Easy Ways To Sweat While Traveling

It’s tough to stick to a workout regimen while traveling. Your lodging might not have a gym, or maybe your schedule is too tight to fit in your regular hour-or-more-long workout. Don’t fret: There are ways to still get it in, even during jam-packed, gym-less trips. Read on to apply these healthy tips to your next vacation.

Walk everywhere you can. Maybe you’re on a business trip with every minute of the day loaded with meetings and more, or perhaps you’re on a family vacation with limited alone time, so you can’t make it to the gym. Regardless, be sure to pack comfortable shoes and build buffers into your schedule, so that you can plan on walking to at least some of your destinations. It may seem small, but intentionally walking rather than driving or taking public transit can burn hundreds of extra calories a day.

Stairs aren’t only for emergency exits. On that note, walking can be applied to inside, vertical destinations, as well. We typically automatically use the elevator; hey, it’s fast and easy. But, even in large buildings where your stop might be dozens of stories up, try to take the stairs at least five floors (or more!) to add a leg workout to your day, sans the squat rack. You’ll be thankful next time you hit the gym that you went that extra mile (literally) while out of town.

Fit in a post-wakeup and pre-bedtime burn. A workout doesn’t always mean 60 minutes in a gym or studio. If you’re on-the-go all day, try this: When you wake up in the morning, and before you hit the pillow at night, do a quick circuit to get your blood pumping and adrenaline going. Give 50 sit-ups, 50 pushups, 50 squats, and five minutes of stretching a go, and you won’t be sorry.

Body-weight exercises are your friend. If you have a little more time on your trip, you can add on to that quick circuit from above to create a simple, yet challenging, hotel-room workout. Weights aren’t necessary, but if you want some, use water bottles, books, or other heavier objects found around your space. Some more body-weight-exercise ideas to do in a confined space include chair tricep dips, jumping jacks, high knees, bicycle crunches, lunges, chair step-ups, and plank.

Bonus tip: Bring your supplements to-go. Sometimes it’s difficult to find the motivation to workout while traveling because our nutrition habits are different (read: slightly more indulgent than normal) when we leave town. Pack your protein  (don’t forget a shaker bottle to mix it, too!) and pre-workout in Ziploc bags or plastic Tupperware to ensure you at least somewhat stick to your at-home routine.