I’m in New York this week and I’ve been thinking a lot about nutrition.
Having a couple of meetings a day for a few days in a row might not seem like much, but the stress and preparation one goes through for this can turn it into a job that feels like you’re working 24/7.
I think it started Monday morning when I got off my red eye flight from Vancouver to NY with only 3 hours ‘til my first meeting. I was starving, sleep deprived, and needed a good energy burst for about an hour.
I’ve spoken with nutritionists and they all say if you are tired, start with hydration. Apparently a lot of times when we feel tired what we are really lacking is water, not sleep. Now I was lacking sleep thanks to a fussy baby in the seat behind me, but hydration seemed like a good idea after the long flight anyways.
So before we actually touched down in NY I started drinking water on the plane. Then I got an Americano at the airport. Note to the uninitiated: Don’t try drinking coffee in a New York taxi. You’ll be lucky if you get half of it in your mouth.
There are some obvious things to consider before eating before meetings. Breath is an obvious one, and things in your teeth. But you also need to consider what the food will do for you energy-wise.
One time I had a huge turkey club about 90 minutes before a meeting. A half hour before the meeting I was nodding off and could not figure out why. It wasn’t the tryptophan in the turkey, as that has been disproved, but I had stayed up late preparing for my meeting and hadn’t ingested anything but coffee all morning. So when I ate the big sandwich all the blood rushed to my stomach to help digestion, and bingo – my life goals changed and all I wanted was a nap.
Preparing for meetings should be looked upon as an athlete preparing for the game. You do not just need to know the plays, you need to be rested, and fueled. Of course you need to visualize yourself winning as well but that’s another blog.
As you have more meetings pay attention to what you eat before and see what works for you as everyone’s body is different.
I personally eat regularly throughout the day, then about an hour before th meeting I eat a Snickers (they really satisfy) and about a half hour before I drink a tall ¾ full Americano. It’s a science for me. I have a consistent level of energy that takes me through the length of the meeting.