From Plane to Playground: How Road Warrior Dads Can Have the Energy for it All

I’m still evolving on how to be the best dad I can with all the demands I had before our toddling bundle of joy. Being a traveling dad — I’m away from home frequently — has forced me to tailor my energy management skills to best accomplish my dual roles as dad and executive. We optimize our energy in four dimensions: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. I don’t want to get burned out on the road and return to the people who mean the most to me disengaged and exhausted, so I make sure I’m giving attention to all four dimensions. It starts with my mission and is backed up by my action plan.

When I work with executives through our Corporate Athlete^® program, one of our first questions relates to the spiritual dimension: “What is your ultimate mission?” It’s a statement of whom or what matters most to you and serves as a road map for where you’re going. If you’re in a car and don’t know your destination or how to get there, the trip is not only frustrating, but you might never arrive. Your ultimate mission distills in a few sentences your purpose in life. In a nutshell, my mission is to be the best father, spouse and employee that I can be, and make an impact on the energy levels of a vast number of people by motivating them to be physically active.

I tackle my work travel in three phases: Phase One is recalling my purpose and reminding myself why I do what I do. Traveling for work is part of my job description; I don’t always love it, but it’s central to my mission. Phase Two is “facing the truth,” or what I perceive and what’s reality. It’s easier to work out and eat healthfully when I’m home, and traveling puts a wrench in that. Here are my options: I can throw up my hands and be a victim of circumstance by thinking, “Travel makes me eat poorly, not work out and feel horrible.” Or, consider the realities — what I can control — and make a plan about eating and exercising as well as using my free time wisely. That leads me to Phase Three, the action plan that targets my physical, emotional and mental dimensions.

The physical dimension includes my nutrition and exercise plan. I’ve been in many airports, so I know I can bypass the enormous cinnamon rolls for low-glycemic snacks, or I pack my own. At conferences and speaking engagements I can arrange vegetarian meals in advance, and I know I feel better when I reach for yogurt instead of a Danish in the green room. Given my work and ultimate mission, physical activity is a linchpin, but I still need to plan to do it. If I’m going to be traveling during the week, I schedule weekend workouts when I have more flexibility. This builds up “exercise credit,” and the days away can serve as recovery. Not to say that I completely take the week off from workouts, but something is better than nothing even if the hotel gym is small and sparse. I pack my resistance band and have my Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App, so even if I get in one seven-minute circuit, it counts. Depending on my schedule, I like to get away from the hotel and decompress from meetings by checking out some local sites or parks, either on a run or a walk. The point is, I know I need to move or else I’ll get back on the plane feeling lousy, and I don’t want to arrive home drained and irritable.

I find business travel a drag just as much as the next road warrior, so I find ways to remind myself why I’m doing it. Being on the road is actually a good time to reconnect with positive emotions. My wife and I take hundreds of photos with our smartphones, but I rarely take the time to flip through them. When I’m on the plane or before I go to bed, I look through the most recent ones. Since being at a hotel means I’m not at my second shift at home, I call or email relatives and friends to connect emotionally with the people whom I value.

Mentally, I need to switch off from thinking about work and give my mind some active recovery. The British in me loves Formula One, particularly when one of our guys is racing, and catching up on the sport provides a mental break when I’m traveling. Even more of a mental recovery comes when I put on my headphones and de-clutter my brain. I might not have physical space sitting on a plane, but it gives me mental space for uninterrupted thought. I take this time to solve problems internally and for personal reflection. I might have cramped legs when I debark from a flight, but mentally I can be refreshed.

I really do practice what I preach to corporate athletes about paying attention to all four dimensions, mostly because I know well the benefits they reap. When I come home, I want to be laser-focused on my wife and son, who are the most important sources of my motivation, and not be distracted by those things that don’t warrant my energy. Having a baby really does change everything, including my ultimate purpose. It’s updated to include being the most engaged and focused dad I can be, and I know I’m going to need my best energy to complete that mission.

Consider these energy-boosting snacks while you’re on the road:

— Low-fat yogurt

— Milk (1 percent or skim)

— Mozzarella cheese stick

— Apple

— Pear

— Dried apricots

— Hard-boiled egg

— Nuts: peanuts, almonds, walnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios

— Seeds: sunflower, pumpkin

— Trail mix with nuts and seeds

— Banana and peanut butter