Lessons from the road.

As you know, last week I was at a conference (My first since being diagnosed with Diabetes).  Before that, I stayed with my Dad for a few days.  There are several lessons I learned on this trip that are not only Diabetes related, but also just "being healthy" related.  Here they are.

1. Pack food if you can - I packed a cooler to take to my Dad's so I'd have choices.  Best decision ever!  It made eating at his house for lunch and snacks very easy for me.  I had fresh veggies, fruits, meat and my favorite lower carb bread.  Plus cheese and turkey sausage.
2. Planning ahead to get up early doesn't work for me - So, I'm very aware that when I don't get enough sleep, my sugar is higher in the morning.  I thought I'd be smart and take time a few days before the conference to get on an early morning schedule.  Well, the first night I only got 5 hours of sleep.  Not enough to keep the sugar at my norm.  However, it did help me adjust to getting up early and I was good for the next couple days.
   
   Then the back fire.  I couldn't sleep the first night of the conference (too excited and too many things running through my head...could not shut it off!).  I only got 4 hours of sleep that night...ugh!  Another higher than usual morning.  So that was two high mornings.  Next time, I'm not preparing.  I'm just going to get there and sleep when I can.  Take one high morning, instead of two.
   
3. I have to take more down time AFTER the trip.  I've been tired all week, which hasn't helped my numbers much because I don't really want to exercise.  I figured I'd bounce back fast if I took time out in advance.  Nope!!  I don't work that way.  From now on, I'll back load my trip with time off.  It's Wednesday and I'm still tired...so I think I need a week off AFTER my trips and I need to work right up until the trip.  I'll try that next time.   For now, I'm giving myself some space to recoup, but this weekend...I'm back to moving again.
   
4. Eating at white table cloth restaurants means lots of tasty veggie options.  When Hubby and I eat out around home, we usually go to the bar & grill or buffet style places.  While I can find things to eat, there are usually only one or two dishes that I make work for me.  When I was visiting my Dad, we went out to nice white table cloth style restaurants, which was a nice treat.  There were always plenty of tasty veggie options, plus lots of low carb dinner options.  In fact, (dare I say), at times it was hard to find enough carbs!  Must raise my level of income so I can do that more often.  SO much easier to eat out that way.
   
5. When the conference is full of Gluten Free and Vegan people, there is plenty of healthy food to eat.  I never went hungry and there were always plenty of choices for me at the buffet line during meals.  It was very easy for me to eat.  I didn't even need my leftover snacks from Dad's house. 

Again, planning ahead works when it comes to the food.  Obviously, when it comes to sleep, I don't do so well on planning ahead for that.  I live, I learn and I change it up next time.  That's how I find what works.  What about you?  How do you find what works?