For people that exercise regularly, travel can present some kinks in their daily routines. Staying active on the go can be more complicated than you expect. Not all accommodations (especially not budget accommodations) include access to a pool or a gym. And travelers doing the hostel thing don’t even have a private room to do their sit ups and push ups in. So what to do to avoid getting out of shape while you’re out of town/state/country?
I thought you’d never ask. I have a few suggestions, of course.
- Exercising in your room: If you’re sharing a room or an apartment, try to hang back some and do your exercises in privacy when everyone else is out. Or if you’re in a hostel, ask someone in reception if there’s a room you can use for an hour or so to do your exercises.
- Body weight exercises. Body weight exercises are the bomb. No really, they mean you have to bring pretty much nothing with you to do them. Here are 50 you can do anywhere, thanks to Greatist and Laura Schwecherl.
- Workout DVDs. Bring your favorite workout DVDs with you and do them in your room. I like Winsor Pilates (the 20 minute workout), Veena and Neena’s Bellydance videos and the P90x Kenpo workout –although since I despised the other workouts and only ever managed P30x (30 days of torture 6 days a week) I’m not sure it’s worth the $140 price tag.
- Jog, walk, play sports or skate in local parks. Do your research to make sure where you’re going to exercise is safe, first.
- Sign up for local exercise or dance classes. A lot of dance and yoga studios offer sample classes for a one time fee, and many more allow students to pay per class attended at a slightly higher rate.
- See if a local you know can get you a guest pass to their gym for your stay or if you can tag along to play basketball or train for soccer with them.
- For extra exercise credit, skip public transport and walk or ride bikes to wherever you need to go. Whenever possible, forget the elevator, escalator, or moving walkway, and use your own two feet.
