Staying physically active while traveling can seem like an impossible feat. Between navigating airports, sitting for hours on trains or planes, adjusting to new environments, and simply trying to vacation, getting in a proper workout is usually the last thing on your mind. However, maintaining a consistent fitness routine is crucial for both physical and mental health – even when you’re on the go. With the right travel workouts, you can stay active and energized throughout your journey, ensuring you make the most of every destination while taking care of your body.
The exciting news? You absolutely can stay fit while traveling if you have the right strategies in place. By packing smart, taking advantage of your surroundings, and putting together quick but effective workouts, you can unleash some awesome travel-friendly routines that will keep you at the top of your game. Read on to discover some powerfully simple yet stunning ways you can stay active, healthy, and happy no matter where your travels take you next.
Benefits of Staying Active During Travel
Consistency is key when it comes to reaching your health and fitness goals. When traveling leads to decreased activity levels and departure from your regular eating habits, it becomes exponentially more difficult to maintain progress. However, just a few short workouts per week can have immense positive impacts on both your physical fitness and mental wellbeing.
By carving out time for exercise during trips, not only will you feel stronger, more energized, and experience less stress, but you’ll return home ready to crush your next gym session instead of having to backtrack. Travel workouts are all about maintaining the stellar momentum you’ve worked hard to build rather than losing your edge.
Quick and Effective Travel Workouts
The greatest thing about travel workouts? All you truly need is your own bodyweight and a positive attitude to succeed. While you can certainly incorporate additional equipment like resistance bands if you have the room, bodyweight exercises alone can make for challenging, satisfying routines. Here are some of our favorite ways to stay strong and crush quick workouts anytime, anywhere:
- Bodyweight Exercises for Any Location
The versatility of bodyweight exercises is what makes them so ideal for traveling. All you need is enough space to move safely, meaning you can workout from hotel rooms, empty parks, and even airport terminals in a pinch. Some excellent full body moves include:
- Squats: Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, send hips back and bend knees to lower into a squat. Engage core and press through heels to return to start. Try squat jumps or pulses to up the intensity!
- Lunges: Step one leg forward and lower your body until both knees bend to 90-degree angles. Push back up through the front heel to return to start. Repeat on both sides for reps.
- Pushups: From a high plank position with shoulders over wrists and legs extended behind you, bend elbows to lower chest towards the ground. Press back to start. Do standard pushups or add variations like staggered hand placement.
- Planks: Start in a high plank position, engage core, and hold for 30-60 seconds. For added intensity, try side planks by stacking feet and holding your body in a straight line.
With just these bodyweight moves alone plus some creativity, you can put together awesome travel workouts ranging from circuits to HIIT and more.
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on the Go
When time and space are limited, HIIT is your best friend. High-intensity interval training refers to short bursts of max-effort exercise followed by short rest periods. This style of training torch calories and builds cardiovascular endurance rapidly…making it wonderfully travel-friendly!
Some examples of HIIT exercises you can perform solo nearly anywhere include:
- Jumping jacks: 40 seconds high intensity, 20 seconds rest
- Burpees: 30 seconds all out effort, 30 seconds rest
- Mountain climbers: 60 seconds as fast as possible, 30 seconds rest
- Squat jumps: 45 seconds continuous explosive jumps, 15 seconds rest
Simply choose your favorite bodyweight moves, establish a work to rest ratio (like 30:30), set a timer, and crush as many reps as possible during the effort portion. Rinse and repeat for rounds lasting 10-20 minutes total. Easy, portable, and super effective!
- Incorporating Resistance Bands
While resistance bands do require packing additional equipment, they make wonderful lightweight, compact additions to any bag. These stretchy bands provide awesome strength training and can match movements performed at the gym with free weights. Some great examples include:
- Bicep curls: Wrap band around forearms and perform a standard bicep curl movement pulling band towards shoulders.
- Overhead press: Secure band at chest height, grasp handles and press straight upwards over head.
- Squat rows: Place band under both feet and stand holding one handle next to hips. Perform a squat, driving through heels while rowing band to hips.
The beauty of resistance bands is their versatility. You can train multiple muscle groups, adjust resistance levels, and increase intensity in many creative ways. They make effective portable gym replacements.
Smart Packing Tips for Fitness Enthusiasts
The key to maintaining your normal exercise routine while traveling is strategically packing fitness gear and equipment. You’ll want to maximize space in your luggage while choosing items that are versatile, multi-use, and travel-friendly. Some smart suggestions include:
- Resistance bands as previously mentioned are both lightweight and hugely versatile. They take up little luggage real estate while providing strength training options galore.
