A lot of people take their tome off from exercise when they are traveling.
If it it’s a vacation, they may feel like taking a break from their everyday routine, including exercising. Being on a vacation often means going a bit overboard with food and drinks, and so it happens that in addition to all the fun memories and pictures you also take home three pounds of extra body weight. Sounds familiar?
People also tend to skip their workouts when traveling for work and business. Their days start with business meetings already early in the morning, leaving no time for working out. The evenings are packed with more meetings and dinners with clients. It may seem that there is really no time to squeeze in a workout.
Some more reasons for skipping a workout that I’ve heard:
There is no gym in the hotel I’m staying at.
I don’t know the city well enough to go for a run or find a gym there.
There is no room in my suitcase for my workout gear.
I’m busy all the time.
I believe that there is almost always a way to squeeze in a workout, no matter how busy your day is going to be or how few things you can bring with you. I can assure that 30 or even just 15 minutes are enough time to get your daily sweat session in, without even needing any special equipment or fancy facilities. But you do need to plan and prioritize.
When Traveling For Work
My favorite way of getting a workout in when I am traveling is to explore the new city by running. When I was still studying and working at the academia, I used to travel a lot for my conferences – part of the work I probably enjoyed the most! (The rest of it wasn’t that fun.)
I always used to arrive my destination a day before the conference started. I would put on my running shoes, bring a map (yes, a real paper map – but you can always bring your phone) and headed out to find out the location of the conference venue. The venue was usually within a walking distance from the hotel and the next morning I already knew where to go.
At the same time I got to see numerous sights and attractions as I walked or ran to the conference venue, found out the closest grocery store or a farmer’s market or spotted a nice restaurant for later. Plus I saved on the cab ride!
On a Vacation
When on a vacation, laying at the beach with a glass of chilled Riesing is fun, but staying at the beach for the whole time, sipping those drinks and munching on snacks may not be too good for your body (watch out for that sun, too! Sunburn looks awful and feels even worse).
Before I get my hands on that vino, I go for a run at the beach, do some jumps or sprints in the sand (incredibly hard!) or take advantage of the hotel’s tennis court or weight room.
Walking is the best way to see the new places and makes a great exercise. I walk a lot when I’m on a vacation. Exploring the new area by walking istead of getting into a subway or a cab gives you the opportunity to see so much more and get the actual vibe of the new place.
People have different reasons for skipping their exercises while they are traveling. However, the solutions to most of these excuses are really simple.
So, are you not exercising because…
You Have No Time To Exercise?
When you are on a business trip and you know that you have a busy day ahead, I recommend exercising first thing in the morning.
While I understand that it may not be easy at first when you are not used to morning workouts, I encourage you to try it out.
Late meetings, business dinners or other social events with your coworkers or clients may often take longer than you have anticipated and you never know when you may finally have a chance to get your workout in.
Try to set your alarm for half an hour earlier than you would otherwise do and get your workout done before the busy day starts. Just try to commit to it, those thirty minutes will be so much worth it.
Besides, so many of us hit the snooze button couple of times before we really get up, or hang out in Facebook for half and hour before killing the lights at night. Instead, commit to get up half an hour earlier to get your body moving and open your favorite social media site only after you have taken care of your body.
When you are on a vacation, it may look like you have enough time to do your exercise, so there seems to be no reason to get your sweat on first thing in the morning.
Sure, you do deserve this beautiful sleep and nice and long breakfast, but try not to put your workout off for too long. You may be exhausted by the end of the day after exploring all the attractions or hanging out at the beach in the sun. The chances are that the workout that you planned for later will never happen.
Working out in the morning allows you to use the rest of the day just as you like it – so get it off from your to-do list as early as you can. Also, keep in mind that the workout doesn’t have to take hours. Just fifteen minutes of hard work is totally enough, leaving you enough time to spend time with your best friends and family.
You Have No Access To Gym?
Yes, we all love our home gym. But the fact that it’s not available for you while you are traveling doesn’t mean that you should skip your workout altogether.
Many hotels come with at least minimally equipped gym. A treadmill and couple of kettlebells or dumbbells can be all you need.
Complete a 20-minute interval run on a treadmill or get those quads on fire with some goblet squats and lunges with a kettlebell. Your body will appreciate the afterburn from those quick and efficient exercises!
Example
20 Minute Interval Run
Start with 3 minute jog, followed by 1 minute sprint. Repeat 5 times.
What if there is no gym at all? No worries, you don’t need the gym. There is one piece of workout equipment that you always have with you, no matter where you go – and this is your own body.
There are tens and hundreds of amazingly efficient and time saving bodyweight exercises like push ups, pull ups, squats and burpees that you can do almost anywhere, without even needing your workout shoes or a lot of space.
Example
In 15 minutes, complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) of the following:
5 Burpees
10 Push Ups
15 Squats
Portable Exercise Equipment
There are also some pieces of workout equipment you can easily bring with you everywhere you go. For example, I always have my jump rope with me. Do just couple of rounds of 500 single unders or 200 double unders to get a nice cardio workout and feel the burn in your calves.
Another great and easily portable pieces of workout equipment are TRX suspension trainer and a resistance band. There are various ways of using them to give your full body a great exercise.
You may also do a little research beforehand to see what kind of facilities they have available in your destination. Maybe there is a swimming pool or beach closeby? Go ahead and pack your swimwear and glasses with you!
There Is No Room In Your Suitcase For Your Workout Gear?
When you travel flying, you probably want to keep you bag light. Are the skirt suits and high heels taking up all the room in your suitcase? I am still pretty sure that you are able to fit in just one pair of workout pants and a tank top – that’s all you need.
Lightweight running shoes are great to wear for traveling, so you can already put them on for your flight or drive. There are plenty of exercises you can do without even leaving your hotel room, so you don’t necessarily need any workout shoes at all.
You Don’t Know the City?
Explore the new cities by being active. With a map in my hand and running I have seen beautiful sunrises in Barcelona, London, Budapest, Corfu island, San Francisco and many other cities.
I have rented a bike in the Stockholm, Oslo and Edmonton and seen so much more that I would have ever seen from a car window.
On a vacation, go on a hike! This hike on O'Ahu last fall was amazing.
You can find gyms, swimming pools and yoga classes basically anywhere you go. Last year when I was on a vacation in New York City, I attended the best yoga class of my life in Yoga To The People. I have always enjoyed the classes in YTTP in Berkeley which was actually the place where I fell in love with yoga, but this one time in New York was incredible experience that I will never forget.
Just do a little research about your destination before and use the possibilities that different places in the world have to offer.
So, No Excuses!
Traveling does not have to mean skipping your workouts. The more you travel the more important it is to stay active throughout the trip. It requires some prioritizing and planning, but it’s worth it.
Leave a Reply