It is a term that Harry has coined for himself; a way of approaching the tremendous amount of traveling that he must do for his job. Harry calls it “Extreme Traveling.” Instead of falling into the common thought that the demands of travel cause us to become inactive, Harry views work travel in a whole new light.

When asked if his copious amounts of travel hinder his efforts to remain active, Harry’s response is unusual, and yet surprisingly simple and logical at the same time.

“Actually, being on the road itself is an activity,” Harry said. “I try to make travel into an extreme activity. For example, I never get a hotel next to the office; I find a hotel 3-5 miles away from the office and plan a walking route. That way I get two walks a day and manage to walk at least 5 miles a day.”

If it looks like it will rain or snow where Harry is traveling to, he doesn’t let that deter him. He simply packs accordingly and brings along rubber shoe covers, an umbrella and warmer clothing.

“There are no excuses for a taxi,” Harry said. “I walk fast. No strolling.”

He also tries to get in weight training at least once when he is on a business trip. When it comes to his leg workout, Harry is both committed…and creative.

“This will sound silly, but I do lunges in the hotel hallway between the elevator and my hotel room door no matter what,” Harry said.  “Imagine a 59 year old man in a business suit with a back pack lunging down a hotel corridor. I get a lot of funny looks, but I get in 50 to 100 lunges a day.”

Anyone who has travelled can attest to the challenges of eating healthy at airports and on airplanes. Another challenge of being on the road and in meetings is that you are often limited to the lunches and dinners that they offer on location.

“I eat sensibly when I travel,” Harry said. “I buy fruit salad at airports and eat it on the plane. If lunch includes a sandwich (at meetings) I forego the bread.”

Harry tends to stick to salads with lean protein for his dinner choices. He prefers to have his salads with chicken, fish or even a burger on top of it and ALWAYS with the dressing on the side. If the leafy green portions are small, Harry will even order a second salad because high fiber roughage helps him to feel full and keep from overindulging.

His system for maintaining a healthy lifestyle with “Extreme Traveling” is ongoing and ever evolving. He enjoys the challenge of being creative to problem solve any obstacle, and it has helped him lose 23 pounds to date.

His hobby of kayaking has also turned into another “Extreme Traveling” of sorts. In Harry’s first segment of REAL STORIES we told you about how Harry trained for and completed a 157 mile kayaking trip down Florida’s Suwannee River.

“A 10 mile paddle used to take a half day to paddle, and that was going with the current,” Harry said. “Today, I paddle 10 miles in 2 hours in the open ocean, and a 25 mile day of paddling is the norm. My back is strong, my neck isn’t stiff and my knees only creak sometimes (laughs). I have a chest, abs and arms thanks to kayaking, diet and exercise with a great trainer at LA Fitness.”

So what’s next for Harry?

A whole lot…

I am trying to lose my last 10 pounds and my abdominal fat so my wife can see that there is a 6-pack under this keg, and I am working on building my lats, which seems to be quite a challenge” said Harry. “I am competing in my first kayak race; it’s only a 3 mile race, but a race nonetheless!   I am also training for a 150 mile open ocean kayak expedition, and a 1000 kilometer multi-day kayak race through the Canadian Yukon.”

Keep following LIVING HEALTHY for more REAL STORIES, and find out how Harry’s first kayaking race and Yukon expedition turn out!