Monthly Archives: June 2015

Diet, Fitness, RoadWarrior, Spirit, Travel

My Top 5 Conference Survival Tips

Leave a comment

As a part of my ‘real life’, I participate in the occasional conference.

Actually, I live in conference hotels from mid-June through the end of August.  

Over the course of the next 3 months I will attend, participate on the exhibitor floor, be a part of the host organization and/or speak at at least a half a dozen conferences.  In fact I will be packing tonight to join 9000 other people from the apartment industry for the annual National Apartment Association Education Conference in Las Vegas.  This season is a brutal but very necessary season for my industry and through experience over the last few years, I have developed a strategy to make the most of both the conference material and my health while I am on the conference circuit.  Here are my conference rules to live by:

Tip #1: Plan ahead:

I cannot over emphasize this one enough; Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail.  If your plan is showing up at the conference and getting a workout in ‘whenever there is time’……not going to happen.  How would that play out if your planned on getting together with your clients ‘whenever there is time’?  It wouldn’t.

Plan your day and block out your workout time.  How much time do you need?  Where is the gym?  Is the conference so far away from your room that you will be walking 20,000 steps each day anyways?  As I look at my calendar for this upcoming week, I know I have to get my workouts in in the morning or they are simply not going to happen, my afternoons are filled with appointments and evenings with industry events.  For me it means running the strip early (which I am huge fan of anyways so bonus) and hitting the weight room in the early evening before dinner to accomplish Tip #3.

Tip #2: Stay hydrated:

You know you should normally be drinking 8 glasses of water a day.  Well if you are going to be in a desert, walking more than you normally do and potentially imbibing on an alcoholic drink or two in the evening, I am going to recommend you up your water intake from the standard 8 glasses.  Trust me, you will thank me when you are waking up on days 2 & 3 of the conference.  Now this is where planning comes in again.  I find that it is a very rare thing to find a conference center that keeps the water pitchers/bottles full throughout the conference.

                SO BRING YOUR OWN!!

You may not always be able to find a nice chilled bottle of FIJI but you can usually find a water fountain to fill up your own bottle.  And if you are anything like me, you find an empty water bottle strangely motivational..

Tip #3: Recharge:

This will look different for each of us but I find I need a point in my day to recharge more than just my phone.  For me, it is time in the gym.   I can get my head on straight and work all the kinks out that I am feeling from standing all day.  For others it is a power nap in the room.  Others it is 15 minutes in the sun out by the pool or on the deck.  Whatever it is that recharges and helps your re-center your mindset, make sure you have time built in each day to accomplish it.

Tip #4: Eat well & Eat often:

Make sure you take the time to eat like you should.  Do not sacrifice the quality of your diet because you need to rush somewhere.  Stop by the store on the way to the hotel and grab some snacks for the room (don’t get me started on the mini-bar options for $10 bucks each).  Put a bar in your purse.  Throw an apple in your bag for later in the day.  Your body needs fuel to thrive vs. survive.  Give it what it needs.

                Bonus Tip:  Most hotels that host conferences have pretty good gyms, gyms where they actual stock fruit for the taking.   

Tip #5: Have fun:

I just added this one to the list this year.  I usually enjoy myself at these conferences but this year I am being intentional about it.  I am on a mission to create a hash tag for the event that helps a charity special to me by making a fool of myself.  You can learn all about that effort by clicking #snowleopardpants.  As a byproduct, I will get to meet a whole bunch of folks who I haven’t prior, reconnect with a lot who are friends as well as clients and spread the word about a great charity……all while laughing at myself.

So even if you are already on the ground in Sin City – these are little things you can do to set yourself up for a great time without feeling too much wear and tear.

Time for me to go pack and here is hoping to see you on the road.

Spirit

The #SnowLeopardPants are coming to #NAAeduconf!!!

2 Comments

I am nothing if not willing to make a fool of myself for a cause and this cause is particularly close to me.

