Having a routine makes it a lot easier to maintain a healthy lifestyle: you can plan your week ahead, hit the gym, do meal prep, and hydrate properly. But being on the road or away from home should be no excuse to fall off the wagon.
Here are a few tips for incorporating physical activity while traveling, be it a business trip or a long-deserved vacation:
Schedule Workouts
Whether it’s a quick trip to the hotel gym before meetings or going for a run before bed, schedule exercise into your day. Planning to include a workout will help you better organize your day and not leave exercise to chance. If you are on vacation, you can make exercise a part of your trip: rent some bikes, take a hike or go for a swim.
Walk, Walk, Walk
If your business trip is packed with back-to-back meetings and that leaves little room for more complex physical routines, you can always turn to one of the best yet simplest exercises: walking. Are you a mile from the convention center? How about walking there instead of taking a cab? You can also make your lunch a short one and take a city stroll. For a little extra effort, choose the stairs instead of the elevator every time.
Exercise in Your Hotel Room
No hotel gym? Not a problem. Most hotel rooms are pretty spacious (or you can make them so by moving around a table or chair), and with so many bodyweight-only workouts available online, there is no excuse.
Try these 5 exercises you can do anywhere:
Look Up Bike-share Programs
If you are traveling to a metropolis, it’s very likely that you can get some pedaling done. Most big cities nowadays have bike-share programs, and there is usually an option for people who intend to use the service just for a couple of days.
Make the Most Out of the Airport
If your travel involves catching a plane, you can definitely make the waiting more dynamic. You’ll probably have on you a laptop bag and a carry-on bag: perfect items to try the farmer’s walk. This simple but incredibly effective exercise consists of walking with heavy objects in your hands. The farmer’s walk activates many major muscle groups: your core, forearms, shoulders, and legs.
Make the Most Out of the Plane Too!
Sitting still for prolonged periods of time isn’t a great idea, as it can impact your circulation and make you feel stiff. If you’re on a long flight, try to step into the aisle and stretch every couple of hours: squats and forward lunges are great exercises to try.
Make sure not to get in anyone’s way and make the most of the small amount of space available. Your low-key aisle aerobics will certainly be worth the looks and smiles you receive from fellow passengers!
If you don’t feel comfortable stretching in the aisle, try this in-flight stretching routine you can do in your seat:
Stretch from head to toe, beginning with the neck.
- Slowly tilt your head toward your shoulder.
- Hold for ten seconds.
- Alternate sides.
Next, loosen up your shoulders to get rid of the ache, increase flexibility, and add strength.
- Roll both shoulders forward in a circular motion.
- Roll both shoulders backward in a circular motion.
- Repeat ten times.
Stretch your wrists.
- Stretch your arm out with your palm down.
- With your other hand, pull your fingers down.
- Hold for three seconds.
- Pull up on fingers.
- Hold for three seconds.
- Repeat, alternating three times.
Relieve the tired and lethargic feeling you get in your legs with ankle and calf stretches.
- Hold one foot off the floor with your leg straight.
- Flex your ankle, pointing your toes up.
- Extend your ankle, pointing your toes down.
- Do this 10 times and repeat with your other leg.
- Next, draw a circle with your toes, moving one foot clockwise and then counterclockwise
- Change feet.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that when you take care of your body by eating well and exercising, you’ll feel better, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll be more relaxed. Make regular exercise a priority, and your body and mind will thank you for it.
