Summer is always a great time to travel, which means you may soon be jet setting or road tripping to an exciting destination ready for rest and relaxation. When our schedules get busier and we step out of our daily routines, it can be easy to start slacking on our diet and workout regimens.
Traveling whether for work or pleasure doesn’t have to be a hindrance to let go of our good health and fitness habits. It can provide the best opportunity to try different ways to work out, which helps us avoid ruts and keeps exercising more fun.
Here are some helpful ideas to mix up your workouts, whether you’re headed to staycation in your own city or traveling to somewhere you’ve never been before.
Look for hotel amenities like gyms and pools
Utilize the onsite gyms at hotels whenever possible. Most major hotel chains offer premium amenities including some well-equipped gyms and heated pools. Enjoy 30-minutes of swimming laps or lace up your sneakers for a good run on a treadmill before you head out for the day. It will give you the energetic boost needed to make the most of your trip.
In addition to this, many hotels are now offering yoga, free class passes, spinning classes, kayaks, and other ways for you to fit in exercise without feeling like you’re spending your vacation in the gym.
If the idea of working out is altogether less than appealing when traveling, simply being a tourist can help burn calories. Walking city tours and hiking trails are also perfect examples of interactive ways to get the heart rate going, while exploring a new city at the same time.
What to pack
Don’t worry about a separate bag for your workout gear. Many travel-friendly workouts can be done without any equipment at all.
Pack a jump rope and sneak in 10 or 15 minutes of exercise a few times a day. It can easily be stowed away in a suitcase pocket or carry-on bag. For example, you can use a jump rope nearly anywhere, whenever it’s convenient for you. It can get your heart pumping as you start your day or before a night out on the town.
You can also bring with you any of your favorite Pilates or yoga DVDs to wind down and stretch after a long day of exploration. Better yet, use your iPad or smartphone to look up exercise videos on YouTube. Do a quick search (or go to some you have bookmarked) of the particular muscle group you’d like to target and you’ll receive tons of great results to choose from. Find one that will work well with the amount of time and space you have.
Write down your activities daily
Your vacation may consist of little more than sipping drinks poolside. However, consider adding at least one activity per day to your schedule, it makes a huge difference. This can range from snorkeling in the ocean, biking to a local cafe, or hiking on a nearby summit. Take advantage of those options that are not readily available in your hometown.
The biggest part of staying fit is maintaining those healthy habits. Learn to adapt to your surroundings when you are travelling and make sure to squeeze in some hours for a good workout wherever you go.
You can always find a space to work out no matter where you are. If you don’t have a decent hotel gym, you might need to work out in your hotel room. You can do some lunges in your hallway, or find a local park or school playground where you have additional space. Try going for a walk, pick a direction, and find a small patch of land to do your push ups, squats and jump rope. It may sound strange, but it can be fun (think of it as an adventure).
It really doesn’t matter if you’re walking laps in the airport while listening to your favorite music during a two hour layover or jumping rope at a bus stop. On days that you’re not doing any strength training workouts, go for a run around the town, go for a hike, toss a frisbee in the park, go swimming in the ocean, etc.
Eating right is just as important to your health and fitness goals as exercise… and it can be tricky to do when traveling. You will find that on days when you exercise, you eat better. Something activates in your brain when exercising that says, “I’m trying to be healthy now, so I’m going to eat healthier too.” On days, when you don’t exercise at all, you tend to say things like “I’ll do it tomorrow” or ‘it’s only one unhealthy meal”. Avoid those guilty feeling by making it a point to get some exercise. Your much more likely to eat healthier during your travels.
Even if it’s just 5 minutes of jump rope (the one important piece of equipment you can bring with you anywhere), is better than nothing at all and will get you in the proper state of mind.
Your exercise needs to become your constant routine while traveling – make a commitment to yourself that you will find at least one hour every day or other day to exercise – and NO EXCUSES. Set up a reminder from your mobile device calendar, write reminders on some stick notes placed on your bathroom mirror on in your luggage, and do whatever it takes.
So go out for a walk – try walking EVERYWHERE. It’s nice to walk outside instead of taking a cab! Go for a jog around your new surroundings and just stay active!
If you want to strengthen your core and back, flatten your belly and achieve your dream abs while keeping yourself injury free, then check out the Invincible Core program.