About 4 years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Kelly Thomas and her family.  Kelly is a phenomenal woman who has worked in the apartment industry for longer than she probably wants to admit but as capable as she is, this story is not about her abilities to deliver value through Real Estate.  This is a story about doing good amidst unfathomably difficult circumstances.  I won’t waste time giving you all the details but in the course of about 12 months, Kelly’s daughter was diagnosed with Leukemia and Kelly was diagnosed with Breast Cancer.  How did she react?

KellyandFam2013-2014-300x300

BY STARTING A NON-PROFIT HELPING OTHERS FIGHT THE FIGHT!!!

You can read her whole story here (I highly recommend it).

This week Kelly goes in for her first reconstruction surgery.  While we are enjoying the sand between our toes and a cool drink in our hands, she will be recovering from major surgery – a memory I still have deeply embedded in my memory from my wife’s own process.  We need to do something to bring Kelly a little joy and laughter while she is recovering.

So here is your chance to help with the cause.  At the Thursday night industry party at Mandalay Bay Beach Resort, I will be sporting the Snow Leopard Pants, a Love Is Louder t-shirt and glasses worthy of Elvis himself.  I will be taking pictures with any and all willing to pony up any level of donation to Love is Louder Than Cancer (LILTC.org).  All I ask is 3 things:

  • You make a donation of any denomination
  • You share your good will and picture on social media
  • You tag the pic with you and me and share the link for LILTC.org (if you want to use the #snowleopardpants and #roadwarriorfit – that would be awesome too)

Of course the more buzz I can create around this effort, the better so remember, caring is sharing when it comes to this post!!

SNL2

Looking forward to seeing you all at NAA….I will be the one in the Snow Leopard Pants!!

Diet, Family, Fitness, RoadWarrior, Uncategorized

The ‘Dad Bod’ Myth

Leave a comment

“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world that he didn’t exist” – Keyser Soze – The Usual Suspects

So lately there has been a lot of chatter around the ‘Dad Bod’ and how it is actually more attractive than a lean physique.  This all started from a Blog post (the pesky bloggers ;-} ) by a student at Clemson University, Mackenzie Pearson, who was commenting on the interests of her roommate when it came to the male physique.  To give credit where credit is due, you can read her post here.  Since this was posted back in March of 2015, I have seen it covered by MSN, The Today Show, Health, GQ, ABC, CBS and CNN.   Ms. Pearson should give a clinic on how to pick a topic to go viral.

But Seriously??  This is a thing?!?!?

Pearson defines the Dad Bod as a ‘nice balance between a beer gut and working out’ – I call it a medical tragedy waiting to happen.

AAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!

Where do I even begin?   It is especially troubling to me that the men she is describing in the blog are not even dads.  They are young men who should be in their prime.  I can confidently say that the majority of the people that I see on my Facebook feed look considerable different now than they did in high school/college.  I know I do.  They call it your physical prime for a reason.

Dear Frat Boy – Your ‘Dad Bod’ is trying to kill you!!  Literally.

Now I am not at a single % body fat, I enjoy my wine and beer but I also know that I cannot allow myself to have any excuse to carry extra weight around, especially around my mid-section.  You see, that fat that is around your middle is known as Visceral Fat – and it is the most dangerous to carry around with you.  It actually directly increases your chance at developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke and even sleep apnea.  How?  According to WebMD, here’s how:

  • Abdominal fat breaks down easily into fatty acids that are processed by the Liver and your muscles. Neither of which likes the material it is breaking down.
  • When the liver breaks down the fatty acids, your LDL levels (the bad Cholesterol) spikes.
  • When your LDL levels spike, insulin becomes less effective – causing blood sugar levels to spike (read: increased chance of developing diabetes)
  • Hormones released during the processing of the fatty acids also create constriction of the vasculature system – leading to heart disease and potentially stroke.
  • Even the sheer weight and volume of the fat can push against your diaphragm and result in difficulty breathing and if severe enough, sleep apnea.

Now ladies, I have a specific message for all of you.  Do not let us get away with this excuse for not taking care of ourselves.  This is not about getting to the point where we will be staring in the next installment of Magic Mike but we should want to be around for as long as possible.  Besides, who said all dads were soft and pudgy?  Last I checked, Hugh Jackman, Jean Claude Van Damme, Chuck Norris, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Craig, Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Gossling and even Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson are all dads.  If we are talking about their examples of ‘Dad Bod’ – then I am all in.

