Nowadays, people like to travel and see more of the world. However, traveling disables us to stick to our regular routines, which may include working out and eating healthy. The good news is there are six ways to stay in shape while traveling. Here’s how you can stay fit and healthy even when on vacation.
Pack your own healthy snacks
Everyone loves to snack. While on the plane or in the car, you might want to have a few snacks ready for when you need a little pick-me-up. Instead of completely abandoning your healthy diet during your vacation, you can buy healthy packaged snacks from the grocery store. I suggest Nature’s Bakery’s organic soft-baked fruit bars, Biena Foods’ Crunch Chickpea Snacks, or 365 Everyday Value’s Toasted Coconut Chips. If you’d rather make your own snacks, you can easily prepare carrot sticks and hummus, mixed nuts, cottage cheese and an apple, or a cup of yogurt and blueberries.
Take advantage of the hotel’s gym
When you book a room at a hotel, remember that you’re also paying for the amenities. Therefore, take full advantage of the gym. Wake up an hour early and get yourself on the treadmill. You don’t need to stick to your regular workout routine but make sure that you burn enough calories so you can enjoy the local food without any guilt.
Do simple exercises in your room
If you’re staying at an Airbnb or at a hotel that doesn’t have a gym, you can still workout in your room. To give you an idea, here are a few exercises that don’t require any equipment and that you can do during vacation:
- jumping jacks;
- push-ups, push-ups and rotation;
- crunches, sit-ups;
- planking, side planking;
- squats, wall squats, jumping squats;
- burpees, mountain climbers, lunges;
- tricep dips (with a chair or a coffee table).
Repeat each exercise ten times (or hold the position for 30 seconds for your planks and wall squats) and you have yourself a travel workout routine. If your day is full of activities, you can also choose to do less strenuous exercises such as yoga and stretching.
Join a walking tour
Walking is such an underrated exercise. However, it has been proven to be an effective way to burn calories. In fact, if you weigh about 150 to 200 pounds, you can burn 90 to 120 calories with just a half-hour walk! Imagine all the calories you can burn with a three-hour walking tour of the city you’re visiting. You won’t only get to see the sights, you’ll also be exercising.
Don’t forget to stay hydrated
There’s nothing more to it—just make sure you drink enough water when traveling.
Take it easy
Of course, when we say travel, we also think vacation. We want to escape from our busy lives and take the time to unwind. So even if you want to stay in shape during your trip, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Again, you don’t have to stick to your usual workout routine, especially if you’re used to doing heavy exercises. Traveling alone can take up most of your energy, so take it easy. Listen to your body and do what you can, but avoid anxiety by giving yourself some room to just relax.
Taking care of your body is important, especially when you travel a lot. Hopefully, with these tips, you can enjoy your vacation while also keeping your health in check.
