A Beginner’s Guide on How to Workout on the Go
Being constantly on travel doesn’t mean you have to give up your fitness routine. Click here to learn how to work out on the go.
Don’t you have enough to worry about when you go on a trip without bothering with your workouts? From packing lists to schedules and tickets, traveling can be exhausting all on its own.
Yet doing a workout on the go doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems. There are plenty of ways to make sure you still have time to work on your fitness goals before the day begins, especially if you do a small bit of planning ahead.
Check out some of these best ways to work out, even if you’re in a far-away place.
Use Portable Tools
When you have to be gone from home, your workout doesn’t have to suffer if you bring the right tools. Resistance bands take up minimal space in your luggage, and they can help you get a tough workout wherever you are. From a hotel room to a roadside park you stopped at for lunch, all it takes is open space and some time.
These workouts will help you harness the power in those little bands. Another tool you can bring in your luggage is a yoga mat to help level the ground and protect your feet and knees as you work out. Sometimes the carpet in a hotel room won’t cut it.
Workout on the Go with Only Bodyweight Exercises
You don’t always need to have tools when you work out, either. While you can bring some with you, there are also options for getting your heart rate up and working hard without any extra equipment. Try following along with bodyweight workouts and aerobic videos in your hotel room or in a public park.
If you want to go this route, it takes some planning ahead. You’ll have to download any videos you want to play if you don’t want to drain your data plan in the absence of WiFi. An alternate option is choosing a book with workouts and routines to follow, so you don’t need the data plan to keep you healthy.
Try doing one-legged squats, dips using hotel chairs, or walking lunges across the room. Wall sits are also challenging, as well as planks and burpees. You’ll find instructions for these bodyweight exercises and plenty more when you do research to plan your trip’s workouts.
One more note about bodyweight workouts: playgrounds are excellent locations for this type of exercise. Find a playground in a public park, especially in the early morning so you’re not mobbed by kids. Some parks even have adult workout “playground” equipment now.
Use the monkey bars to do some pull-up reps, as well as sit-ups while hanging from your knees. A bench provides a place to do jump-ups for as many reps as you can handle, along with the means for incline and decline push-ups. Work your abs and do a roll-out with a swing.
Whether in a park, on a playground, or in the privacy of your hotel room, there are plenty of places that help you avoid relying on equipment for your workout.
Use Hotel Facilities
Most hotels have workout facilities, and you plan to use them until you realize they don’t have the exact equipment you were counting on. Here again, you can plan ahead, especially in a technical age. Check out the hotel’s website to find out what equipment their workout rooms feature.
If all else fails, pick up the phone and ask. You may get the concierge to set you up with a free sample workout class the hotel offers or other perks, just for making the effort to talk to someone. Don’t forget to mention when you’re going for a special event–oftentimes the event includes perks regular hotel guests can’t take advantage of.
After a difficult workout, the best part about hotel fitness rooms is they’re often near the pool or spa. Take advantage of those to cool off and relax before you go into a high-powered day of meetings.
Find Free Public Classes
Any big city event will mean you have access to big city workout classes. Even Meghan Markle takes advantage of workout classes when she’s traveling, so why shouldn’t you? There’s something for everyone at the YMCA, which most big cities have, and plenty of gyms will let you try an exercise program for free because they want you to join the facility.
Large metropolises also have downtowns with big squares, where they host classes like yoga and other workouts early in the morning. Check into options like these to make your traveling workout regime easier to manage.
Choose Healthy Food Options
If you’re going to work out while you’re traveling, you have to keep in mind what times those workouts will be. If they’re at odd hours, chances are you’ll need a high-protein snack to tide you over after the exercise.
The most important thing with a healthy lifestyle is consistency, so it’s good that you’re trying to eat healthily and exercise while you’re on the go. Yet finding healthy alternatives isn’t easy when you’re at a conference or on the road.
Choose protein-rich breakfasts, like eggs and meat without the breakfast sandwich outside. Then a big salad for lunch or dinner with some chicken for protein can help you achieve your health goals. And when you stick to healthier options most of the time, then big dinners out with coworkers don’t mess up your eating plan as much.
Staying Strong and Fit
Living a nomadic lifestyle, or even going on one trip a year, doesn’t mean you have to lose everything you’ve worked hard for. When it comes to the body you’ve sculpted, staying healthy and energetic is important enough to plan ahead for a workout on the go.
Using portable tools that you haul in your luggage is one route, and you can do a lot without tools, too. From the hotel gym to city-wide free workouts and bodyweight exercises in the public parks, working out doesn’t stop when you travel.
Stick to it and you can keep up with your goals. For more help with fitness, check out the rest of our website.