I think my sister in law put it best “This is just an excuse for Frat Boys to party on the weekends”

Happy Father’s Day and I will see you on the road!!

Family, My Favorite Things, Product Reviews, Spirit

Snow Leopard Pants – a must have for the fashion forward Road Warrior

2 Comments

By  now I am sure you are wondering “Has Andrew lost his mind?”

No, I am not switching my focus from fitness on the road to fashion (Dear God how bad would I be at that!?!?) but I do have to tell you about the saga that has become ‘The Snow Leopard Pants’.

A few weeks ago while in Reagan International Airport, I saw pretty much the most hideous pants I have ever seen.  They were so bad that I was among SEVERAL travelers who felt it necessary to take a picture of said pants.  All I could comment about them was:

SNL3

Little did I know how true that statement was.  You see, as soon as I posted them to my Instagram (road_warrior_fit) my wife went on a crusade to find a pair.  She canvassed social media looking anyone who knew where you could acquire these pants.  It took one of her friends a whopping 5 minutes to find them, and in my size too.  Evidently there is an app for that.  So I am now the proud owner of my very own snow leopard pants!!

Well since this all played out on social media, what followed the acquisition of these pants was a public outcry for the debut of the pants.  People did not want to just see them, they wanted to see them on me and in public.  Well there was only one way I was going to let that happen

DATE NIGHT!!!!!

If I was going to be seen in public with these pants on, it was going to be right by her side.  So a date was set for the debut of the Snow Leopard Pants, sushi and Pitch Perfect 2 was on the agenda.

SNL 1

Now as I mentioned, it takes a special kind of confidence to wear pants like these.  The kind of confidence that only comes by becoming part of the joke.  So I went into costume planning mode.  Please notice the choice of the word costume.  This was not an outfit, this was a costume.  So I grabbed my Star Wars shoes (yes, I actually do own a pair), the Jersey Shore sunglasses and the one size too small Chewbacca t-shirt from my son.  If was going out in those pants, it was going to be epic.

image

I thought I would be the laughing stock of my town but it turned out that if you laugh first, others tend to laugh with you instead of at you.

And my wife and I had a blast…….. because of the pants.

We were actively scanning for those who were noticing us (Ok, me.  Ok, my pants) AND THERE WERE PLENTY!!

The #SnowLeopardPants hash tag was born.

People were actively looking to join us out and about to see the pants in person.

I was getting stopped by folks to talk about the pants.  The local high schoolers actually liked them, took pictures with them and tweeted them out.  The legend of the #SnowLeopardPants was born.

SNL2

The best part was my wife and I did not stop laughing the entire night.  It was the most fun we have had in a very long time……and we have fun together.  For that reason alone, I highly recommend snow leopard pants for all Road Warriors.  I keep myself in shape for nights like this.  I wasn’t conscious of any body issue (and I have a few) or anything else except the ridiculous outfit and the attention it was getting.  It was a therapeutic night for us both.

image

It was a great reminder to slow down and notice what is around you.  I work hard when I am on the road so I can ease up a bit when I am home but if I hadn’t of slowed down and pulled my head out of my iPhone that evening at DCA, we would not have had such a wonderful evening and the legend of the #SnowLeopardPants would have never been born.

Since that night, as I run into people around town, the topic of the #SnowLeopardPants continues to come up.  People loved seeing the saga unfold on social media.  Evidently we were a trending topic among the 40-something parental set of North Texas.  The other bonus was that anyone who actually clicked on the link to see the pants from Neiman Marcus have continued to see them come up in their Google and Facebook ads because evidently Neiman Marcus pays a lot for Facebook ads.  If you would like to experience the gift that keeps on giving or to purchase your own Snow Leopard Pants, just click below and watch fun start.

So work hard but slow down and enjoy the world around you and maybe you will see me on the road.  I’ll be the one in the Snow Leopard Pants.