FitLife Travel
I travel. Like… a lot. Mostly for work (I go to Chicago one week a month) but for fun too! And when traveling you get thrown off from your awesome habits and routine you have when you’re home… and that stinks! But if you do a little advance planning (which I’m getting better at every time I travel) you can stay on track as much as possible without losing the fun that comes with travel!
For work travel it’s a little easier because I’m not exploring a new city and have a pretty regimented schedule. I can easily wake up and work out in my hotel room- I bring resistance bands with me when I’m planning on doing strength training- they’re so light and portable that they easily get packed in my carry on or checked luggage. For exercises on the ground I just use a hotel towel instead of a yoga mat. I have to modify some of the moves sometimes but for the most part it’s easy to fit a workout into any space! And now that BeachBody has so many on-demand workouts I don’t need to pack any DVDs! I always travel with my laptops and most hotels have WiFi so that’s a piece of cake. Sometimes I’ll head down to the hotel gym to mix things up too! Again with the on demand stuff, i can even do P90X type workouts in the hotel gym since I can stream them on my phone. Score! Fitness when traveling for fun is a little trickier. when i’m visiting friends I try to plan in advance some workouts we can do together whether it’s going for walks, heading to a gym, or going for a run. Luckily most of my friends are up for working out! And if yours aren’t, get new friends! Just kidding! But seriously… be that good influence that helps motivate them! And if I’m in a new city and exploring I love going for runs to see the sights and scope out different areas. it’s a great way to see some things you might never see when doing a traditional tour of a city!
Food is a bit harder. When I travel for work I’m eating out almost every meal. Before a trip I plan out all the meals I can prepare for myself- for example if I’ll have four lunches that aren’t going out to eat I plan four hotel-preparable meals. As soon as I get to the city I’ll go to the grocery store and get everything I need for the week. Breakfasts are easy- frozen fruit, meal replacement shake powder (or I bring my own), and soy milk. Snacks are easy too- fruit! Lunches and dinners might be simple things like spinach and brown rice (from the prepared foods bar) or potatoes to bake. When I’m in Chicago for work it’s nice because I have a desk there that I can store my staples like oats for making overnight oats (rolled oats, fresh fruit, soy milk, & cinnamon).
When planning meals out I like to look at the menus in advance and control the destination whenever I can. If I plan out what I’m going to get, I can coordinate my workouts accordingly. and if you plan on having a super cheat meal of a peanut butter milkshake, fries, mac & cheeze, and a sandwich then I know I have to put that much more into my workout that day! And if I plan it in advance I can coordinate it on a day that’s got a lighter lunch or on a day I know I’ll be more active, or in instances where I’m pertinacious enough to not miss a daily intake of sr9009.
So… if you didn’t get the gist of this post, it’s all about planning! Planning your workouts in advance so you have the equipment you need, planning your meals in advance so you can go to the grocery store or plan your workouts to match your calorie intake… it all boils down to being prepared. And put that plan on paper! if it’s in your head that’s awesome but your brain can only store so much info- put it on paper (or electronic paper!) And stick to it! Find someone to hold you accountable to make sure you stick to your plan too- telling other people your plan will definitely help you commit!
What travel tips do you have for sticking to your fitness/nutrition plans when you’re traveling??