This week, I had the pleasure of sitting down and talking with my coach, mentor, and friend Paul Carcaterra. I have known Paul for the last 15 years, and I’ve tried to model Paul’s best qualities in my own life. He lives by his word. He treats his employees like they are family. And he tells it like it is, for better or worse. I have always looked up to Paul, and he is one of the greatest people I know.
In our conversation, I wanted to know how, while traveling for ESPN 100+ days a year, he stays in shape (Paul will be 45 this year).
Here are three tips from our conversation for surviving, and thriving, while traveling for work:
Pack Your Own Breakfast-Paul brings simple non perishable items with him while traveling for his breakfast. Easy items like oatmeal, RX bars, and fruit are always in his carry-on. Regardless of the hotel he is in, he always has one meal in his back pocket.
Enjoy Yourself, But Plank Ahead-Paul goes to some of the best eateries in the country, but before he does he plans ahead. If he is in Iowa, and he knows he is going to be crushing some of the country's best BBQ, he makes sure the rest of his diet is on point in the day (no slip ups). When he sits down to eat dinner, he enjoys himself. The next morning, it’s back to work.
40-45 Minutes Is All You Need For A Workout-When Paul first started traveling for work, he used to have fuckarounditis when it came to his workouts. He would hit some triceps, maybe take a jog on the treadmill, but he was in the gym loitering around for over an hour. These days, Paul has an intention of shocking his body and making 40 minutes in the gym a constant high intensity routine. Body weight movements, dumbbells, treadmills, you name it, he’s getting after it. If you aren’t going to give it your all, you might as well stay in your room and watch morning cartoons. As a bonus, Paul makes sure to workout first thing in the morning. There are no excuses to not workout when everyone else is sleeping. He also hates it when he has a workout hanging over his head for later in the day.
If you like these tips, give the rest of the podcast a listen by clicking the link below, or watching on the Floch Fitness Youtube channel. If you like the podcast, please consider subscribing! I put out a weekly podcast that gives insight and information on all things training, health, and nutrition.
Thanks!