It's never a good time to take a vacation. There's always a reason to wait until next month, next quarter, next year... Eventually, you have to just jump in and decide, okay, it's time to take a break or do something a little bit different.

The problem for me is, making a trek to anywhere that requires a passport means I definitely want to go for more than 1 or 2 weeks, and ideally it would be for more like 3-4 weeks. But who can afford to be completely away from the office for that long?

So, about a month ago I casually mentioned to my co-worker at Citrix Online that I would love to workshift from charming cafés while cycling through the European countryside. The next thing I knew, she, my manager and I were planning the trip!

Using GoToMeeting and GoToMyPC, I can work from anywhere (I've done it many a time when traveling home for the holidays or visiting friends), so why not workshift while doing some of the other things I enjoy? I love cycling, and I've been dreaming of another trip to Europe since last I went in May of 2004.

Now, I'm in Germany with my partner, Carlos, a brand new tandem bicycle, three changes of clothes, an iPad, an iPhone, a couple of cameras, GoToMeeting and Citrix Receiver. The journey will be 6 weeks total: 3 weeks on the bike and workshifting, 1 week working at the Citrix Synergy event in Berlin, Germany, and 1 1/2 weeks of pure vacation in Spain. (Yep, going for a complete "unplugged" experience in Spain - though I do have peace of mind knowing I can easily check in if needed!)

The adventure has begun and I am already meeting and connecting with people from all over the world - which is a large part of what this trip is about for me. In fact I've already worked with one of my Danish colleagues at his home in Slangerup. I had breakfast with him and his family one morning, raced with him in a bicycle criterium that afternoon, and later we worked together from his kitchen table - what a great way to spend the day and evening.

I'm excited to see how this experience takes shape and looking forward to learning new tricks for being totally mobile, both while traveling and working. I hope you'll follow along as I learn and share - and I hope you'll share any advice you have for me as well!

There are a lot of ways you can check in with me from my web site, Kelley Checks In, to all my social sites including Twitter and Facebook.

Ah the holidays. Time for family, for food and giving and a few days off to relax, unwind and send people to your out-of-office auto replies. It's also a time when many people travel and have to adjust to a changing schedule for workshifting, fitness and eating.

My Christmas weekend was no different. Over in Daytona with my wife's family we enjoyed an amazing Florida holiday weekend filled with fun, family and food. Over the last two months I have been working hard to work out, fighting to get back into shape (that seems to have escaped me after those high school baseball days) so that I can stay healthy working long days on a laptop. With a new sleep pattern, a full house and some rain, it made working out a little more difficult. Luckily I had a built in personal trainer on site.

My brother in law, Barry Heyden, is the former strength coach for the NY Mets and came well prepared to keep me on my holiday schedule. During the 4 days I had the opportunity to learn to use things that are available and also time allotments to get the most of my workouts. No one wants to spend 45 minutes to an hour on vacation getting sweaty by themselves and no one wants to carry a portable gym on an airplane (plus I'm sure TSA wouldn't be too happy about that!). Barry had the solution that I am going to share with you today that really any traveler can use to get the most of their traveling adventures and still feel like they are in the hometown gym or running a few miles around the neighborhood.

It's All About The Core

The core as in the midsection where all the turkey, pasta and sweets have taken over (though it was so tasty to eat).

When putting together a quick holiday exercise plan the focus was on working the core and building heart rate quickly. We performed a slew of exercises from push-ups with some bicycle kicks in between each rep to leg lifts with the bike kicks. All with a high intensity and short rest time. This got the blood pressure to rise and the lungs to begin to strengthen.

Multitask

The next best suggestion from Barry was to work as many muscles with each exercise as possible. Remember that we are working in a short window of time. Maybe 20 minutes before breakfast, or a quick break in the action in the afternoon. The more you can accomplish with one group of exercises the better.

