On the move

Just ask any armchair expert and they will gleefully tell us that our travelling life is simply not good for us. This is usually because we are eating badly while on the run, permanently zonked out from crossing time zones, or, they will hint darkly, putting on too much weight from those business dinners spent entertaining clients in exotic locations. Some of their warnings will stem from downright jealousy that we are ‘enjoying the good life', but there is probably a hint of truth in what they say. The list of possible ailments grows longer with the more travel we do and lately I have been trying to do something about it.

Making myself feel better starts right at the beginning of the day. It is as simple as a glass of water to start things off. Sorry - I bet you thought I was going to suggest some carrot, celery, and herbal infused concoction to soar your spirits. But all the experts tell me that the best thing you can do when you get up is drink a glass of water. It is a lubricant for the organs and basically kick-starts them back to work. Then, with your ‘bits' all running, you can start to move around.

I have never been able to drag my bones out of bed and hoof it over to the hotel gym - usually because I am still adjusting to local time and am simply too tired. So instead of being one of these tiresome travellers who will bounce to the gym and heave weights, I have been advised to do a few gentle stretches.

Diligently stretching out the parts of the body that I am going to rely on in the hours ahead will work wonders. I asked one expert how to do this and she came up with a 10-minute workout plan that I can do in my hotel bedroom.

The idea is to stretch those parts of the body that will tighten up during the day when stress starts to take its toll. So concentrate on the neck, the shoulders and, crucially for me, the lower back. All of this is done either sitting on a stool, or pulling myself against the washbasin in the bathroom. And the best bit? It can be done in the privacy of your bedroom while you watch the morning news.

I hear some of you burst out laughing. "That's an old man's workout!", you shriek. "You should be heaving metal in the gym, not doing old woman's work in your room!" In an ideal world I would be in the gym, but I am just trying to do something instead of just rolling out of bed and into my clothes. Anything is better than nothing.

When it comes to eating, I try to remember the old rule: "rubbish in, rubbish out." What I eat is the fuel which will keep me moving for the next 18 hours. That doesn't mean I have to do without that delicious sugary thing at breakfast, but it does mean I have to ensure I eat properly.

I always make sure I eat breakfast. Even if it means getting up 15 minutes earlier to get downstairs and have a proper meal. It is lunch that I can usually miss on the way.

The biggest eating problem, I find, is the business dinner. It is usually heavy, usually late and usually I am obliged to "do the menu justice". There is no point in being taken to a five-star restaurant if all I eat is the consommé and a bit of light fish followed by an ice cream. (There have to be some perks to this job!)

So when eating the big dinner, I try to find something to do afterwards that will help me digest. If I am in a lovely seaside town or city with a great city centre, I will almost certainly promenade after dinner. A good stroll, perhaps with a fine cigar will help my digestion magnificently. There is nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with a bout of biliousness.

So, there are those travellers who are determined to be fit and ridiculously healthy (one of which I am not) and those of us who are trying to ensure that life-on-the-road doesn't mean coming home in a box. I would like to fall somewhere in between the two extremes.

See you in the gym.

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