Hey {{first name | reader}},
It's Tuesday morning in San Francisco, which means it's time for your weekly fitness check-in. Welcome to Week 3.
Except I'm not in San Francisco. I'm in Sydney, where it's 9 PM Tuesday night. My body thinks it's 4 AM and time to wake up. Jet lag is a mindfuck.1
Last week I told you my plan: walk 15,000+ steps daily, hit the hotel gym 2-3 times, do mobility work at night, don't stress about it.
Here's how it's actually going.
Week One: The Jet Lag Chronicles
Saturday: Landed. I checked a bag. This might have been a mistake. Perhaps in retribution for a lifetime of being team no-check, the baggage gods made sure that my bag was one of the last to exit the plane. Australia is very strict about declaring foodstuff when entering the country, so my enormous protein pantry put me into the RED “something to declare” lane. All in all, I spent an extra hour in the Sydney airport.2
While the weather was more or less pleasant when I landed, by the time I set out for the zoo at noon, the storm had begun. The helpful gentleman at Circular Quay suggested that it was really too late to enjoy the zoo properly and that I get an earlier start the next day. So I ambled over to the Opera House, wandered the CDB for a while, and then made my way back to the hotel. I walked over 17,000 steps, did some pushups, and called it a day.
Sunday: Thanks to pushing through and staying awake until 8 PM (not far off my regular bedtime of 9 PM), I managed a solid 8+ hours of sleep, and woke at 5 AM. Got up and fumbled with my blender for a protein shake. Got an early start and made it to the zoo in the rain. 20,000 steps. Pushed my luck and went to an amazing cabaret at the Opera House (Gatsby).
Koala at rest, Taronga Zoo
Monday: Another 5 AM wakeup so straight to the gym. The gym, as expected, is basic. 2 ellipticals— one that does work and the other that wobbles, three treadmills, a rowing machine, a couple racks of dumb bells and two cable machines. Instead of my usual 4-day split, I did a full body circuit with the dumb bells followed by some push ups.
Tuesday: Cardio day— 15 minutes walking at an incline on the treadmill; 10 minutes on the elliptical, 5 minutes on the rowing machine. Had a late dinner, but still managed to walk 13,000 steps.
What's Actually Working: Consistency
I’ve done something physical every single day. A lot of that was walking. Over the four days I’ve been here I’ve averaged over 15,000 steps a day.
It helps that Sydney is absurdly walkable. Five minutes to Darling Harbour. Ten to Queen Victoria Building. Twenty-five to Circular Quay and the Opera House. I've been walking everywhere.
Walking in a beautiful city doesn't feel like training. It feels like being a tourist who happens to be burning calories. This is the part of the plan working better than expected.
What's Not Working: Everything Else
I’m jet-lagged, living out of a hotel room, and my usual rhythm is completely off. My workouts don’t happen at the same time. My meals aren’t planned or prepped. And my body is very aware that we crossed an ocean.
Old me might’ve treated this as a “lost” couple of weeks — too much disruption to train well, eat well, or stick to a routine. Current me knows better.
This is exactly where momentum matters most.
I didn’t bring a food scale or a perfect plan. I brought a portable blender, protein powder, a few protein bars, and beef jerky sticks — not because I’m being rigid, but because I know protein keeps me going when everything else is unpredictable.3
Most of my meals are out. Some are great. Some are fine. None are perfect. And that’s okay. I have maintained my commitment to dry January, which hasn’t been easy.4
Training looks different too. Hotel gym sessions. Shorter workouts. Cardio when my sleep schedule makes no sense. I’m not trying to “optimize” these two weeks. I’m trying to stay in motion. That’s the win.
The hardest thing about travel fitness isn't the logistics. It's accepting that nothing will be normal. That’s frustrating, but that’s the reality of life.
📖 ASK ME ANYTHING
"How much walking is too much while sightseeing? My feet hurt after 20,000+ step days."
Depends on what you're used to. I normally walk 12,000-15,000 steps daily in SF (without a car, walking is my primary mode of transportation). So walking 20,000-25,000 here is not a painful increase.
If you normally do 3,000 steps, ramping to 20,000 will destroy you. Start lower. Build gradually. Listen to your feet.
What helps: good shoes, compression socks on long days, foot stretches at night, actually sitting down instead of pushing through pain.
The key: sightseeing walking is different from commute walking. You stop, start, stand still, move in weird ways. It’s harder on feet than steady-state walking.
If your feet hurt, rest. The goal is enjoying your trip, not proving toughness.
💡 MYTH BUSTING
Myth: You can train through jet lag if you're disciplined enough.
Reality: Jet lag is physiological disruption of your circadian rhythm. Discipline doesn't fix biology.
