How to stay in shape while on the road?

devinberglundjoubert
devinberglundjoubert Posts: 12 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all! So I have a question for you all. I love traveling and I do it a lot, but i want to know how you all keep in shape while traveling? How are some ways to stay and keep in shape while on the road (road trips.)?

Replies

  • quill16
    quill16 Posts: 373 Member
    I take my kitchen scale and keep as close as possible to eating my regular breakfast and lunch (I take my oatmeal, yogurt, protein bars etc.) For dinners out I look for meat and vegies only meals or opting for doubling the veggies instead of starch as a choice. I pick ONE meal to eat dessert as a special night. I stay at places that have a fitness center and/or pool. On my last vacation (2 weeks I gained 4 lbs and lost it in a little over a week.
  • clairedrose
    clairedrose Posts: 121 Member
    Are you talking about exercise,food or both? I can talk about exercise but I'm just figuring out food myself.
  • Lone_Wolf70
    Lone_Wolf70 Posts: 2,820 Member
    its VERY tough. I travel quite a bit for business.

    Step 1- limit alcohol (very difficult)
    Step 2- Accept that it isnt going to be perfect (i usually only get in 1/2 of my normal workout, at best)
    Step 3- Make sure you KILL your workout/nutrition when you're at home to limit the hazards of the road.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I travel for work more than I'd like. I agree on keeping to your regular foods as much as possible. I also have oatmeal and fruit on hand and do the best I can for everything else. I don't bring my scale-airport security is already enough of a PITA. I try to stay at hotels with gyms, but often run outside wherever I'm staying. The hotels often have info on running/walking/hiking paths-and that can be a nice switch. Otherwise-wing it, accept that you're going to consume enough sodium to preserve a buffalo carcass, you'll have a bunch of water weight "gain" and after a few days back at home, you'll be back to normal. Enjoy your travels!
  • jmarie1967
    jmarie1967 Posts: 51 Member
    I take my kitchen scale and keep as close as possible to eating my regular breakfast and lunch (I take my oatmeal, yogurt, protein bars etc.) For dinners out I look for meat and vegies only meals or opting for doubling the veggies instead of starch as a choice. I pick ONE meal to eat dessert as a special night. I stay at places that have a fitness center and/or pool. On my last vacation (2 weeks I gained 4 lbs and lost it in a little over a week.
    Can I just say WOW and KUDOS on your tremendous weight loss! And I like all your ideas for travelling, I travel some for work and am currently on my first trip since I decided to change my life. I have followed all your tips, I actually thought about bringing my scale next time! You are an inspiration!
  • jmarie1967
    jmarie1967 Posts: 51 Member
    its VERY tough. I travel quite a bit for business.

    Step 1- limit alcohol (very difficult)
    Step 2- Accept that it isnt going to be perfect (i usually only get in 1/2 of my normal workout, at best)
    Step 3- Make sure you KILL your workout/nutrition when you're at home to limit the hazards of the road.
    Impressive weight loss! And great tips, saying no to alcohol when you are traveling with work mates is tough! I too am getting in exercise, but not as much as I can at home. And it's true about sodium for sure!
  • SonicDeathMonkey80
    SonicDeathMonkey80 Posts: 4,489 Member
    Wake up early and run. Make time for what matters to you, skip everything else.
  • Lone_Wolf70
    Lone_Wolf70 Posts: 2,820 Member
    its VERY tough. I travel quite a bit for business.

    Step 1- limit alcohol (very difficult)
    Step 2- Accept that it isnt going to be perfect (i usually only get in 1/2 of my normal workout, at best)
    Step 3- Make sure you KILL your workout/nutrition when you're at home to limit the hazards of the road.
    Impressive weight loss! And great tips, saying no to alcohol when you are traveling with work mates is tough! I too am getting in exercise, but not as much as I can at home. And it's true about sodium for sure!

    thanks...but note...i said "limit" alcohol...saying no...well that would be insane lol
  • jaysayres
    jaysayres Posts: 15
    I travel a lot for work and i tend to find i eat much better on the road. i get oatmeal from the hotel for breakfast; fruits and vegetables from a supermarket for snacks; most importantly, before going to a restarant know the nutritional info for what you plan on ordering. Once i'm back in my room, i'm to lazy to go out for a late night snack.

    Check the hotel ahead of time and see who has a a good gym. I go to Golds gym, so i try to find a hotel near a Golds and plan on attending a cycle class several times each week.

    Good luck
  • Lochlyn_D
    Lochlyn_D Posts: 492 Member
    Stop driving, start running.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,407 Member
    When i drove to Montreal, me and my BF used a cooler that plugs into the cig.lighter to keep it cool. Essentially - it was like having a mini fridge with us. :D This allowed me to keep healthy foods fresh (as usually if it doesn't need to keep cool, it probably isn't healthy). When I would find a healthy meal...i would stock up and buy a few (Ex - We decided to stop at subway, decided to get a bunch of salads to go...stashed them in the fridge for the road).

