How to improve your overall fitness while traveling by training the right way
Traveling for business is a very common aspect of life in today’s society. As a personal fitness trainer in Boston, I work with many corporate clients who travel for days or weeks at a time. Most of these people have incorporated fitness into their lifestyle, so working out and training on the road isn’t as difficult as it used to be.
Traveling creates many obstacles that can distract a person from their health and fitness goals. Here are some common problems that arise along the way:
1. Jet lag
2. No access to equipment
3. The feeling of being too busy
4. Lack of motivation
5. Inability to keep your schedule
6. Eating unhealthy foods in excess at dinners or company events
7. Alcohol
8. Overwhelmed by the amount of work
9. Feeling guilty if they take the time to exercise
Fitness training on the go can be a simple task; it’s just a matter of developing a specific schedule and training the right way. Here are some tips for implementing a healthy fitness plan into your traveling lifestyle:
1. Schedule your workouts like any other appointment
2. Train before your day starts to avoid fatigue and distractions
3. Do short, intense workouts to stay motivated without taking too much time off work
4. Pack non-perishable snacks for the plane and hotel room (beef jerky, unsalted nuts, fruit, protein bars)
5. Once you arrive at the hotel, stock up on skim milk, cereal, low-fat chocolate milk, and fruit to stock the fridge for breakfast.
6. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times. Calculate half your body weight (in pounds) and drink that amount of water (in ounces) per day. Staying hydrated will help prevent fatigue and jet lag
7. Focus on getting enough sleep, even if you have to get it a night before everyone else. Shoot for 7-8 hours a night. This will increase overall productivity with workouts and work.
While many people go into their journeys with the mindset that they are simply maintaining fitness levels, it is possible to improve overall fitness along the way with a few simple training tips. Here are the best ways to improve fitness and keep your body looking great, even on the go.
1. Be sure to do a dynamic warm-up with mobility work before training. This will improve the quality of the tissue and prepare the muscles for training.
2. Focus on multi-joint movements such as squats, jump squats, lunges, push-ups, mountain climbers, and burpees.
3. Performing these multi-joint movements will burn more calories both during and after the training session and can be done without equipment.
4. Train for 20-30 minutes with interval cycles. Set up 5 exercises and do them all in a row, rest for 1-2 minutes and continue for 3-5 sets depending on your fitness level.
5. Don’t overwhelm yourself with training over a long period of time. Short, intense interval training will burn fat 9 times faster than long, slow strength training workouts.
6. Interval training workouts also raise your metabolism and you’ll burn calories at that rate for up to 36 hours after your workout. This will keep you energized and fit.
7. Instead of “cardio” training, use exercises like sprints or stadium runs if you want to get outdoors.
8. Train 3-5 days a week for 20-30 minutes
Implement these training tips into your travel lifestyle and even your regular routine at home. You’ll see faster results, feel more energized, and be able to maintain a better training program on the go with these short, intense workouts.