Some of us travel for our jobs, to visit our relatives, to go on vacation or a combination of all three. One of the problems this sometimes leaves us with, however, is that we have to take time out of our normal workout regime. 
After all, if you go weight lifting five times a week and decide to go on a two week all inclusive vacation to Acapulco, you will come back with no fitness levels. Worst of all, you will lose some muscle mass and may even put on some weight. Even if you are not a bodybuilder, putting weight on when traveling is something that concerns many of us. So what can we do in terms of working out when traveling?
Asking Advice from Others
One thing to realize is that you are not the only person who has ever wondered how to work out while away. Whether you are someone who goes to a zumba class once a week or someone who does a dedicated and intense workout regime, there will be other people like you out there. All you really need to do is find these people and ask them for their advice. For instance, on Tribe Sports someone asked for advice on how to make sure they could keep up with their workout and ended up with six fantastic replies, including
“I guess you have to prepare a spreadsheet, record it down. When you return home update accordingly 🙂 another suggestion will be, If not too expensive, you can visit local Internet cafe!”
Finding a Constant
According to Nerd Fitness, if you are traveling and want to continue to stay fit and in shape, you need to make working out your constant.
“Make a commitment to yourself that you will find at least one hour every other day to exercise – NO EXCUSES. Add it to your calendar, set up an email reminder, do whatever it takes, but don’t take no for an answer. You might need to wake up early one day to fit it in. You might need to exercise at 11PM at night on another day.”
Doing this can be a whole lot of fun as well. Imagine trekking through a Peruvian jungle and doing pull-ups on a tree! Or perhaps running up and down the stairs of a ruined Thai temple. Push ups on the beach against a setting sun in the Caribbean is another example. There are all sorts of things you can do. So long as you are committed to it, you can achieve it in a fun way.
Using Facilities
Next, you need to be realistic. We live in a mostly modern world and the vast majority of good hotels now have a fitness center. This is perfect for business people, who tend to stay in the more upmarket hotels anyway. However, even if you are on an actual vacation and you want to stay in a less high class hotel, there should still be fitness provisions near you, unless you are really going off the beaten track. According to BodyBuilding.com
“Cardiovascular training is probably the easiest one to accomplish while away, although, it may take the most amount of motivation. Most hotels usually have their own fitness centers. At these facilities you can find equipment such as treadmills, stationary bikes, steppers, and even a pool.”
Naturally, it isn’t just about cardiovascular treatment. You also have to think about your diet and your overall exercise regime. There are plenty of things you can do without any real equipment, however. For instance, can you lift suitcases or your children instead of weights?
Planning Ahead
Having a plan in place is always a good idea. Check out where you are going online before you go so that you can figure out whether there are any gym facilities that you could go to. Interestingly, according to I’ll Pump You Up, sticking to your diet is actually more important than your exercise regime:
“Don’t agonize over it if you miss a workout or two. In reality, you may not be able to increase your fitness level during a business trip or a vacation but your goal should simply be to maintain. Inaccessibility to the right foods, erratic schedules and socializing tend to be the culprits that make it difficult to eat the right foods when you need them.”
So long as you eat healthily and try not to indulge in plate upon plate of the all you can eat buffet, maintaining your current weight and fitness levels will be a far better tactic than trying to grow even further. It is also a far more realistic goal and something that is much easier to plan for.
In Your Hotel Room
But what about for those business people that travel around the country and literally only have a few hours? There are so many people that have to run from one meeting to the next, then have to go out for a dinner with new clients and finally run back to the hotel for a few hours sleep before having to catch the next plane out again, that adding a workout becomes completely impossible. However, there is a bit of hotel room fitness you could look into as well. As explained by Positive World Travel
“The day to day running of life get in the way of staying active and it is only when you participate in activities that are physically challenging, you get any exercise.”
A few easy things you could do include yoga, getting up a few minutes earlier, running (even between meetings), walking when possible (rather than taking company vehicles) or wearing resistance belts. There are a few core exercises that you can take part in whenever you have a few minutes. You could even do some of these in an elevator if you have a long way to go. Think of push ups, plank holds, sit ups, crunches, lunges and so on. It is very easy to get at least a little bit of movement and continue to be healthy.
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