Maintaining your health while on the go is essential, even when you’re away from home. Fortunately, staying active doesn’t require finding a gym or spending extra money. There are plenty of ways to fit in a workout during your travels, ensuring you stay on track with your fitness goals without disrupting your journey. Here’s a list of creative ideas to help you stay active while traveling.
Fitness Classes and Gym Passes
If nothing beats a gym session for you, then you can look into a fitness class or a temporary gym pass. Sometimes the best thing for your fitness motivation is to attend one of these classes. If you’re staying in a hotel, then it may even have the option for you to use their gym free of charge.
Hiking and Walking Tours
Mickledore writes, “Have you ever felt the effect of reaching the top of a steep hill? That heart-pumping, out of breath feeling shows what a great cardio workout hiking can be.” Why not plan hiking routes if you’re near a national park or nature reserve, or join a walking tour if you’re in a city?
Portable Exercise Equipment
Some exercise equipment, such as jump ropes and resistance bands, can easily fit into your luggage without weighing it down. Portable equipment means you can do a quick workout just about anywhere. Combine your equipment with your body weight, and you have a perfect workout even in the smallest space.
Play Local Sports
Playing local sports or activities is a great way to get a workout done while also getting a taste of the local culture. You could try rock climbing, surfing, or even kayaking for a unique way of exercising. Engaging with locals is a great way to learn new sports and games.
Walk Instead of Using Public Transportation
Try opting for walking or biking instead of using public transportation where you can. This could even mean getting off your bus a few stops earlier and walking the rest of the way. For example, HuffPost writes, “A three-mile walk once a day is not a big deal.”
Active Sightseeing
If you don’t want to waste time exercising because you have so much to see, then do both at the same time. Active sightseeing means planning out your routes or taking part in things such as bike tours. You can visit landmarks on foot or by bike and don’t have to worry about public transport times.
Online Workout Subscriptions
Signing up for these subscriptions means that you can work out whenever you feel like it and still feel like you’ve been to a gym class. You can use apps where you put in your data to create workouts that are specifically tailored to you. It may even be beneficial to incorporate meditation and yoga into it to help with relaxation.
Beach Workouts
Beaches are a great place to work out. For example, Health.com writes, “Exercising on beach sand can offer amazing views. There’s also the opportunity to reap benefits, like a significant calorie burn with less strain on your joints.” Beaches are great for running and swimming, and some even have equipment to use during a workout.
Stair Climbing
You can find stairs in most tall buildings, such as apartment blocks or hotel rooms. They make a great climbing workout and really work your legs and glutes. You may even be able to incorporate stairs into a sightseeing workout if you’re visiting any tall buildings.
Park Workouts
Men’s Journal writes, “All you really need is something to push or pull on, and a little open space where you can move your body and activate all the muscles you’re used to training indoors.” You can use park benches for dips, step-ups, and incline push-ups.
Explore on Foot
If you’re in a city, then why not dedicate an entire day to exploring it on foot? You can create a particular route and then challenge yourself to walk all of it. You may even discover some hidden gems along the way, especially if you veer away from some of the tourist destinations.
Functional Training
Try to incorporate functional exercises into your everyday life. For example, this might include carrying your heavy baggage or water bottles back to your hotel. You can even use these items as weights to intensify your squat and lunge workouts. Functional training will help you focus on core strength.
Interval Training Anywhere
You can practice high-intensity interval training (HIIT) just about anywhere, even in limited spaces. Use an interval timer app to structure your workout and make sure you aren’t going over any exercises. HIIT will combine cardio and strength to give you an efficient workout.
Hotel Room Workouts
Tonal writes, “It’s possible to do an effective hotel room workout using just your body weight.” You don’t need to worry if you haven’t packed any equipment, such as resistance bands. You can do workouts that incorporate push-ups, squats, and lunges, all in the comfort of your hotel room.
Outdoor Running and Jogging
Going for a run is a great way to explore the city or local landscapes. You can download running apps to find a particular route so that you won’t get lost, or even join some local running groups. If you want a more intense running session, then try to integrate interval sessions into it.
Swimming
Try to choose an accommodation that has a pool, or try to find a local public pool that you can use. You can practice laps or even water aerobic exercises if you want something low-impact. Swimming is a great exercise to help you relax, especially after a long flight.
Cycling Tours and Rentals
Cycling is a great exercise that has many health benefits. For example, Better Health writes, “Cycling can help to protect you from serious diseases such as stroke, heart attack, some cancers, depression, diabetes, obesity and arthritis.” You can rent a bike to explore new areas while also getting in a workout.
Mindful Movement Practices
Exercises such as yoga and stretching can be very beneficial. For example, Integris Health writes, “Mindful yoga can help to reduce stress and anxiety by encouraging relaxation and promoting a sense of calmness.” Try to incorporate breathing exercises to relax you and reduce any stress that comes from traveling.