Traveling gives you a chance to see the world and get different perspectives. However, you may want to maintain habits that are important to you while you explore. Maintaining your fitness while you travel is important for a variety of reasons. It can help to keep your stress levels low so that you enjoy every part of the experience. Keeping fit while you travel can also reduce the risk of injury and help you to maintain good energy levels. It also helps to ward off weight gain as you indulge in an array of culinary delights.
1. Plan Active Activities
Check out active ways to explore your destination to incorporate physical activity while you do not miss any of the scenery. No matter where you go, there is something adventurous that you can engage in that will allow you to immerse yourself in the local landscape. Here are some viable options:
Biking tours: Most major cities throughout the world have bikes available. You can use the bikes instead of cars or taxis to get around so that you can see the city.
Walking tours: When you are booking your travels, you can look for walking tours. Guided ones not only let you explore the city, but you will learn about its culture and history too.
Hiking: If you are travelling somewhere with mountains or parks, consider going for a hike. These areas usually have treks for people of all fitness levels, so no matter where you are on your fitness journey, you can find an enjoyable hike.
Water activities: When you travel to a place where the water is a major way of life, there are several ways to enjoy it while engaging in physical activity. For example, head out to do some paddleboarding, kayaking or snorkeling.
2. Bring Your Gear
Make sure that you have your basic exercise gear with you when you head out on your travels. You do not need any major equipment or anything like that. Start by bringing a pair of tennis shoes that are ideal for multiple types of activities. If you will be hiking a lot, a pair of hiking boots can make your life a lot easier.
Next, bring workout clothing with you. It is best to bring the clothing that you normally wear so that you are more likely to wear it and want to get some exercise in.
If you will be near the water, you want to bring some swimming gear. For ocean or lake swimming, you should also consider a pair of goggles so that you can look below the water to check out the local marine life.
3. Utilize Active Transportation
Forget renting a car or hailing a taxi when you are on vacation. Take advantage of walking whenever you can. Not only will this allow you to get some exercise in, but you will not miss important sights and other interesting things that your destination has to offer.
You can rent a bike to go places that are too far to walk to. Talk to the concierge at your hotel to learn about bike rental companies that are nearby.
For further destinations or when it is late at night, use the public transportation. This still requires some walking, and it gives you a chance to engage with some of the locals.
4. Monitor Your Diet
How fit you are is strongly dependent on what you put into your body. You definitely want to enjoy the local cuisine but do so in a way that is still healthy. Ideally, make sure that about 80 percent of what you eat, and drink is healthy. You can indulge for the other 20 percent and still maintain your diet.
You also want to ensure that you are staying hydrated. This is particularly important if you are in a climate that is dry and hot. If you are drinking any alcohol on your trip, make sure to compensate with plenty of water.
5. Develop a Simple Workout Routine
You may only have 20 or 30 minutes a day to work out, so you want to make it simple. Look for quick workouts that do not require any equipment so that you can do them in your hotel room, or even somewhere like the beach. The following are good options:
- Bodyweight exercises
- Yoga
- Stretching
- HIIT workouts
With a little dedication and planning, it is easy to remain fit while you travel. Just remember to plan some physical activity into what you already plan to do so that it is easy to tackle your fitness goals. Overall, maintaining your fitness routine can make your travel experiences more fulfilling and healthier.
Katherine Robinson a writer from HOTWORX
