Travel fitness tips

rickdkitson

We all travel sometimes and have all found that working out and eating healthy can be difficult. Restaurants, being in holiday mode and jet lag all can play havoc with the best laid plans.

Here are some of my ways of coping

Body weight workouts. They can be just as good exercise as one in a gym with equipment but are easy to pack and you don’t have to be at the gym’s time schedule but can be on your own. There are lots of routines out there, several Android apps feature them as well or make up your own.

Exercise bands. Light to pack and can be added to body weight exercises for a pretty intense workout.

Walking. Still a great one every time and you can do it anyplace. In some monster airports you can walk a 2 km or more route before you get back to your starting point.

Put your exercise videos on a USB stick. Most TV’s have a USB port and you can play them on a bigger screen than your laptop. Also the USB port on a TV can be used as an extra charger in most cases.

Coffee, great for helping boost metabolism but sometimes difficult to get, North American style, especially internationally. I pack a tea ball, the golf ball sized mesh balls made for brewing loose tea. They work for coffee. Just experiment a little. I hold the ball at the edge of the cup with the chain and pour the boiling water through it to fill the cup, then let the ball sit for a couple of minutes. So far the best way I have found for single cup making with little fuss. Pack a mini kettle as well to make a cup or so boiling water and you are good to go anywhere.

Flee free to add some more.

faithrainbow1

What are your favorite body weight workouts?

ZRunner5Lulaica

Take advantage of hotel amenities. A large number now have a fitness center (which can be as simple as a treadmill and bike or as elaborate as free weights, cardio machines, heated infinity pools, etc.). I spent 30-45 minutes in the fitness center every morning while on my honeymoon and loved the little bit of me time.

Also look at studios in the area. Most offer drop-in trials (or will give a discounted price). It's a good way to try stuff out.

rickdkitson

I have found that coffee in a lot of places is not at all like the coffee we usually get in North America. For example here in the Philippines you often get a powdered coffee that comes presweetened and with powdered creamer all in the foil package. Many restaurants serve it even when they advertise brewed coffee.

In Arab Countries you typically get a Turkish style coffee, small cup of very strong coffee. In Iceland you only get a North American style coffee in the morning. After breakfast you get something more like a Turkish style coffee.

Also room service coffee can take 30 minutes or more and often arrives cold and can cost $5 to $10 plus tip in high end hotels, I make my own, have it hot any time right away and it is the blend and strength I get at home.



Hotel gyms can be great but what about when you are jet lagged? You are wide awake at 2 AM local time and the gym is closed. I have stayed in several hotels where the gym doesn’t open to 8 AM local time. How can you do a work out and make your 9 AM business meeting? (I am a morning exerciser). I’ll use the gym if it is open when I want to go but it doesn’t always fit my schedule. My favourite hotel in Dubai is one where the gym opens at 8 AM and since it is also open to the public and sells local memberships it is always crowded.

I also often travel off the beaten path and by necessity stay at hotels with no gym or a poor excuse for a gym. (A couple free weights and a broken treadmill ). I also have been in construction camps and a big one will have a modern well equipped gym but a small one or one just being set up will not have gym or much in the way of recreational equipment.

I am an Airbnb fan also for my personal travel. So far only stayed at one with a gym available.



I like a variety of body weight workouts to keep it mixed up what I do. Right now my favourite is on an Android app and it is called Home Workouts. Three levels of intensity and three different focus areas each. Not sure if an Apple app is available for it.

I also like the old RCAF 5bx workout plan. It was designed during the Cold War for servicemen in remote areas with limited space to work out in. This makes it perfect for hotels and travel. Some of the exercises are shown in what we now know is incorrect form but I simply use the modern form for those. There is a 10bx program designed for women as well. (The bx stands for basic exercises.)

lorrpb

Tip on your tip: There are paper fold over tea bags for loose tea/coffee (ugh!) that you can throw out rather wash and reuse.

laur357

Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. Getting 20 or 30 minutes of yoga, especially after sitting in a car or on a plane for hours, feels great.