Finding the time and energy to work out on a normal day is tough, but then you throw a business trip into the mix and all hopes of working out go out the window. Does this sound familiar:

You’re making great progress with getting fit and strong, getting to the gym a few days each week and pushing yourself. But then business trips keep popping up, even a few times in a month! Business trips mean early mornings, late nights, full days of meetings, and a schedule that you have little control over. Work-life balance gets skewed, you fall off the wagon, and when you return home it takes you another 2 weeks to get back on.

Sound familiar?

You can’t afford to take 2 steps back in your progress on every trip. You want to become strong and fit so you’re not out of breath when you go play sports with friends on the weekend.

It’s time to stop skipping workouts when you’re out of town. We’ve got 5 guaranteed tips that will keep business trips from stalling your progress!

No more excuses lady. Let’s go.

5 Top Tips To Keep Up Your Workout Routine On Business Trips

1. Find a Hotel With a Gym

Let’s start with the easiest. Make sure you find a hotel with a (decent) hotel gym. Otherwise, you’ll end up being tired and brain-dead after a long day and the idea of creating a hotel room workout fit for a gym will never happen.

Trust me.

So spend 3 minutes before you choose your hotel and find one that has a decent gym (check their website or just give them a call!). Yeah, this may sound a bit too forward, but if you want to be fit and strong it takes a few minutes of preparation here and there. So do it.

2. Schedule Your Workout at a Time You Can Stick To

Your regular schedule goes out the window on business trips. You’re at the mercy of clients or co-workers, so in a day of unexpectancies and limited control, make your workout the one expected thing you can control.

Schedule your workout in at a time that you know you can stick to. This may mean becoming a morning person for a few days to make it work. If the morning just won’t work, carve out just 30 minutes before bed to do a quick workout. Nothing too intense so you can still sleep, but a quick muscle burnout routine of pushups and core exercises will do the trick. Remember something is better than nothing.

3. Ask Your Counterpart To Exercise With You

I bet your out-of-town trip is spent in meetings, right? Well surprisingly, like you, a lot of other people hate being cooped up in meeting rooms and they too may want to exercise. At the next meeting, ask your meeting counterpart to go for a walk (or run!) outside. I’ve done it many times, and not only does my counterpart LOVE the idea, but the fresh air really helps with creative thinking, free-flowing conversation, and in general, getting stuff done.

[RELATED: How to Make Your Next Business a Million Times More Fun]

4. Voice Record Notes While Exercising

Aside from meetings, drinks, and dinners, you still have to get your own work done out of town. Would you rather:

a.) Sit awkwardly in a tiny hotel room typing on a laptop
OR
b.) Go for a run and voice record your meeting notes to your phone?

Heck, spend a few extra dollars for a good dictation app and those breathy notes will be in text for you when you’re finished with your run.

5. You Don’t Have To Stay Out Late Just Because Everyone Else Is

Like many trips, I was out for a business dinner and drinks which were leading late into the night. By 9 P.M. dinner was done and the drinks were really starting to flow. At that point, I told my counterparts that I was leaving since I wanted to get an early start to the day and squeeze a workout in. I was met with a bit of jest as I was “showing them all up” by being healthy. BUT the serious comments were along the lines of, “That’s a great idea,” “good for you for having that discipline.”

The next morning when the majority were tired and slightly hungover, I felt refreshed and energized for the day, ready to put my best foot forward in more meetings.

No matter how much you assume that it looks bad if you leave dinner early, it’s (generally) not true. Sometimes people don’t even notice if you leave the night early (typically this is when the drinks are really flowing). People will respect you way more than you think. Just because everyone else is staying up late and drinking doesn’t mean you have to. Go be a unicorn.

So tell me, what is your biggest barrier to sticking to your workout plan when away on business? Why is it so hard to overcome?