Hotel Chains Making Healthy Travel Easier

Good evening from scenic Cincinnati! As you all may remember, my travel schedule this May is absolutely insane! It looks a bit like this:

-Three days in South Bend

-Two days in Cincinnati

-Six days in Las Vegas

Are you traveling at all this month? Do you travel a lot for work? Well, spending 11 days out of town on travel in one month, means that I can’t look at each trip as a time of indulgence and fun. I have to find compromise and ensure that I keep to some sort of healthy schedule and routine.

Last weekend and today I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what each hotel has done to help travelers find a healthy balance. Last weekend I stayed at the Hilton Garden Hotel and was offered an awesome Stay Fit Kit. Their new slogan blends perfectly with healthy living:

When tomorrow’s a big day, get prepared with a great workout.

The kit was in a huge sling bag and included yoga blocks, an 8lb medicine ball, resistance band, 3lb hand weights, and a yoga mat. It also included some great workout cards including pilates moves and resistance training. I was able to enjoy this in room amenity two mornings while Bo was still peacefully snoozing. Have you ever seen a kit like this at a hotel? Did you take advantage of it? Was it free?

My second healthy hotel experience occurred tonight upon my arrival to the Westin. It was 9pm when I finally got settled in my hotel room. I was absolutely starving after a long day of work and 3 hours of travel. Unfortunately those Delta pretzels just don’t cut it! I quickly pulled out the room service menu hoping I could find at least a plain grilled chicken sandwich or simple salad. To my surprise, I was absolutely floored by the thorough menu which promised to

 

Feed the body, nourish the soul

The All-Day dining menu is six pages and includes superfood menu items. Their superfood menu items are items that contain the following ingredients as a primary ingredient:

Tomatoes, broccoli, onion, oats, soy, garlic, olive oil, yogurt, avocado, spinach, nuts, or salmon

There were 12 different Super Food menu items throughout the menu including appetizers, salads, main dishes, and even dessert items. I went with an appetizer and salad tonight as I didn’t want anything too heavy as it was already late.

Confetti of Field Greens: candied walnuts, beets, goat cheese, apples, and champagne vinaigrette on the side

Blog Pictures 2010 225 Blog Pictures 2010 224

This salad further reaffirmed my belief that any mixed green salad is improved when mixed with goat cheese and beets! I’ve been on a beet trip lately. What is your favorite salad ingredient?

Pan-Flashed Coastal Crab Cake and Griddled Tofu spicy orange chili sauce and spinach

Blog Pictures 2010 227

Blog Pictures 2010 228 

This dish was delicious though I wish the crab cakes weren’t quite so heavy. I only ate two of the crab cakes but loved the tofu and spinach. I would like to recreate this dish at home while reducing the sauce.

These two experiences have provided me with a renewed faith in healthy travel. For more healthy travel tips, check out this great article by Health.com.

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Hotel Chains Making Healthy Travel Easier

Good evening from scenic Cincinnati! As you all may remember, my travel schedule this May is absolutely insane! It looks a bit like this:
-Three days in South Bend
-Two days in Cincinnati
-Six days in Las Vegas
Are you traveling at all this month? Do you travel a lot for work? Well, spending 11 days out of town on travel in one month, means that I can’t look at each trip as a time of indulgence and fun. I have to find compromise and ensure that I keep to some sort of healthy schedule and routine.
Last weekend and today I’ve been pleasantly surprised by what each hotel has done to help travelers find a healthy balance. Last weekend I stayed at the Hilton Garden Hotel and was offered an awesome Stay Fit Kit. Their new slogan blends perfectly with healthy living:
When tomorrow’s a big day, get prepared with a great workout.
The kit was in a huge sling bag and included yoga blocks, an 8lb medicine ball, resistance band, 3lb hand weights, and a yoga mat. It also included some great workout cards including pilates moves and resistance training. I was able to enjoy this in room amenity two mornings while Bo was still peacefully snoozing. Have you ever seen a kit like this at a hotel? Did you take advantage of it? Was it free?
My second healthy hotel experience occurred tonight upon my arrival to the Westin. It was 9pm when I finally got settled in my hotel room. I was absolutely starving after a long day of work and 3 hours of travel. Unfortunately those Delta pretzels just don’t cut it! I quickly pulled out the room service menu hoping I could find at least a plain grilled chicken sandwich or simple salad. To my surprise, I was absolutely floored by the thorough menu which promised to

