Whether you’re travelling for business or just going on a vacation or weekend getaway, different schedules can play havoc with your usual exercise routine. We all know that maintaining a routine is the best way to maintain your fitness, so how do you do it when you’re dealing with different time zones, unfamiliar exercising ground and ‘holiday’ mentality?
Here are some travelling workout tips to help you have a healthier trip away:
Check out the local activities
If you have booked a room in a hotel with a gym, use it! Even the most basic of hotel gyms usually has a treadmill or some kind of cardio machine, some gym mats and free weights. And before you say ‘but I don’t want to go to the gym when I’m on holiday’, remind yourself that being fit and healthy is a lifestyle choice. When you skip exercising for even a week at home, you may feel sluggish and it will be that much harder to get back into your routine when you come back to the real world.
If you really don’t want to go to the gym, check out the local activities in the area; if you’re at a resort there may be water sports, golf, tennis or a tourist trail somewhere. Look for active things to do that will get your blood pumping.
Do a workout in your hotel room
You can always do bodyweight and cardio exercises in your hotel room and you won’t need a lot of space. Do 20 reps of each of the following:
– Star jumps
– Squats
– Lunges (20 on each side!)
– Push ups
– Tricep dips (off the back of a chair)
– Crunches
Then finish it all off jogging on the spot for 60 seconds followed by a hover hold for as long as you can. For a longer workout, do three sets of this circuit and you’ll be working up a sweat in no time!
Include fitness gear when you pack
Pack a portable fitness travel kit to take along with you. If you have a TRX, you can find a nearby swingset or pole to hang it off or get the attachment to hang it off the back of your hotel room door. These gravity/bodyweight training systems are light and compact, plus you can get a great full body workout from them.
Other equipment you can take with you: a skipping rope, a yoga mat and light weights (or take two empty bottles to fill with water as a substitute). Oh, and don’t forget your workout gear and exercise music!
Take the harder road
Ditch elevators, escalators and taxis whenever possible. Rather than ‘planned’ exercise, up your ‘incidental’ exercise as you move around throughout the day. Walk or bike as much as you can, take the stairs, walk on the softer sand instead of the footpath when you’re strolling along the beach; these activities will help you burn more calories and get your heart rate up and you won’t even be thinking about it as exercise!
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