I'm a 4 AM person at home. In Sydney (17 hours ahead), my body wants to wake up at 9 PM Sydney time and sleep at 2:30 PM. Not possible on a work trip. I’ve been waking up a different times each morning.
Jet lag affects sleep, hormones, digestion, cognitive function, physical performance. Everything.
What helps: light exposure at right times, staying awake during daylight, eating on local schedule, gentle movement.
What doesn't: forcing intense workouts when exhausted, trying to maintain normal training schedule, beating yourself up for being tired.
I'm 4 days in, still adjusting. That's normal for a 17-hour time difference. The goal isn't peak performance. It's basic maintenance.
🍽️ QUICK FUEL: Portable Blender Update
I brought a Blendi Pro instead of my usual shaker bottle. Verdict: it’s worth it for trips over a week. I also had to figure out that unlike the blender I use at home, it holds a lot less and you cannot overfill it.
Every morning: protein powder, almond milk (there’s a fridge in my room where I can store it), almond butter packet, frozen berries and coconut yogurt that I bought at the supermarket conveniently located around the corner.
I’ve been enjoying an actual smoothie rather than lumpy protein water. Takes two minutes. Hits ~30g protein, makes the rest of the day easier.
The catch: I need to charge it (frequently), to clean it, and it takes up more space than shaker bottle.
For a long weekend, I’d just use a shaker. For two weeks, the blender's worth it.
📚 WORTH YOUR TIME
Article: "Eliminating Jet Lag" - Precision Nutrition
Since I'm living this right now, this hits differently. Science of circadian rhythms plus practical strategies.
What's working for me: morning sun exposure (walking to the office), eating on local time (even when not hungry), staying awake during daylight (no naps).
What I wish I'd done better: fasted during flight (ate the plane food like an idiot), stayed more hydrated, remembered to pack pajamas.
If you travel internationally, read this before your next trip.
💪 TRY THIS WEEK
The "Good Enough" Workout
Whether traveling or just having a chaotic week, try this:
30 minutes: 5 min warm-up, 20 min workout (pick 4 exercises, 3 sets: lower body, upper push, upper pull, core), 5 min cool-down
15 minutes: 3 exercises, 3 rounds, no rest (squats, push-ups, planks)
5 minutes: 1 exercise, as many reps as possible with good form (burpees, push-ups, air squats)
Some movement always beats no movement, even if it's not your "real" workout.
Stay strong, {{first name | reader}}
P.S. Sydney is stunning. Harbor, Opera House, coffee (better than SF, sorry), walkability—all living up to the hype. And the protein powder is keeping me functional.
Sydney from the giraffe point of view at Taronga Zoo
1 Seventeen-hour time difference means when it's Tuesday morning in SF (my normal 4 AM wake time), it's Tuesday night here at 9 PM—exactly when my body wants to wake up. I'm writing this newsletter at what feels like my normal wake-up time except it's nighttime and I should be going to sleep.
2 Flipping through channels on the hotel TV I landed on the TV 7 show, Border Security: Australia’s Front Line, which debuted in 2004, and is now on its 17th season. Oddly entertaining, it was the reality TV version of what I had just experienced, although they focus not on the law abiding folks who bore the border agents by listing the full contents of their suitcases, but folks who attempt to skirt the law.
3 The Aussies find my protein pantry ridiculous. I could have purchased everything (except the blender) at the local supermarket, but I’m particular about which protein powder, which protein bar, and which beef jerky stick I like to eat. By bringing my own stuff from home, my morning post workout routine feels a lot like my routine at home.
4 More than 20 years ago I learned to be very wary of drinking with Aussies. I had flown to Thailand to hang out with a friend who had moved there and offered me an open invitation to come at any time. I called before I boarded the flight to let him know that I was on my way. Unfortunately, he was on his way to London for the next week. Undaunted, I opened my laptop and booked what looked like a reasonable hotel in Bangkok. I landed. The hotel was more than adequate, and they had a guidebook in the lobby. I perused it and made no decisions, but a friendly German dude asked me if I was planning to take the bus to the ferry to Koh Chang. Sounded like a good plan so I said sure. The bus was late, and it was slow, and we missed the ferry. We ended up at an exceptionally basic hostel with a phalanx of other tourists who had also missed the ferry. The next morning, we mounted the ferry, and off we went. It was lovely. The ferry crowd was a friendly bunch including two chivalrous Aussies who were concerned about my solo traveling. They adopted me into their friend circle. Carried my bag for me, selected a barely acceptable hut style lodging (lukewarm water, mosquito nets, and a toilet that flushed) but had the extremely attractive feature of having individual bungalows available for all of us. They appointed themselves cruise directors for the week, planning sightseeing excursions, lessons in Aussie football, and taking me out drinking every night. I’m not sure my liver has recovered yet.