Traveling can be amazing. There is no other feeling like the one you experience before a trip. Before visiting a new place, your excitement is terrific and can boost your mood and sense of well-being. The only problem is that travel does not always mix well with training, and many people skip workouts or do sub-optimal sessions while away from home.
Luckily, so long as you are willing, there is always a way to improve your training and reap fantastic benefits, even while you are on the road. In today’s post, we will review some actionable strategies you can apply to train effectively. Plus, we will review some fantastic fitness items that make it all possible.
Let’s dive in.
Plan to stay active.
Have you ever heard the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin?
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
It is so simple yet authentic. The quote holds a lot of truth that tells us something about life: If you want to follow through with something, plan for it.
For example, do you want to have a healthy dinner tonight? Plan what you will cook, buy groceries, and set aside time to prepare the meal. Are you interested in spending more time with your kids? Plan when you will do it, where you will go, and what activities you will enjoy together.
The above also applies to fitness. Too many people approach their training and nutrition without planning and struggle to gain momentum. Luckily, changing that is not difficult precisely because fitness is flexible, and you can adjust the variables as much as you want.
To keep your workout schedule organized, it is good practice to use a workout calendar. While many fitness apps allow you to schedule workout sessions per week, these recommendations must align with your work and personal calendar. So why not plan your gym sessions directly in your work calendar, like the Outlook Calendar?
Setting up workout slots in the Outlook Calendar is straightforward. Decide when you want to hit the gym, and then add those times to your calendar. Reserving this time ensures you adhere to your fitness routine, especially abroad.
Be sure to include the type of workout in the title and set reminders for each gym event. And if you have a gym buddy, make sure to invite them to each calendar event.
Pro Tip: Use the “Categorize” button in Outlook Calendar to color-code your workouts from other events to visually differentiate them.
And remember to schedule your rest days in the Outlook Calendar as well! Giving your muscles time to rest and recover is crucial. Over-exercising can be detrimental to your body.
Staying Fit When Traveling with Gym Access
Even if you do not have access to your regular gym, you can train effectively, but you need to plan for it. You have two options if you are adamant about gym training:
- Book a hotel that offers a training facility
- Explore the area for a local gym
Many hotels offer basic gyms with equipment like dumbbells, a Smith Machine, some weight plates, an adjustable bench, and more. A bit of creativity will help you put together effective workouts and make the most of your temporary training environment. Need inspiration? Use a fitness app like Fitbod or Alpha Progression to design a workout based on your available equipment.
You can enhance your training experience by bringing some resistance bands, lacrosse balls, and core sliders. Each item enhances the training experience and provides extra options for exercises.
Resistance bands work great in this scenario because you can use them to perform alternative exercises. For example, if your gym does not have a cable station, you can use resistance bands for exercises like crucifix curls, chest flies, tricep pushdowns, etc. Bands can also increase or decrease the difficulty of various activities.
For instance, wrap a looped band behind your back and over your hands to make push-ups more challenging. Alternatively, wrap a band over a pull-up bar, let it hang, bring one or two feet in, and perform band-assisted pull-ups.
Core sliders are also fantastic because you can do skaters, lateral and reverse lunges, mountain climbers, and more. For example, grab a pair of dumbbells, step over the core sliders, and perform reverse lunges.
If you are lucky enough to come across a nice gym in the area, you might not need any extra equipment. Still, it never hurts to bring the basics with you and ensure great workouts regardless of where you end up training.
Check out our hotel search and hotel gym advisory at HotelGyms.com to get some help in planning your next trip. Our GymFactor helps you find hotels with great gyms very easily.
Staying Fit When Traveling without a Gym
A significant challenge active people face on the road is finding a good gym for their training program. In many cases, the available hotel gym offers limited workout and cardio machines and free weights, or it simply does not exist.
Luckily, not having access to a training facility doesn’t spell disaster because you can exercise effectively in other ways. An obvious way to work out is by performing bodyweight movements like squats, push-ups, jumping jacks, and planks in your hotel room.
Pick a few activities that do not require any equipment and get to work. You would be surprised how effective a workout can be if you push yourself as you do at the gym. Fitness apps like Freeletics or Fitbod can help with your workout design.
Aside from that, you can use some basic equipment to make your workouts fun and more varied. A good example, again, are resistance bands: long pieces of rubber that allow you to perform a variety of gym-based movements. For instance:
- Chest flyes
- Bicep curls
- Tricep extensions
- Resistance band push-ups
- Bent-over rows
- Lat pulldowns
- Standing shoulder press
For the above exercises, you can attach your resistance bands to various points in any hotel room. For example, you can wrap a resistance band over a doorknob, close the door for extra stability, step back, and perform rows or chest presses.
In Conclusion: Planning Is Key to Fitness Success
Getting fit is about choices and how you approach different situations. Some people want to get fit so badly that they never let circumstances limit them. Others look for excuses to skip workouts, often to avoid feeling guilty for not training.
In the best case, you can book a hotel with a great gym. But there are plenty of alternatives to stay fit while you are traveling.
Even if you have no access to equipment and are on a tight schedule, you can put together simple and effective workouts. You can search for gyms nearby, outdoor workout areas, running tracks, or even options for rental bikes.
Get creative, as you can also use water bottles for resistance and perform exercises like bicep curls, shoulder presses, lateral raises, etc. It just needs a bit of planning (and creativity).
Remember: the key to maintaining your fitness while traveling isn’t finding the perfect gym—it’s making the commitment to stay active and planning accordingly. Your future self will thank you!
