Have Workout Will Travel

Posted by Niki Richardson on November 1, 2007 · Leave a Comment

Whether you are looking to travel for holiday family trips or you travel for business, or you just need a good old fashioned vacation, it invariably takes a toll on the regularity of your exercise regimen and your life in general.

You’re jetlagged, in an unfamiliar town, uncertain of the roads, and you don’t have access to a gym because yours is a local gym with no franchises elsewhere. If staying in a hotel, you don’t have access to a kitchen or wholesome ingredients so you eat unhealthily — the reasons (excuses) are endless. (Or it is the holidays and portion size expands.)

If healthier living is a lifestyle instead of a resolution then there should be no “wagon” to fall off, and you won’t come home with more baggage than your dirty laundry!

Do your homework and plan ahead!

Book yourself into a hotel with a gym.
Create a routine for yourself that you can do in the confines of a hotel room. This way you’re more likely to actually do it because you’ve tried out its effectiveness in the familiarity of your own home.
If you’re a runner, check in with a local running club and join them on their run! This is a great way to meet like-minded people and run with a pack, which is much safer, particularly on roads you’re unfamiliar with.
Commit to healthier eating choices and research local eateries around your hotel so you know which ones to hit and which ones to avoid.
If you’re traveling for business and expect to have long days in conference rooms with little time for yourself, bite the bullet and wake up just thirty minutes earlier and squeeze in a run around your hotel or a quick resistance workout in your hotel room. Resistance bands are light and take up no room in your suitcase — so don’t leave home without them. You can also use a phone book or big bottles of water in lieu of weights.
Exercises like push ups, lunges, crunches etc. require no equipment.

Improvise!

If the weather is bad, find a mall and “mall-walk.” (Leave your wallet -behind so you’re not inclined to shop, just carry some change and your ID in a pocket in case of an emergency.)
Book yourself into a higher floor at the hotel and use the stairs instead of the elevator for an instant cardiovascular workout.
Instead of eating every meal at a restaurant, find a local grocery store; buy some fruit, cereal (or oatmeal) and milk and store it in your room for a healthier (and cheaper) breakfast for everyday of your trip! Get yourself a sandwich from the deli section and you’ll be less inclined to get “chips, drink and a cookie” than if you were to go to a “Subway” or “Quiznos” or some such sandwich place. This way you can allow yourself to indulge a little for dinner and taste the local wares.
If you don’t have 30 minutes to commit to your workout, then break it up into 10-minute chunks.

Make it Fun!

Make exercise a part of your trip. Walk to all the sight-seeing icons; walk whenever to wherever you can.
Most of the larger cruise ships offer state of the art gym equipment, so if you’re chowing down at the all-you-can-eat midnight buffet, make sure to work it off the next morning on the running track around the ship, in the pool or at the gym.
Try something you’ve never done before, i.e., Seattle is home of the REI flagship store — which has a 65 foot tall, rock wall — test it out!
Go skiing in Dubai, or indoor ice skating in South East Asia, whatever your pleasure, do something to elevate your heart rate while doing something you’ve never done before.
Go on a different kind of vacation — adventure travel no longer means camping and eating out of a tin cup. There are enough adventure tour outfitters happy to tailor a trip that combines a healthy dose of adventure geared to your skill level with luxury accommodations and gourmet cuisine.
Include the whole family; ask every member of the family to come up with different forms of exercise daily. Now you have diversity and accountability!
Allow yourself an indulgence. Make a reservation at the French restaurant you’ve heard so much about and conserve your calories by eating healthily all day, so you won’t feel so guilty about eating every course — including the dessert and cheese!

When you travel, make it a habit to pack your workout gear. Yes, your athletic shoes are bulky and cumbersome to pack, but think about where you’d rather have those extra pounds … in your suitcases or on your person! You won’t leave home without your tooth brush — make your exercise clothes just as important and you’ll come home without the sense of doom of you now have to drop those extra vacation pounds.