    Now in terms of staying in shape...You could run along side the highway for a bit (this would only work if someone else is with you to drive slowly behind you). Perhaps you could even lift a dumbbell with 1 hand and drive with the other. (though, if your already a **** driver, don't do this)

    Utilize the time your not on the road driving. squats, running, resistance bands, etc.
  • pjp1125
    pjp1125 Posts: 313
    gym is easy. When I can, I try to get a room with a kitchen, and go food shopping upon arrival.
  • JeffseekingV
    JeffseekingV Posts: 3,165 Member
    If it's only for 2-3 days, I'll try to get all my heavy lifting in before I travel. Then I only have to worry about some light lifting and cardio. Easily done at the hotel fitness, outside or if there is a Y close, I get national reciprocals for membership.

    Diet can be tough. I'll actually eat out at national chains as their foods are in the database. And if I go over a bit, so be it.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
    Take some exercise clothes with you and work out in the hotel gym, at a local branch of a national gym if you have a membership, or go running outside. There are also at home workout you can do in the room, but I prefer the aforementioned options.

    If you can swing it, a hotel with a kitchenette makes it easier to eat better. When you are eating out or on the road, make reasonable choices. A stop at Subway, getting chicken sandwich with a side salad at a fast food place, or a bowl at Chipotle, have served me well while road tripping.
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    My best tip is don't allow yourself to make excuses. There really are none for not getting a workout in because you can do that in your hotel room with no equipment at all. It's not ideal, but it can be done. It's even easier if you can take some resistance bands with you, and if your hotel has a gym with dumbbells at the very least, you're set.

    As for food, there are pretty much always options these days, as gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan diets are becoming more and more popular. You just have to be willing to ask and to look around and not just grab the first thing you see that looks edible. You can take fruit, vegetables, protein bars/powder, etc., with you, or find a grocery store and get some when you get where you're going, if that's at all an option. At restaurants, order grilled entrees instead of fried. Food is even easier for me because I'm an intermittent faster, so if I need to, I can go without food all day and use all my calories at dinner.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    I simply continue the same routines I do at home, while I am away. I try to find hotels with gyms that have the equipment I want, and if they don't I improvise and make do with body weight exercises.

    As for food choices, I log--- as best as I can. Unless I have a complete free for all disaster, which usually involves alcohol since I do a lot of client entertainment.

    I would like to add that I travel 3 weeks out of every month on average. I'm actually travelling right now.
  • Spambo16
    Spambo16 Posts: 223 Member
    I travel literally every week for work, and I actually do better on the road than I do at home, because when traveling, I can be selfish instead of having to plan meals and exercise time around my family. Research in advance your hotel and surrounding restaurants and exercise options like running paths or yoga studios. Use the limitations of the hotel fitness center to boost your creativity in your exercise program, rather than make excuses.

    Also, if traveling with others, do your workout in the morning, or right after work before going out to dinner. If you go out to dinner first, you're almost guaranteed to eat/drink more than you would have normally, and then end up way too full to work out without hurling.
  • odddrums
    odddrums Posts: 342 Member
    1 - Staying in Hotels with Fitness Centers. Even just getting on an elliptical for 30-40 minutes every other day does wonders, and if you have a full-fledged one that will help a ton. If you don't have one, just go for a jog or do a quick circuit in the hotel room. This one is extra.

    2 - Don't Drink. Alcohol will ruin your everything and make you dehydrated and all that. A good excuse [if you need one] is "Oh I'm still getting over a cold" or just volunteer to be the Designated Driver. I mean yeah, have a drink or 2 or however many you want honestly, but if you're out on the road a lot it can help keep your calories balanced.

    3 - Bring snacks! Having an apple or banana or some veggies from the store to snack on will save you from having huge lunches and dinners. This also ties into the 4th one

    4 - Eat slow and bag your extras every time you eat out. Eating slow will not only let you realize you are fuller before you overeat. Easy rule is to put your fork down after every bite or 2. This will also help you keep the appearance of being fit and not "pigging out" in front of people you might want to impress. And if you box up extras, you've got built in snacks!

    5 - Make healthy choices. This one can be hard if you're at a table and everyone orders a steak but you order a salad with light dressing on the side. It's easy to do this at lunch and at dinner get that steak but maybe only eat half of the potato and avoid the bread? Or don't! Which leads to the most important choice:

    6 - Stop caring. You're on the road, take a little break! If this is a regular thing and you're working on your discipline then go hardcore like a frozen apple. If this is a once a year thing and you're letting loose then just relax and enjoy yourself. A set of buffalo wings and a beer won't change you or your choices, and remember you already had a sensible breakfast and a salad for lunch, so whatever!

    The biggest thing is to just keep to the same routines. If you don't eat a lot of fried food or drink soda that often then don't start having burgers and fries and a coke with chicken fried steak and gravy for breakfast for 3-4 days straight. Listen to your body, it knows what it wants.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,153 Member
    Nerdfitness.com has a good bodyweight circuit routine designed for a hotel room that I use when I have to live out of a suitcase for work (though lately, I've been doing insanity since all I need is my computer and an open space).
  • devinberglundjoubert
    devinberglundjoubert Posts: 12 Member
    Exercise. :)

    These are great ideas! :)
  • pcastagner
    pcastagner Posts: 1,606 Member
    My formula:

    1)no excuses allowed
    2)a food scale that folds up for packing in luggage
    3)a TRX tactical suspension trainer
    4)resistance bands
    5)a speed rope
    6)leangains style intermittent fasting


    Been on the road for the past 3 months. Progress has not stopped. My gym fits in a bag and weighs 3 pounds.
  • castadiva
    castadiva Posts: 2,016 Member
    Bump for later reading.

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