We started with a squat to shoulder press. No lie, but this was tough. We started with arms in the air with a broom stick. Then we went down to squat, bringing the bar down. Before we attempted to stand up, we raised the bar and then came back into the start position. Doing a set of 15 really whipped us into a quick sweat, working the legs, core and shoulders with one quick minute long exercise.

When you are creating your hotel workout, look for similar activities to work many areas of the body. There are plenty of add-on exercises and motions that can turn single muscle exercises into multiple with a little creativity and thought.

Hydrate With Water

Whether on the road workshifting or having fun on the holidays it is very easy to pick up a cola, beer or loaded fruit juice. Barry said this was a huge mistake that many of the Mets players also had. Keep replenishing yourself with water and your body will cool down and recover faster. Adding sugars will only slow the growth process. Also look for a quick healthy snack after going through a quick training. Carrot sticks or apple slices are easy ones and they can even be picked up at the hotel convenience store or local grocery store.

Above All Else, Shoot For High Intensity

I know as good as anyone how easy it is to relax, throw the feet up and say I'll get back to it when I get home.

Going hard for 20 minutes can be the best thing you do all day as it gets not only your body but your mind stimulated and ready for a rocking day. Whether that be meetings, presenting or giving superior attention to the family. The key here is to have a quick plan of action to keep yourself in a high intensity physical mind frame for 15-20 minutes. The number of reps or sets is irrelevant. Going quickly and with full focus from pushups to lunges to laptop curls will ensure that you keep yourself in a ready and mobile state. Above all else it will allow you to survive the equivalent of the freshman 15.

What are your holiday and hotel workshifting fitness tips? I'd love to hear what gets you going on the road (even if it's just to get away from the crazy in-laws for a few minutes!).

Photos by: ex.libris & Playtime Fitness

Many of us who workshift travel a lot, perhaps more than we'd like. Although I had the pleasure of a summer pretty much free from business travel, things are starting to ramp up again for fall. And while I love the opportunity to meet with clients and colleagues live and in person, I hate the drain traveling puts on my productivity. It's just not easy getting day-to-day work done from airports, taxis and hotels. Throw in delays, bad food, sick seat mates and time away from family and friends, and business travel is a necessary burden, not a pleasure.

But I have found ways to mitigate the impact. Here are a few friendly tips:

• Designate a carry-on bag that you take on every trip, and leave the things you know you need on the road in the bag. In my experience, these should include business cards, noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs, hand lotion and/or no-wash anti-bacterial gel, a notebook and pen, and breath mints.
  
  
• Invest in extra chargers for your cell/smart phone and PC. Then, leave them in that designated carry-on bag, so you always have power for your critical business tools.
  
  
• Pack healthful snacks for your trip--as many as possible to cover you for the duration. I like nuts, dried fruit, pretzels and hard cheeses. Then, I toss in some fancy chocolates, for a late-night treat. I also keep an empty water bottle on hand, and fill it when I'm past security. This lets me get smart calories and a reliable energy boost, without the crash of processed foods--and without the high airport and mini-bar prices. And it guarantees I won't go hungry or thirsty on the flight if we're stuck on the tarmac for hours on end.
  
  
• Check into your flight from home or the hotel, and print your boarding pass ahead of time. (Most hotels will let you do this free in their business center, or at a computer/printer by the front desk.) Also, print out directions to the hotel and any other locations you'll be visiting, and make sure you let the hotel know you'll be late checking in if, in fact, you will be.
  
  
• Request a room with no connecting door. TV noise and loud voices carry in the space underneath the doors, so you're more likely to get some peace and quiet with a solid wall between you and your neighbors.
  
  
• Try to get in a workout whenever you can, whether that means hitting the hotel health club or going for a run in the neighborhood before your first--or after your last--meeting. Stretch in your room, and take the opportunity to walk whenever you can, even if (especially if) you're in front of clients all day.
  
  
• Plug your devices into an outlet whenever you can.  There's nothing worse than running out of juice mid-trip, and not being near a power source when you need (or simply have the time) to get work done. Consider investing in an extra battery for your phone and PC, too (and then leave them in your travel bag).
  
