10 Activities For Staying Fit While Traveling {Without Spending Your Vacation in the Gym}
Staying fit while traveling
Staying fit while traveling can be a challenge when you are out of your routine.
First of all, we are body positive around here. All shapes and sizes are welcome.
We like staying healthy so that our mental focus is clear; we can walk to all the places and do all the things, and enjoy new cuisines and dishes without feeling sick afterward.
No judgment. No expectations. Just each of us choosing how we want to feel and be in this world.
We each go about that a little different and with a different intensity. And to be clear, we’ve all been on many vacations and trips where exercise didn’t even occur to us.
- 10 Activities For Staying Fit While Traveling {Without Spending Your Vacation in the Gym}
- Staying fit while traveling
- The basics still apply for staying fit while traveling
- How to stay fit while traveling
- 10 ways to maintain your fitness
- Staying fit on road trips
- Tips for staying fit while traveling
- How to get fit while traveling
- Summary
- Fit travel resources
The basics still apply for staying fit while traveling
Sleep
Sleep can make or break a trip, especially if you are dealing with jet lag. Getting enough quality sleep is essential to maintain your energy, your fitness, and your mood when traveling.
Sleep Smarter
By: Shawn Stevenson
Drink water
Drink water. Drink water. Drink water. Stay hydrated, and you will have a much more clear-minded trip. Being dehydrated makes us sluggish, tired, and less able to make critical decisions.
Have a water bottle with you throughout the day, and take a drink at least every hour. The best practice would be to finish a water bottle every two hours.
Eat healthy
Eating healthy has come to a very personal place in culture today. Everyone has their version of what eating healthy looks like. Some are Keto, others vegan, others eat only organic and GMO-free products.
If you have an idea of what eating healthy looks like and you have an already established eating routine, then stick with it while traveling as closely as possible.
But consider loosening up to enjoy some of the cultural cuisines and local flavors of the place you are visiting.
How to stay fit while traveling
What does your vacation look like?
The idea of “vacation” has different meanings for every person. One person’s vacation might look like lying on the beach all day while others may look like walking around an entire city until their feet nearly fall off.
How you travel is good to note when you are preparing an exercise plan for your trip. If you are walking all day, maybe you don’t need to also go for a run in the morning. Perhaps an alternative would be to add a few bodyweight exercises into your morning routine instead.
Being tired out because you exhausted yourself in the gym that morning would be a bummer travel day. Walking is a great exercise, even if you normally are a runner.
Something is better than nothing
If you don’t have a full hour to exercise, or however long you typically exercise, try doing something in the amount of time you do have.
Or schedule in twenty to thirty minutes to get a workout in. I know if I miss too many days of yoga, I start to feel stiff and uncomfortable. Fitting in a 15-20 minute routine before heading out for the day is better than nothing.
Give yourself grace. You are traveling, your focus should be on your trip and its okay to loosen up a bit. If it makes the trip more enjoyable, add in workouts, but maybe consider this as a time to maintain your fitness rather than expecting yourself to gain better fitness.
Do the hard things
Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
Walk to your next stop rather than taking a bus.
Try a veggie instead of a donut. Drink water instead of soda.
The harder thing is typically better for you. Gaining the mindset of watching for opportunities to make a healthier choice will set you up for long term success that will stay with you beyond your vacation.
10 ways to maintain your fitness
1 – Yoga
Incorporating a yoga routine to your morning is great because you can do it pretty much anywhere. In your hotel room, rental house, on the beach, at your campsite, in a park.
If you haven’t done yoga before, that’s okay, try out some beginner yoga on Youtube or learn a few poses before you leave to use each morning.
I do a Yoga With Adriene video most mornings. You can come up with your routine, but sometimes it’s nice just to follow along.
2 – Online exercise programs that don’t require gear
There are lots of exercise programs online that you can sign up for. There are also countless workouts on YouTube.
Do a trial membership of an online program to test it out and get some exercise in. Programs that don’t require gear are key because you probably won’t have access to full gym equipment.
Beach Body on Demand is an exercise membership program that offers lots of different workout routines and instructors for a monthly free. They have a 14-day free trial.
3 – Hotel gym/local gym
If you just can’t manage without a gym, then check our your hotel’s gym. Or find a gym nearby that allows short-term guests. Some gyms require a monthly membership. Others will allow you to drop in for the few days you’ll be in town.
If you belong to a gym, check to see if they are members of a reciprocity program. You can often gain access to an out-of-town gym – either for free or on a reduced day-pass.
Do a Google search for gyms in the town you are staying in.
4 – Body weight workout routines
Create or find a bodyweight workout routine that you can do in your room before leaving for the day.
Things like squats, pushups, planks, lunges, and burpees are just some options.
