Adventure Travel Fitness Tips
Adventure Travel Fitness Tips
Travel is one of the top reasons clients decide to work with me but it’s also one of the top reasons for fitness progress setbacks. Whether your travels derail you from your regular workout plan or you just want to stay energized and injury free while traveling, these 3 simple tips and 3 quick workout options can help you stay on track and fit for all your fun travel adventures.
Travel Fitness Tip 1: Keep It Simple & Quick But Do It Daily
A strength routine like the one I’m doing with bands attached to our truck parked at our RV park is so quick and simple. You may think this can’t possibly be enough to maintain fitness because of the all or nothing fitness mentality so many of us have heard for ages, but little things done daily add up in calories burned, strength gains, mobility and flexibility improvements as well as better endurance and balance. This type of workout can also be a great way to warm up before a new adventure which keeps you injury free during travel.
Bands Workout Options: Attach bands to truck or pole or sturdy door setup and perform 10-12 reps of the 6 upper body strength exercises for 1-2 circuits then hold the upper body opener stretch for 30 seconds on each side.
Thera Band fly
Mini Band pulls
Thera Band goal posts
Thera Band fly palms up
Superband Band rows
Superband Band press
Upper Body opener stretch
Travel Workout Tip 2: Stick to Workouts That Fit Your Goals
It’s true that any fitness on a daily basis is better than no fitness but if you really want to reach and maintain your health and fitness goals no matter where you are, then focusing on what your body needs is really key.
If you’re trying to lose weight a quick bodyweight HIIT routine or some quick jump rope drills and 5 total body moves is going to work better than laying on the floor doing butt and core isolation work. If on the other hand you’re trying to maintain your strength, flexibility and avoid re-injury or posture/pain issues then a mobility focused core strength routine might work best.
None of this has to be time consuming but it does have to be right for your goals to continue making progress. In the video here you can see how I weaved in some core/glute work and quick yoga while traveling for 2 weeks in Australia. There are many ways to work your fitness into your busy travel days!
Travel Fit Tip 3: Pack Portable Workout Gear Even If There’s A Gym
We all have the best intentions to train while traveling but sometimes our travel situation gets tricky. Maybe your hotel gym turns out to be really grungy or kind of creepy or maybe your travel schedule is so packed the only down time you have are early morning in your room or at the destinations you are visiting. Small gear can accommodate all that and so can your body weight.
In my many experiences with travel fitness I’ve done mobility work while waiting for what seemed like an eternity for a boat or tour van to pick us up. I’ve also done yoga in the airport, done basic upper body strength while hiking, and done stair repeats inside the Sydney harbor bridge.
More recently I worked out in my RV and planked it out on a stand up paddle board because I needed upper body work to balance all the rowing! There are always opportunities while you are traveling to fit some fitness into your day. It's really all a matter of training outside the box as they say and staying open to new fitness adventures and experiences.