How To Keep Fit While You Travel
Whether you’re travelling for business or pleasure, keeping up your fitness while you are away from home is never easy. We often put lots of work and energy into building up our fitness before we go away and it can be hard to maintain the balance of nutritious food and regular exercise once you’re abroad.
I’m incredibly fortunate that I’ve been able to travel to some fabulous destinations this year and last year as a result of my blog, and these regular trips mean that I’ve had to find ways of maintaining my fitness routine while I travel. While in the UK, I eat a balanced diet (by that I mean, I balance Macaroni Cheese and Pancakes with fresh vegetable juices in the morning, and generally not eating too much processed food!) and go to the gym at least 3 times a week. Getting a personal trainer at our Virgin Active gym was one of the best things I did this year – Adam showed me the best exercises for my body type, as well as helping me build routines that use just body weight, so I can do them anywhere in the world. If you feel like the exercise you’re doing isn’t reaping the rewards you’d hoped for, I definitely recommend a few sessions with a PT.
So, back to travelling. Whether a beach holiday or a city break, I’ve now found a great balance for working out and maintaining a healthy lifestyle while I’m on the go, so without further ado, here are my five tips.
1. Pack Your Best Kit
At risk of sounding totally shallow, yes my first tip evolves around how you look when you work out, because for me, if I feel great in what I am wearing, I am more likely to give the workout my best shot. I always consider my tan and opt for complementary shades. For my most recent trip to the Maldives, I packed this bright yoga outfit from Accessorize; the flattering coral colour vest looks fabulous with a tan, and the colourful leggings are a real standout piece. I opted for a beautiful workout bra from the same collection and I’d wear this without the vest during morning workouts – so you can tan while you workout! (Just don’t forget the SPF, otherwise you’ll get some interesting tan lines!)
Other essentials include some great earphones. Once again my choice of which to take was also prompted by aesthetics, so I grabbed my Rose Gold Philips Flite earphones. They fold flat and are incredibly light, which makes them perfect for travel – I also take them in my hand luggage for listening to my music and editing videos while I travel, and the soft cushioning means they’re comfortable enough to wear for even a long-haul flight. They also feature a tangle-free cable and a button on the cable which means you can control your music and answer the phone.
I like to listen to uplifting music while working out outside, or calming noises (such as those in the Calm app) while practising yoga or meditation.
Shop my Workout Outfit
2. Research your destination
Firstly, check out if your hotel has a gym or pool. There may also be free fitness classes, so make a note of these and try to get a timetable as soon as you arrive – but if not, don’t panic! I love to go on long walks on the first day of arriving at a new destination, not only to get my bearings, but also to walk off any stiffness from a long flight. There may be parks, trails or a beautiful beach for you to walk on – and depending on where you are, there may be some sports that you can take part in, whether that’s water sports, rock climbing or something else!
If you discover that there’s a gym, be sure to pack trainers as some gyms don’t let you in without proper footwear. Whatever resources will be available to you, make sure you pack accordingly.
3. Make the Most of What’s Available!
Leading on from my point above, make the most out of what’s on offer. Perhaps you’ve never tried Pilates before, and yet they offer free sunrise classes at your hotel? This is your chance to give it a go! Try something new, or make the most of the beautiful views from the hotel gym, chances are your UK gym doesn’t have ocean views!
4. Utilise Apps & YouTube for body weight exercises
Even if there are precisely zero activities on offer, and you’ve got no pool or gym, all is not lost! One of my favourite ways to workout is just take myself somewhere quiet (but you can also do this in your room, on a balcony, on the beach..) and find a YouTube video showing a body weight exercise routine. I also love the 7 Minute Workout Routine app, and you can do as many repetitions of the circuit as you like – I usually do 3 reps and then lots of stretches. I follow YouTube videos from my favourites such as Carly Rowena as well as Fitness Blender, and these exercise don’t require any equipment at all – so you can do them wherever in the world you are!
Be Mindful of what you put IN your body!
Keeping fit while you travel also means being aware of what you eat! Plane food is notoriously non-nutritious so perhaps stock up on healthier options while in the airport before you travel and then when abroad, it sounds obvious but make sure you drink tons of water. Your body will be dehydrated from travelling, and in warm climates you may sweat a little – so your body moisture levels will need replenishing. Try to eat as much freshly made local dishes as possible, and try local beverage favourites too. In warm countries especially they often have local drinks which have vitamins in which help to re-hydrate the body – try these, as well as enjoying water-rich fruit such as watermelon.
These are my 5 simple tips for keeping fit while on the go, do you have any of your own? Let me know in the comments below!
xoxo
This post is in collaboration with Philips
