Staying with it - travel

TheRambler

Here I go again!

So I am looking to get back to working out. I love doing it. 25 mins HIIT , 25 mins lifting. But....

I travel for work. International a lot. China and so on. Mondays I'm driving by 4:30 am. But..
When I'm home, I'm home for big chunks at a time. So what ends up happening is I will start working out, go to China , come back seriously jet lagged and then stop going. Sometimes not work out for months at a time.

There has to be a way to keep with it. Mentally and physically I let the excuses get the best of me.

Nikki10129

You answered your question yourself at the end, you just need to stop letting the excuses get to you! Not to mention, you can do workouts in your hotel rooms and lots of hotels have gyms, usually small but good way to stay with it. And I don't know where else you travel, but my favourite part about China was the wide variety of cuisine, and the fact that stuff was cheap and generally pretty healthy as far as grab and go food goes.

TheRambler

Nikki10129 wrote: »

You answered your question yourself at the end, you just need to stop letting the excuses get to you! Not to mention, you can do workouts in your hotel rooms and lots of hotels have gyms, usually small but good way to stay with it. And I don't know where else you travel, but my favourite part about China was the wide variety of cuisine, and the fact that stuff was cheap and generally pretty healthy as far as grab and go food goes.

I agree about China. Funny thing is, I work out and do a lot of walking there. It's when I get HOME from trips. I'm exhausted and can't get back into this time zone.

Nikki10129

TheRambler wrote: »

Nikki10129 wrote: »

You answered your question yourself at the end, you just need to stop letting the excuses get to you! Not to mention, you can do workouts in your hotel rooms and lots of hotels have gyms, usually small but good way to stay with it. And I don't know where else you travel, but my favourite part about China was the wide variety of cuisine, and the fact that stuff was cheap and generally pretty healthy as far as grab and go food goes.

I agree about China. Funny thing is, I work out and do a lot of walking there. It's when I get HOME from trips. I'm exhausted and can't get back into this time zone.

I get that, I found China especially hard, that 12 hour difference combined with the fact that I started following their practice of going home at noon and napping and I was useless for at least a week. Really the best advice I can offer, is the quicker you force yourself back into your routine the easier it'll be and the easier it'll get in the future.

Sorry, I can't think of much better advice than that, jet lag sucks, routine has always helped me coming back from oversees ! But I probably haven't done it as much as you

jemhh

How long are you in China and are you at the same place each time you go?

TheRambler

the last few times I have went I have made a point to not stay long. This time I fly in, have meetings the next two days and fly out. Always the same place for me, 90 miles west of Shanghai.

Thanks for the advice, Nikki... I REALLY am itching to start working out religiously, so hopefully that will get me on the "horse".

danika2point0

If I were you, in China, I would force myself to do 15-20 minutes of something, anything a day. Check out FitnessBlender.com. Maintain your routine somewhat.

When you return home, maybe don't force yourself to go full gusto back to your exact routine ...perhaps say, "In the first week after getting back from China, I am going to move for 30 minutes every day", even if it's a light jog or a fun online cardio video. "In week 2, I will do at least two days of my 'normal' workout routine and 3 days of my lighter routine". "On week 3, I will...." Scaffold it.

When I am really low on energy and try to force myself to do my entire planned workout, it makes me not want to do it, I resist. When I say to myself, 'Okay, Danika, give yourself a break...do just 30 minutes of something you want to do', that makes all the difference and sometimes I find myself even then ramping up the workout. I think it's about maintaining the routine and the habit however you have to do it.

Do what you enjoy, or what you are able, and then you won't have to force it. Even a moderate paced walk is better than nothing.

TheRambler

danika2point0 wrote: »

If I were you, in China, I would force myself to do 15-20 minutes of something, anything a day. Check out FitnessBlender.com. Maintain your routine somewhat.

When you return home, maybe don't force yourself to go full gusto back to your exact routine ...perhaps say, "In the first week after getting back from China, I am going to move for 30 minutes every day", even if it's a light jog or a fun online cardio video. "In week 2, I will do at least two days of my 'normal' workout routine and 3 days of my lighter routine". "On week 3, I will...." Scaffold it.

When I am really low on energy and try to force myself to do my entire planned workout, it makes me not want to do it, I resist. When I say to myself, 'Okay, Danika, give yourself a break...do just 30 minutes of something you want to do', that makes all the difference and sometimes I find myself even then ramping up the workout. I think it's about maintaining the routine and the habit however you have to do it.

Do what you enjoy, or what you are able, and then you won't have to force it. Even a moderate paced walk is better than nothing.

Fantastic advice. Thanks!!

pondee629

" come back seriously jet lagged and then stop going. Sometimes not work out for months at a time."

Several months of Jet Lag? Stop telling yourself stories and get back to work. Slowly at first, if you need to, but MONTHS, seriously?

TheRambler

I didn't suggest that I was jet lagged for months , just that I don't get back into a workout rhythm.

NorthCascades

Do you have a smart watch or phone? Set recurring appointments on your calendar for exercise. Buy a set or two of resistance bands and use them for your strength training because they travel well. Give up HIIT and get a pair of running shoes, or start cycling and find places to rent when you travel.

pondee629

TheRambler wrote: »

I didn't suggest that I was jet lagged for months , just that I don't get back into a workout rhythm.

So... it's not the travel problem? ;-)

"There has to be a way to keep with it. Mentally and physically I let the excuses get the best of me"

What do you want us to tell you? It seems you know the answer. There is a way to keep with it; You keep with it because you want to.

danika2point0

I think he was pretty upfront that he was using excuses, but I read that that he was just asking for strategies that other people have used when they have a disruption in their routine. How to set himself up to succeed, since he knows that travelling and disrupting his routine leads him to make these types of excuses. I know sometimes it helps to learn what works for others and how I might apply that to benefit my own self.

TheRambler

I landed back from China Monday night. Got home 9 pm. I was back in the gym this morning at 4:45! Thanks for the support.

amtyrell

Good job getting back at the gym.

TheRambler

Thanks for the extra support the long sleep Monday night helped.

dmkoenig

I mostly fly domestically so I don't have the jet lag issues you have to deal with. Nevertheless, working out on the road is not easy but you can make it work. I'm just wrapping up training for a Half Ironman and to get a swim workout in I bought a tether so I could use the dinky hotel pool to swim. As far as HIIT training goes, I also pack some TRX straps in my suitcase that I attach to the hotel room door. You can get a killer full body workout just in your room.

TheRambler

dmkoenig wrote: »

I mostly fly domestically so I don't have the jet lag issues you have to deal with. Nevertheless, working out on the road is not easy but you can make it work. I'm just wrapping up training for a Half Ironman and to get a swim workout in I bought a tether so I could use the dinky hotel pool to swim. As far as HIIT training goes, I also pack some TRX straps in my suitcase that I attach to the hotel room door. You can get a killer full body workout just in your room.

Thanks! My problem was never working out on the road as much as getting my butt outta bed when I get home from a long overseas trip. Will power ha

fitzmonkey13

Congratulations on getting back to the gym this trip!

If you find you continue to struggle on future trips, a suggestion might be to book an appointment with a trainer for the day after you get back, or a fitness class... Something you have to pay for in advance. If you had to pay for it, you might be more motivated to go.

Or maybe you could make plans with a workout buddy for those dates. You would probably be less likely to stand up a friend.

Sometimes we all need to kick ourselves in the butt, and sometimes we need someone else to do it for us.