Most people lose a work trip before they even leave home. I win it at my desk, days before. Here is the whole system.
They pack in a rush the night before, throw in a pair of trainers they won’t use, and plan to “figure out food and training when I get there.” They never do. The city wins. I set the trip up in advance, so staying fit is the easy default instead of a daily fight.
I check the gym before I book
The hotel gym is guilty until proven innocent. I use Google Images to see what it actually looks like, not the hotel’s own marketing photos. If I’m still not sure, I call reception and ask them to walk over and send me a short video. Ten minutes of effort saves a ruined first morning.
I prefer hotels with a genuinely good gym, and I keep a running list of them across Asia. Follow along, or ask, and I’ll share it.
If the hotel gym is no good, I find a real one nearby
I look for a commercial gym that sells day passes and opens by 6am. Both of those together are surprisingly rare in Asia, so this takes some digging. I keep a list of these too, city by city. Only if there is genuinely no gym do I fall back on my travel gear, and that setup deserves its own piece, so I’ll cover exactly what I bring and how I use it another time.
I bring my own food. All of it
This is the one most people get wrong. I don’t gamble on finding healthy food when I land. I pack it: instant oatmeal, peanuts, protein powder, dried beef, protein bars, my supplements, good coffee, and lemon shots. Some cities make it easy to eat clean. Most don’t. So I carry my defaults with me and never leave breakfast or a snack to chance. I’ll share the exact packing list in a future piece.
I plan the schedule day by day, and protect my recovery
Before I fly, I map each day. Then I block certain evenings as unavailable for dinners. That is my recovery time: an early night, real sleep, maybe a light session. I guard it like a meeting, because it’s the meeting that keeps everything else working.
The point
None of this takes long. Fifteen minutes at your desk, while you’re clear-headed, beats relying on willpower at 5am in a strange city. Decide once, at home. Bring your defaults with you. The city stops being a threat.
This is the setup. In the pieces ahead I’ll go deeper: the exact packing list, the gym lists city by city, and my morning and evening routines on the road.
Want those lists as they come? Follow along, or get them in The Edge, one good thing to do, take, or buy each week, made for a busy life in Asia.
— The Founder, MOTIONE