Staying fit while traveling can be a challenge for many people trying to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle. The disruption to your daily workout routine, the lack of access to your usual gym or workout equipment, and the temptation to indulge in local cuisine can make it difficult to maintain your fitness regimen. However, with a bit of planning and a few simple tips, it is possible to stay in shape whether you're visting family, going on an RV trip, or staying in a hotel or Airbnb. In this blog post, we'll explore some of the best strategies for staying fit while traveling.
If you like to make functional fitness training a high priority, but you travel a lot, live on the road, or want to go on a road trip, here are five tips from my past three months on the road.
1. EAT HEALTHY
It's easy to indulge in local cuisine and forget about your usual healthy eating habits, but don't forget about the importance of healthy eating when it comes to staying fit while traveling.
This is easier than most people think, but depending on which route you take, it could be a little pricey. This is why I like Airbnb for most trips, because I can go to the local grocery store, grab a few pounds of protein, some eggs, a box of rice, and I can prepare my own meals for a few days. But when I’m not in an Airbnb, I have to find local spots that have healthy options that I can order to-go a few times a day.
The real hack here isn’t so much about finding where to go or what to eat, but having the discipline to choose healthy over unhealthy each time you eat.
My tip here is to Google a local American restaurant, find the chicken and rice meal or the steak and potato meal on their lunch menu, and preorder however many you need for your stay. Even if you’re in a hotel, you will have a mini fridge and a microwave, so you just store em until it’s time to eat!
And the breakfast included at many hotels is a minefield of bad choices. Don't linger too long around that buffet and just grab some hard boiled eggs and fruit, and go for a walk.
2. Pack Your Own Workout Gear
Doing ten push-ups in your hotel room while the shower is heating up won't advance your fitness. So before you leave for your trip, make sure to pack some essential fitness gear for strength training, so you can get a full body workout . These items won't take up much room and will really encourage you go prioritize fitness.
These are the essential items I bring with me every trip:
For around $100, you basically have a gym that fits in one square foot of space on the floorboard of your car. And if you fly instead of drive, the speed ropes and strength bands are still wayyy better than doing just bodyweight stuff.
Strength training is such a powerful tool for weight loss and improving body composition because it builds lean muscle mass, which can help increase your body's metabolic rate. Muscle tissue requires more energy to maintain than fat tissue, so having more muscle can help you burn more calories at rest. Additionally, strength training can help you maintain muscle mass while losing fat, which can help prevent the loss of muscle that often occurs with dieting or cardio alone. So I focus on getting my heart rate up and doing strength training.
Here’s a great hotel room workout I do: 50-40-30-20-10
- Double-Unders (sub for single unders)
- Kettlebell Swings
- Sit-ups
5 Rounds of 10 reps each
- Kettlebell Goblet Squat
- Good Mornings with Resistance Bands
- Kettlebell Clean and Jerk
- Heavy Banded Single Arm Rows
*Also, I take the light resistance band and do 100 “pull-aparts” every day. This will help to make your shoulders much stronger over time and reduce the risk of injury.