Feed the body, nourish the soul
The All-Day dining menu is six pages and includes superfood menu items. Their superfood menu items are items that contain the following ingredients as a primary ingredient:
Tomatoes, broccoli, onion, oats, soy, garlic, olive oil, yogurt, avocado, spinach, nuts, or salmon
There were 12 different Super Food menu items throughout the menu including appetizers, salads, main dishes, and even dessert items. I went with an appetizer and salad tonight as I didn’t want anything too heavy as it was already late.
Confetti of Field Greens: candied walnuts, beets, goat cheese, apples, and champagne vinaigrette on the side
Blog Pictures 2010 225 Blog Pictures 2010 224
This salad further reaffirmed my belief that any mixed green salad is improved when mixed with goat cheese and beets! I’ve been on a beet trip lately. What is your favorite salad ingredient?
Pan-Flashed Coastal Crab Cake and Griddled Tofu spicy orange chili sauce and spinach
Blog Pictures 2010 227
Blog Pictures 2010 228 
This dish was delicious though I wish the crab cakes weren’t quite so heavy. I only ate two of the crab cakes but loved the tofu and spinach. I would like to recreate this dish at home while reducing the sauce.
These two experiences have provided me with a renewed faith in healthy travel. For more healthy travel tips, check out this great article by Health.com.

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Going to the Big D Dallas

By the time most of you guys are reading this post, I’ll be safe and sound in Dallas, Texas.
 
I have an insanely early flight out of Newark tomorrow morning and still have to finish packing. My trip to Dallas is 100% work related but there are a few highlights:
-80 degree weather and a hotel with a pool means that I’ll hopefully be conducting conference calls poolside at least a few hours
-shopping at Nordstrom 
-getting to work with a few co-workers who I rarely see but speak to via email or phone daily
-my own delightful queen size Heavenly bed at the Westin
 
As some of you know, my job is in the fragrance industry and therefore a portion of this trip will be spent conducting store walks with my team to see what retailers and our competition is doing in store. This means that i’ll be on my feet for at least 8 hours each day. How I wish i’d already purchased these gems to wear all day!
 
I absolutely love Cole Haan’s Nike line and unfortunately ruined my only pair on NYE during my epic walk home in the snow. Oh well!
My packed bag does include a few great items perfect for a week long business trip:
Yoga Tune Up balls for some in room muscle therapy 
-iPod filled with a new playlist and some workout podcasts I downloaded today including 2 Physique 57 podcasts
-workout clothes Per Meghann’s suggestion, i’m going to use the hotel gym to focus on speed and strength this week versus endurance. My goal is 2 days of speed workouts and one day of hills on the treadmill and then arm/abs each day. Luckily Westin Hotels are known for their Reebok gyms!
-Crest White Strips All the questions regarding tooth whitening has made me realize that it has been a while since I focused on my own pearly whites. With Meg’s wedding coming up it seems like the perfect time to start a whitening routine again especially since I know i’ll have some down time in the late evening
-Kindle: Bo and I are both obsessed with our Kindles and use them each day on the subway commute to catch up on news and books. I just finished my last book and would love recommendations. What is your favorite running book and what is your favorite fiction book that you’ve read lately?
 
Congratulations to Ashley for winning my Pearly Whites giveaway. Please email me your mailing address and i’ll mail the loot when I return from Dallas.
 
 
 


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