Nerd Fitness has a couple body weight exercise routine suggestions:
5 Travel Workouts: The Ultimate Guide to Get In Shape While Traveling.
We enjoy listening to Shawn Stevenson’s podcast, The Model Health Show. One of his episodes is all about The Only 5 Exercises You Need To Create An Amazing Physique. It covers five basic moves that you can do to strengthen your body and stay healthy in a functional easy to apply way.
5 – Outdoor adventure activities
Depending on how adventurous you are, you may consider incorporating some sort of outdoor adventure to your trip. These activities are fantastic for fitness and don’t feel like exercise.
- Rock climbing
- Snorkeling
- Surfing
- Geocaching
- Snowshoeing
- Hiking
- Backpacking
6 – Walking
Walking is amazing for our bodies. Its low impact, so it doesn’t hurt our joints, but it also gets our blood flowing and helps us feel great.
Ideas for ways to walk while traveling:
- Walking tour
- Local trails and parks…
- Geocaching, How to Get Started Geocaching
You could also just go for a walk around wherever you are staying.
For more reasons why walking is good for your health watch:
Reduce Body Fat & Increase Your Lifespan: The Surprising Benefits Of Walking
By: The Model Health Show and Shawn Stevenson.
7 – Running
Go for a run around your accommodations, find a nearby trail to run on, run around the town you’re in.
Sightseeing runs are great ways to get a workout in and see some of where you are staying. Use a map to create your run route and then follow it to see what’s in the area. This can be a great way to find local restaurants, shops, museums, or other stops you may not have known about.
8 – Speed workouts for a quick pick-me-up
Doing a couple of sets of speed exercises is excellent for cardio and strength. They are also quick, which is great for a packed travel itinerary.
The Worlds Fastest Workout Video created by DietHealth is a great example of a fast-paced speed workout that hits both strength training and cardio.
9 – Bike ride
If you are staying in a town that has bike rentals available, try using the bikes as your transportation instead of driving or using the bus.
10 – Go play
If you have kids, take them to a park or playground and run around with them. Do some bodyweight exercises like lunges, squats, push-ups, burpees. Get everyone to do jumping jacks, high knees, run around the playground a few times.
If you don’t have kids consider using the playground early in the morning as your personal gym, pull-ups, incline push-ups, step-ups…there are all kinds of exercises you can do. Set a timer with the amount of time you have and keep moving until the timer goes off.
Staying fit on road trips
If you are taking a long road trip and will be sitting in the car all day, it is especially helpful to get a morning exercise routine in. Exercising on road trips is great because it will help you to remain alert when you are driving, as well as work away some extra pent up energy that might build up while you are sitting all day.
Consider adding a morning cardio routine to your travel plans.
Pit stop plan
On pit stops do some bodyweight exercises next to the car. Squats, lunges, and jumping jacks get the blood moving and use your muscles.
Having a pit stop routine is a great way to add in exercise, get a good break from the car, and rejuvenate for another driving stint.
Pit stop with kids
If you are traveling with kids getting them out and running around the car a few times or up and down a sidewalk for a few minutes raises moral.
Take along a football, Frisbee or jump rope to add an element of fun.
When we were young, we had our road trip picnics in a park so we could all play off some steam.
Tips for staying fit while traveling
- Plan ahead
- Test your workout once or twice before your trip
- Schedule in workout time in your daily itinerary as you plan each day’s activities
- Create a YouTube playlist with the workout videos cued for your trip. This will be easier to find and use when you need it. The Youtube rabbit hole is real. Eliminate distractions by adding the playlist to your bookmarks bar.
- Do the research ahead of time- if you want to visit a gym where you are going, do they allow day passes? Do they have the equipment you want?
How to get fit while traveling
If you typically work at a desk all day and don’t have a regular workout routine, consider adding exercise to your vacation as a great way to start a new habit.
Plan a few walking tours, hikes, or other walking excursions for your trip. Be mindful that at first, these things will probably be challenging, so start small. Add in a morning routine of doing a few simple strength exercises.
We enjoy listening to Shawn Stevenson’s podcast, The Model Health Show. One of his episodes is all about The Only 5 Exercises You Need To Create An Amazing Physique. It covers five basic moves that you can do to strengthen your body and stay healthy in a functional easy to apply way.
Summary
- The basics still apply: get good sleep, drink water, eat healthily.
- Consider the type of trip you’re taking when planning a workout schedule for your vacation.
- Doing something is better than nothing.
- Add in walking, climbing stairs, and healthy food choices whenever possible.
- Choose a type of exercise that works best for you and your travel plans. And every day can look a bit different.
- On road trips, get out of the car every few hours and move.
- Do some preparation before your trip for the best possible fitness success.
- If you are hoping to get more fit while traveling, incorporate activities into your days that will make this possible.
What is your favorite way to exercise while traveling and on vacation?
Fit travel resources
Youtube channel: Yoga with Adriene
Website: Nerd fitness
Shawn Stevenson’s podcast episode: 140 The Only 5 Exercises You Need To Create An Amazing Physique.
Online workout membership: Beach Body on Demand
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