ARF NEWSLETTER 013
the travel protocol, my current shoe rotation, and the scent of place
THE TACTIC:
Summer travel is ramping up. Calendars are filling, flights are stacking, and routines-if you’re not careful-start to slip. Whether it’s weekends away, extended vacations, or work trips that blur city after city, travel has a way of pulling you out of rhythm.
But that doesn’t mean you have to hit pause on your goals.
I have the pleasure of working with clients who travel more than most people can imagine-CEOs logging six cities in a week, professional creatives who live out of duffels as a career (see Matt Hranek), and everyone in between. And the truth is, it’s entirely possible to stay dialed while on the move. You just need a system that travels with you.
Whether you’re gone for fun, for work, or because that’s just how your life is built, here’s an incredibly simple protocol on how to hold the line and stay close to the version of you that you’ve been working to build:
Anchor Each Meal With One Question
You don’t need to track every gram of protein or weigh your food on the road. But you do need a way to orient yourself around meals that keep you moving in the right direction. I give clients one simple filter:
“Does this meal include a lean protein source and some vegetables?”
That’s it. Ask it at every meal.
It doesn’t make you perfect, but it keeps you honest. It creates a pause before you default to a croissant and cappuccino at every breakfast, or the random snack box at the airport. It brings intentionality back to the table whilst keep calories as dialed in as possible.
And let’s be clear, this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy good food. It just means that default meals, your room service order, the Tuesday night work dinner, or the grab-and-go option in a new city don’t all need to become indulgent by default. Save those choices for when they actually matter (more on that in a second).
Get Meaningful Daily Movement In
Travel throws off routine. But you don’t need your normal setup to move, you just need to sweat. Whether it’s running (I’m a big proponent of the arrive and run philosophy), lifting in a hotel gym, or doing a simple circuit in your room, the goal is to keep the habit alive.
No gym? No problem. Here’s a super simple bodyweight circuit that works anywhere, no equipment required:
Hotel Room Circuit (No Equipment Needed)
Perform 3–5 rounds, depending on time:
20 push-ups
20 alternating reverse lunges
20 air squats
60 second wall sit
60 second plank
20 mountain climbers if needed
Rest 60–90 seconds between rounds
It’s full-body, efficient, and enough to get your heart rate up and your head right in a small space.
Also, don’t sleep on walking. Exploring a new place on foot is movement. Taking the stairs is movement. A 30-minute walk before your day starts? That counts. It doesn’t need to be intense, it just needs to add up.
Know What’s Actually Worth It
One of the biggest mindset shifts I work on with clients is learning to differentiate between what’s worth it and what’s just mindless convenience.
Trying a traditional dish in a new country? Worth it.
Sharing a bottle of wine over a meaningful dinner with friends? Worth it.
Hitting the minibar at 11 p.m. out of boredom? Not worth it.
Not all off-plan choices are equal. The goal isn’t to white-knuckle your way through every meal, it’s to develop discernment. To know when to go all in, and when to stay dialed in.
Travel can (and should) include indulgent, memorable moments. But blowing out your nutrition just because you’re tired, disoriented, or bored? That’s not a cultural experience, that’s just laziness with a side of sodium.
When you anchor your meals, move daily, and get clear on what’s worth it, you create a simple framework that travels with you. No apps. No scales. Just structure.
And structure-especially when the rest of your environment is unpredictable-is what keeps you grounded.
Your results don’t come from what you do in perfect conditions. They come from the standards you uphold when things aren’t ideal. And nothing throws “ideal” out the window like back-to-back flights, jet lag, and room service menus.
So don’t wait for your return flight to get dialed in again.
Stay anchored. Stay moving. Stay intentional.
That’s how you hold the line, wherever you are.
THE LOCKER:
I’ve logged several hundred kilometers in the Adios Pro 3 (a shoe I adored), but outside of that, I was never really an Adidas guy. That’s changed quite a bit in the last year. Between their latest releases and getting to know some of the folks behind the brand, I’ve (for now) been converted to die marke mit den drei streifen.
Here’s what’s currently in my rotation:
Adidas Evo Sl: Last November, I was able to get my hands on a very early release pair of the now infamous Evo Sl. It became abundantly clear to me on my first run in them that they were the best (non-race) shoe I had ever worn. Now on my second pair with over 1200km across both shoes, I stand by this.
Adidas Adios Pro 4: For years, I was a Nike Alphafly guy, and as Adidas’ comparable marathon racer, I don’t think this shoe could be any different from it’s swoosh adorned rival. That being said, something about this shoe just works for me. It could be the new incredibly soft (read: squishy) Lightstrike Pro foam or the insanely grippy Continental rubber outsole, but these saw me through two marathons this past spring and many long training miles in between.
Adidas Pro Evo 1: I hesitate to put such an absurd shoe on this as a “rotation” shoe, but the O.G. $500 high-tech-racer is without a doubt the lightest, most responsive, impressive shoe I’ve worn (and it should be for the price). The durability of these being the biggest concern, I’ve only worn them for a half so far but look forward to potentially picking them over the Pro 4 for some races this fall (they were shelved for the spring races due to rain-they have no grip in the wet). It’s worth noting the Pro Evo 2 is now out in very limited numbers, but unless someone over at Adidas wants to help me out with a pair of those as well, I think I’ll pass at that price point.
THE MEDICINE CABINET:
Over the last several years, I’ve been fortunate enough to travel to some amazing cities with equally amazing people. A tradition I’ve picked up along the way is to spend some time early in the trip hunting for a fragrance to use throughout my stay.
That scent becomes an olfactory postcard, something far more evocative than a photo or souvenir. It locks in the feeling of the place and time I experienced it. Diptyque’s Eau Rihla reminds me of my first marathon in Paris. Loewe 7 pulls me into the late summer streets of Berlin. Loewe Earth is Madrid-shooting a campaign with Zara, early runs on quiet streets, and late dinners with friends. Even once the trip fades, the scent stays-and somehow, it brings it all back.
THE QUOTE:
“Even if, seen from the outside, or from some higher vantage point, this sort of life looks pointless or futile, or even extremely inefficient, it doesn’t bother me. Maybe it’s some pointless act like, as I’ve said before, pouring water in to an old pan that has a hole in the bottom, but at least the effort you put into it remains. Whether it’s good for anything or not, cool or totally uncool, in the final analysis what’s most important is what you can’t see but can feel in your heart. To be able to grasp something of value, sometimes you have to perform seemingly inefficient acts. But even activities that appear fruitless don’t necessarily end up so. That’s the feeling I have, as someone who’s felt this, who’s experienced it.”
― Haruki Murakami, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running
I hope you’ve enjoyed this issue of the newsletter. It’s sure to change and evolve over time, but if there’s ever something you want featured or a question you want answered, just reply to this email and you can be sure to look for it in a future issue.
next city on the list for travel?