  
• Make a list of tasks you can reasonably expect to get done on your trip during your down time, but don't be too ambitious. Sometimes, it's nice to take advantage of being disconnected from the regular slew of calls and e-mail--a nice benefit of being on the road. 

What tips have you found that are useful to YOU for staying more productive while traveling?

Photo by: Chris Brogan

This was originally posted on my personal blog but thought that these tips would be applicable to workshifters as well.

It's really hard to stay motivated to go to a gym consistently. Some people are intimidated by working out around others. Some have no clue what they're doing and are embarrassed or worried they're going to injure themselves. Others are confused because there's always a new workout on the cover of Men's Health or Cosmopolitan. And well, then there's always the bunch that supposedly don't have time to workout but never miss an episode of American Idol.

Working out doesn't have to be that difficult. First of all, if you're intimidated, embarrassed or concerned, try hiring a trainer, even if it's just for a single hour. I promise, it will be helpful. Even though I workout 4-6 times per week, I still try to add in other ways to stay healthy and get in a little extra workout whenever possible. It helps to keep me focused and as long as it doesn't interrupt the rest of my life, why not? So, today I have 7 tips for you that are simple, fast, and won't take longer than a few minutes extra each day, if even that long.

7 Simple Fitness Tips

1. Unless you work on the 103rd floor, consider taking the stairs. Just by taking the stairs to the 4th floor where I live, I add an extra approximately 11,000 stairs to my daily routine per month. For me, it is usually faster than the elevator, doesn't make me tired, but does keep me active.

2. Unless you're going to a professional sports game where the parking lots are miles long, park a ways away from the front door. I park approximately 500 steps away from my truck at my house even though there is parking approximately 50-100 steps from the front door. This adds an additional 22,400 steps per month to my activity, if you account deduct the 100 steps per day I could be walking.

3. Buy a pedometer. You can find them for relatively cheap, around $20 or so, and if you're a competitive person like I am, it will become a game against yourself. Set your goal for 10,000 steps per day. If you buy a little fancier one it will even calculate miles and calories burned. Track your progress in a simple Google Docs spreadsheet and try to improve a little more each day.

4. Buy a bluetooth headset for your office. If you're usually stuck at your desk all day long on conference calls, buy a bluetooth headset for your office phone. Then, take your calls from the headset and walk around your office if you don't need to be behind a computer screen. If you're going to try this, make sure you get a Plantronics set. They're the best, bottom line.

5. Pick up workout bands. You can hide these easily in a desk drawer or carry them in your bag when you're traveling. These little bands will allow you to get in a decently intense workout when you can't make it to the gym. Even if you do make it to the gym regularly, you should add these into your workout.  Check out AJ Leon explain how he uses these to stay fit while traveling.

6. Go for a walk around the building at lunch. Take 10 minutes at lunch time and take a walk around your building. Just this little additional exercise will help to energize for the long afternoon ahead and will add a couple more thousand steps into your daily routine.

7. Do a set of pushups or situps. It's mid-day and you're tired. You've been staring at your screen for what feels like 60 hours and it's not even lunch time yet. Hop out of your chair, pop down and knock out a set of pushups. Nothing crazy so you don't mess up your office attire, just 10-25. Even if you did 25 pushups only 3 times per week, it would add up 300 extra pushups per month.

As you can see, none of these suggestions are particularly hard, take up a lot of time, and are all meant to give you an extra burst of energy. Whether you workout constantly or don't even know what the word "gym" really means, adding any one of these tips into your daily routine will help you out.  Couple these fitness tips along with trying to eat healthier while workshifting, and you're in great shape! :)

What easy things do you do to try to keep in shape, stay healthy, and stay energized?

Photo by: Phillip Klinger

Working while on the road is complicated. Acclimating yourself to new cities or cultures. Getting to meetings. Finding internet access that won't require you fork over the deed to your house.