- Rollable yoga mats, light hand weights, and compact exercise slides all allow for expanded workout options with minimal added bulk.
- Well-made running shoes and quick dry athletic apparel take little space but invite opportunities for cardio while exploring new destinations. Having the right gear makes fitting in fitness far more likely.
- Packing healthy snacks is a must, as is a refillable water bottle. Nuts, protein bars, bananas and nut butters make excellent portable nutrition to keep energy levels high. Proper hydration is also key during and post-sweat sessions.
The bottom line? Choose items strategically and dual-purpose whenever possible. A resistance band takes little room but provides endless options. A bathing suit functions great as athletic wear too. This allows packing fitness essentials while still leaving space for souvenirs!
Staying Active During Different Types of Travel
Each travel experience brings its own unique circumstances and potential obstacles to continuing your regular fitness schedule. However, with advanced planning and creative thinking, even the most hectic itinerary can include effective workouts! Here are tips for staying active during some of the most common travel adventures:
Flights: In-flight exercise may sound silly but is wonderfully doable. Focus on bodyweight moves that can be performed in a seat like subtle squats, hamstring curls, chest presses and bicep flexes using water bottles as light resistance. Stretch hip flexors, calves and shoulders for relief too. Bring resistance bands and a neck pillow to expand options.
Road Trips: Long hours in the car do a number on mobility and energy yet road trip destinations often provide awesome opportunities to move. When stopping, take walk breaks, do bodyweight moves like lunges or planks at rest stops, or even perform resistance band exercises seated or standing safely outside the car doors.
Hotels: Utilize fitness centers when available in hotels for cardio and strength training. Bring equipment like resistance bands to guarantee workout options too. If centers are closed or unavailable, recall the bodyweight, HIIT and band recommendations above! Use lobby or outdoor space, inside your room, even the hotel stairs cardio intervals.
The key in every travel scenario? Get creative! Embrace activities inherent to your destinations as exercise too. Hike gorgeous trails, swim at beaches, walk mile after mile exploring new cities. Staying active during travel opens up a world of possibilities beyond the gym. With the right mindset and strategy, you genuinely can stay wonderfully fit on the road!
Maintaining a Healthy Diet on the Road
Fitness and nutrition go hand in hand, so maintaining healthy eating habits is essential even during travel for supporting your overall well-being. Convenient airports and restaurants meals tend to be high in fat, sodium and preservatives – sabotaging progress.
Having nutritious snacks on hand, purchasing fresh grocery store items, seeking restaurants with healthier dishes, and staying properly hydrated are all excellent strategies for balanced eating away from home. Some helpful tips include:
- Pack non-perishable high protein snacks like nuts, seeds, jerky, nut butters, protein bars and shakes. Pair with fresh fruits and mini veggies for filling fiber too.
- Grocery shop immediately at destinations for produce, yogurt, hummus, hard boiled eggs, and prepared grilled chicken breasts or salmon filets.
- When dining out, seek grilled, steamed and roasted entrees with vegetables vs fried, creamy or heavy sauced dishes. Request minimal salt and oil. Share or pack leftovers.
- Stay hydrated by bringing a large refillable water bottle everywhere and requesting free water at restaurants. Dehydration sabotages health quickly, especially with added travel exercise.
Balancing great workouts with proper nutrition sets you up for success on the road. A little extra planning makes healthy choices while traveling infinitely more doable…and means returning home still feeling your best!
Let’s do it!
Consistency with health and fitness routines truly is challenging during travel, but absolutely possible with the right strategies, gear, mindset and commitment. By being prepared to workout anytime, anywhere with effective bodyweight moves, resistance bands, opportunistic activities and the ideal nutrition plan, you genuinely can stay active, energized and at your goal weight no matter where you roam.
Hopefully these practical tips and stunning strategies have unleashed a passion for adventure travel that still prioritizes your physical health! Please explore more of our articles on incredible destinations worldwide that invite fitness too. Sign up for our newsletter as well for regular insights that will keep you active and thriving even on the go. Where will you walk, run, strength train, move and explore next? The possibilities are endless!
We know heading out on dreamed-of trips often feels at odds with maintaining hard-earned progress in health and fitness goals. Let us help you see the world AND stay active, nourished and energized with our regular travel tips!
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