of the speed of sound until 9:30, had a 50 minute break, spent the next 2.5 hours in the air, followed by a 3 hour break and then 3 hours in the air. Got to a hotel at 8:30 PM.

Monday -- At work at 6:40 AM. FOUR hours in the air. 3 hour break. 2.5 hours in the air. At a hotel by 7 PM.

Tuesday (today) -- At work by 4:30 AM. Three hours in the air followed by a 1.5 hour break and then FIVE hours in the air. Just got to the hotel. I have about 11 hours here and then....

Wednesday -- At work at 11:30 PM. Four hours in the air. Should be home by about 7:30 AM.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday I am off and will be at home.

At work, my food options are stuff in an airport, hotel restaurant food, or restaurants (usually fast food) around the hotel. I try to make smart choices with what I have. I try to pack some stuff with me (non-perishable, non-refridg) but sometimes the US Customs & Border Patrol would frown on this if I tried to carry them (fruits, nuts, dairy) in/out of the country (I don't Big Brother :D). I try to carry protein powder packs to mix shakes and protein bars as well. At home I try to eat as good as I can.

At work, workout options usually are very crappy hotel "fitness centers" with just cardio stuff or very limited weight machines which are usually maintained poorly. On RARE occasion the hotel may have a deal with a full-service gym. I do carry a Bodylastics band set with me and running shoes. At home, of course I have the gym right next door so no problem there.

My sleep and eating schedules are all jacked up now. Up at 6 AM here, sometimes 3 AM there. Tonite I get "up" at 10 PM. Being locked in the airplane (in case you haven't figured it out, I am a pilot :p) I don't get the opportunity to eat anything that I haven't packed or uneaten meals from the passenger service (and you KNOW how good those are for ya'!). And it's really hard for me to eat every 3 hours or so even though I try.

My previous flying job was very predictable and easy to schedule at least the workouts around, but now I am low man on the totem pole. I'm getting very frustrated b/c I am starting to see a "negative" trend in my body and am starting to lose motivation.

SO....if this was you, what would YOU do? HELP!
 
Ooof. Yup, you got a challenge there.
But I see long breaks during the day, 3 hours here, 1.5 hours there...it sounds like you are going to have to try to workout during those breaks. Yeah, I've seen the hotel fitness centers, some aren't too bad. Some dumbbells, a few machines, it won't be perfect, but you can at least try to maintain. And then go to your local gym and do the heavy stuff there.

I used to travel a lot, and that's where diet suffers more than anything. Getting into the airport at midnight, then having to rent a car, then drive 30 minutes to the hotel, and you still haven't eaten. I don't have a great answer for you there....I think you almost had it with the peanuts and food like that. And airline food....wow...can you order a special? I used to do that all the time when I flew, order a vegeterian with exra milk or something.

Don't give up, it can be done, but you're going to have to be CREATIVE! Anyone else have any ideas?
 
You'll probably just have to take it for now. I don't know the policy on bringing your own nutrition, like p-shakes and whatnot, but if they don't allow it, what are you gonna do, quit?

I'd maintain...maybe experiment with some plyometrics...

You'll have time when you get your feet back on the ground, so to speak. Hee! Pun.
 
This is one of those things that I often refer to when I think about how life shifts up and you have to change your routine, sometimes on a regular basis. It's not just a matter of doing what you want, it's a matter of doing what you can--fitting it all in given imposed schedule and eating limitations. So you might have the motivation and drive (which is so hard for some people to get) but then you're stuck with the challenge of when, where, and how. It's hard!

When I was traveling frequently, it used to bug me that I had to shift things up all the time--I'd just get into doing what I could and in one particular way when I'd have to change it all again. Cardio presented the biggest challenge. That's when I took up running and it was an excellent thing for a lot of reasons; it's not good just for physical exercise but for clarity of mind as well.

Airports are usually good places for walking and walking fast. Maybe you could try that, incorporating arm and leg weights? I don't know about running indoors, so can you find stretches to run outside around the hotels? Hotel fitness centers are usually AWFUL although when I stayed in Texas, I was in a hotel that had a center that was better than my gym. :)

About eating--that's hard. Hotel and restaurant food cater to speed, so you're probably going to have to be creative about that. I don't have any hard advice about that because I'm not sure if your goals are to lose weight, maintain it, or bulk up. For me, it's maintenance so when I am out of my routine, I carry fruit and fruit leather, nuts (a variety), wraps with quality peanut butter (easy to pack, non-perishable), tuna, bottled water. There are some airports that have pretty reasonable salad sorts of places, but you might be have to pay lots for it.

I hope you can settle in on a routine that you look forward to. I guess you can look at it this way: with the variety, you won't get bored! Good luck!
 
IMO you should work out a fullbody routine using machines and freeweights,that way what ever the gym has you can alternate.
also doing a fullbody workout plus cardio means even if you can only get to the gym once at least you have worked everything.
and if as you said sometimes its 3 days together thats ok because then you will have 4 days to recover.
 
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