Thriving on the Go with Work Fuel
Whether you’re on the road a lot, like our Productivity Ninjas, or you’re often running from one meeting to the next – skipping meals and grabbing food on the go often becomes the norm. Having said that, making poor choices on the road, is also often the main source of sabotage while we’re implementing the Work Fuel Way.
When we’re already hungry and stressed, we seek out the path of least resistance, a snack from a vending machine, a shop en route to the next appointment or a coffee-with-baguette grab. While this will fill a gap in the short term, it’s far from effective – you’ll find yourself feeling hungry again after a short amount of time and this is anything but Work Fuel.
You eat good food if you see, have and own it! Simple. It’s no surprise that sales of fruit and vegetables increase if they are placed at the till point. Practice Ninja preparedness and have the right food to hand. No matter whether that’s in the fridge at home, at your desk at work or in your bag if you’re on the run.
Be Prepared – Bring Portables
The portables are foods that are convenient to carry, durable and quick to pack. Here are some examples:
1) Vegetables & Fruit
Chop them up, pick up a bagged salad, a box of cherry tomatoes or pack of leftovers from last night’s dinner. Pick up a pack of berries, buy a bag of apples at the start of the week to keep in the car, or chop a few different fruits, add to a jar and pop in your bag.
2) Eggs
The ultimate fast food. Eggs are the ideal food to satisfy cravings and help you to feel mentally focused, while also providing plenty of other essential nutrients. Boiled eggs are an ideal snack to eat on the go along with some chopped vegetables like peppers, tomatoes or carrot sticks. Boil six eggs at a time – they keep for a week in the fridge unpeeled.
3) Greek Yogurt
Pop it in a jar and top with nuts and berries and bring from home, or just pack it separately, but ready to assemble. You can even buy to go, with a bag of nuts and a piece of fruit, and use the yogurt pot to eat from. A perfect airport snack.
4) Smoothies
These can be pre-made the day before, refrigerated and put in a heat-protective container to take with you. It’s not suitable for air travel hand luggage as it’s a liquid, however, a top tip if you have check-in luggage is to freeze the smoothie the night before, and store it in your luggage in the hold. By the time you arrive at your destination it’s a chilled, nutritious meal. One less thing to worry about on arrival.
Finally, perfection is the enemy of progress and you can’t be spot on every time, especially when on the road. But what you can do each time is do the best you can with the options available. Consistency beats intensity!
By Hannah Urbanek
Hannah is Think Productive UK’s Head of Marketing and the voice behind much of our global social media and editorial content. You can connect with Think Productive Australia directly here or with Matt Cowdroy, TP Australia founder, on LinkedIn.