Introduction To Travel Fitness Part I

Travel happens.

Business travel.

Personal travel.

Long trips.

Short trips.

What about fitness?

Can travel & fitness coexist?

What is Travel Fitness?

Travel fitness is exactly what it sounds like. It’s the ability to maintain a fitness routine during your travels.

Like many of you, I too have a weekly fitness schedule that I follow religiously. Everything from what days I exercise, the exercises I do, the time I spend doing them, and the equipment I need to get them done.

If you don’t have a weekly fitness routine you follow , it’s time to create one. Here’s a quick guide on how to determine which type of workout is right for you.

A fitness routine is important to have, but what happens when you throw travel into the mix, and you get away from your daily routine, your exercise schedule, and the resources you typically use to get it done? Whether it’s a gym or equipment you have at home. You’re now traveling and away from it all… now what?

Enter Travel Fitness

Travel can throw a wrench in your weekly fitness schedule, if you let it.

Not having access to a gym or fitness equipment doesn’t mean you still can’t get in a workout and stay consistent with your weekly fitness schedule.

Another challenge that often arises when traveling is not having enough time to exercise due to jam packed days full of business, pleasure, or both.

There’s no question that maintaining your regularly scheduled fitness routine can be a challenge when traveling, I’ve been there myself, but it doesn’t have to be.

The World As Your Gym

Regardless of where you travel to, the length of time you’re there, or the amount of time you have available each day to dedicate to exercise, there’re always options.

The three components necessary to make travel fitness work are:

• Make fitness a priority
• Plan ahead
• Commit to your plan

Make Fitness A Priority

Travel and fitness can coexist if you make the decision before even leaving, that you will make fitness a priority during your travels. That regardless of where you are and what the day may bring, you’ll get your exercises done.

Plan Ahead

The best thing you can do when you know you’re about to take a trip, is to plan ahead. Understand where you’ll be, what resources you’ll have access to, how much time you’ll have to commit to your fitness routine, and create a plan.

If you know you’ll be going to dinner in the evening, get your workout done first thing in the morning. If you’re scheduled to be at a museum in the early morning, schedule your exercise for that evening.

Commit To Your Plan

Make a commitment to yourself that regardless of where you are or whatever the day may bring, you will get your workout completed that day. Even if it means having to change your original plan of when you intended to exercise that day, get it done.

Travel Fitness Case Studies

Case Study #1

Recently, my good friends Troy & Dorene took off to travel the world extensively for the next several years and have made it very clear that they are committed to maintaining a daily fitness routine during their travels.

I worked with Troy & Dorene before they left to create their travel fitness plan. The plan is based on where they’ll be, the resources they’ll have available while there, and time they are able to commit to each day to complete their fitness routine.

I’ll be working with them throughout their entire adventure to help them identify what resources they have available to work, regardless of where they are in the world, to get in their daily workouts .

They’re currently in Thailand and making use of the local beaches and their veranda overlooking the ocean to complete the travel fitness routine I’ve created for them that can be done anywhere, anytime with no equipment necessary.

In addition to completing the travel fitness routine, they’re also incorportaing meditation, running, and a celebratory swim in the Gulf of Thailand at the very end. How awesome is that!

You can read more about the unique travel fitness routine I created for them on their travel website, Travellifex.com. The post is titled, “Health and Fitness While Traveling“. Take a look.

Case Study #2

I have other friends of mine (must be something in the water) who also just recently embarked on a full year, around the world trip. Scott Dinsmore from Live You Legend and his wife Chelsea Dinsmore from The Simple Kitchen are currently living in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

New country, new culture, new surrounds, same exercise habits. Just because they’re traveling and away from their familiar surrounding in San Francisco where they both live, doesn’t mean they won’t get creative and identify new and exciting ways to exercise. I just heard from Chelsea today and this is what she had to say…

“We are also making sure to always take stairs wherever we go (including up and down to our 6th floor apt)”.

There is no limits to what you can do for exercise regardless of where you are. Your only limit is your imagination. Have a plan in place before you go, but be open to new and different ideas that may come your way when you arrive and realize resources you have access to that you were unaware of.

They don’t know it yet, but I have just the right travel fitness routine for them that includes stairs that I’ll be sending them as a surprise. They’re either gonna love me or hate me… 🙂 I’ll keep you posted.

Case Study #3

Sean Ogle of Location 180 is a good friend of mine and an avid traveler. As a lifestyle entrepreneur, he travels at least 3 months out of the year. That’s a lot of travel, more than I do.

Whether he’s in Thailand, China, Ireland, or at home in Portland, OR, Sean will be the first to tell you that staying committed and consistent to a fitness routine while traveling can be challenging, especially when he adds in 36 holes of golf that has him on the links the entire day.

Because of these time constraints, I created a 10 minute travel fitness routine for Sean that he can complete anytime, anywhere in 10 minutes or less. So, whether he’s in a remote part of Ireland or has a schedule tee time at 6am… he can still get in his workout and maintain a daily fitness routine.

Practical, effective, and time efficient…. all elements of travel fitness.

Creating Your Own Travel Fitness Plan

If you have an upcoming trip you’re taking and are unaware of what resources you’ll have access to, call ahead to where you’ll be staying and ask them. More often than not, they’ll be able to provide you with details as far as what your options are for fitness and exercise.

Will you have access to a gym, beach, a park, convention center stairs…. what are your options?

Once you’ve identified your options, pick the one that sounds most interesting and fun, match it to the time you’ll have available, and then make it part of your daily plan. Have your plan in place before leaving on your trip.

It all starts with planning ahead.

Have Fun

When you travel and are away from you’re familiar surrounding and fitness routine, use this time to do and try new and different things and exercises. Run on the beach, use the monkey bars at the park, jog up and down convention center stairs, take a local fitness class wherever you are in the world.

Use this time to venture out, get out of your comfort zone. Ask the locals what they do and where they go to exercise.

If you’re in Hawaii, you may find doing burpees followed by a swim in a pool of water being fed by majestic waterfalls.

If you’re in Mexico, you may find yourself running up stairs of an ancient temple and completing a set of push ups at the very top.

If you’re in France, you may find yourself running or biking on some of the most scenic paths overlooking vineyards..

You won’t know unless you ask.

Make It Happen

The only way to make travel and fitness coexist, is if you make fitness a priority, plan ahead, and commit to your plan everyday.

As with all travel, there will always be distractions, tons to see and do, and often little time for anything else, including exercise. Declare to yourself before leaving on your trip, that fitness will be a priority and you will make it happen.

This is Part One of a two part series on Travel Fitness

I created this first part as an introduction to travel fitness, to explain what it is, how it works, and offer insight on others who are currently making travel fitness work for them along with how they’re doing it, where they’re doing it, and when.

In Part Two, I will share with you several ways to create your very own fitness travel routine, connect with other travelers to exchange fitness routines and ideas, and how to vary up what you’re doing to keep you excited and motivated.

In the meantime, for a free copy of the interactive travel fitness workouts I created for Troy & Dorene, along with the 10 minute travel fitness guide I provided Sean Ogle, enter your email below and I’ll send it right over to you.

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Good news is, you don’t have to be in Thailand, Ireland, or play 36 holes of golf to complete these exercises…. unless of course you want to. 🙂

Thanks for being here.

You’re awesome….

Cheers!

Mike