Written By: Emma Squillace
Whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, to see family for holidays, or to explore a new destination, being out of your routine can make it harder to fit in exercise. If you’re lucky you may be staying in a hotel with a fitness center, but that’s not always the case. Today we’ll look at a few ways you can keep up with your fitness routine and weight loss progress, even when you’re on the road.
Resistance Band
If you’re going to pack one piece of fitness equipment, a resistance band is the most lightweight, easy way to go. Resistance bands are great for their versatility. Wrap the band around a doorknob to do rows, or raise your arms behind you for a tricep workout. You can also do arm toning lifts by standing on the band and using your arm to raise it up and down slowly. Leg-toning workouts are good with a resistance band also. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out ahead of you, band wrapped round both feet. Slowly take turns sliding each leg out to your side, and back in. Experiment with different ways of feeling resistance to get a gentle but productive toning workout.
Planks
Don’t underestimate the convenience AND strength-building of planks. You can do planks anywhere, and these are strong choices for beginners to experts. If you’re just starting out, do a plank for 10 seconds. Rest. Repeat. See if you can do 8 sets, twice each day. Planks are not just for your arms, but are an intense way to tighten your whole core. Focus on contracting your muscles and feeling the strength from within your body.
Hotel furniture
Furniture like a sturdy dresser can be a nice prop for getting modified pushups in. Instead of doing pushups against the floor, stand a few feet away from the dresser and place your hands on the top of the furniture. Do 10 slow pushups, remembering to keep your elbows close to your body. If those are easy for you, are you up for a set of one-handed dresser pushups? Next stand next to the dresser so you can do slow lunges, using the dresser for balance. If the lunges feel easy, try holding them for twice as long before coming back up.
Smartphone Apps
Downloading an exercise app can help you keep up with cardio and toning on the road. There are plenty of free apps that let you choose your fitness level, and provide a wide variety of workouts. Nike+ Training is a good one, and lets you do workouts of different lengths at 3 levels. Another popular choice is the Johnson & Johnson Official 7 Minute Workout App, which does exactly what it says: gives you 7-minute workouts. Even in the tightest of schedules, most of us can fit in 7 minutes every day.
Our #1 pick for exercise on the go:
The best way to get your exercise in when traveling? Walking! If weather permits, try to do as much walking as you can on your trip. Not only is walking an excellent exercise that is appropriate for any fitness level, but it also gives you a chance to explore your surroundings. If you’re going out to dinner, try to find somewhere you can walk to. Otherwise, take a cab or bus and have them drop you a mile away from your destination. A brisk walk before and after dinner helps digestion also.
Pro tip: If you’re traveling somewhere hilly like San Francisco and want to make sure the walk you’re planning isn’t TOO hilly, use google maps and choose the “Bike” option. Not only will you see your route, but you’ll also see the change in elevation you can expect throughout out your walk, and how steep those elevation changes will be.
Just because your gym isn’t close by, or your home treadmill is unavailable, doesn’t mean you’re out of luck when it comes to fitness when you travel. If you’re trying to lose more than 30 pounds and are frustrated by dieting, call West Medical and talk to our expert team. We have surgical and non-surgical treatments to help you find weight loss success. You can reach our friendly staff at (855) 690-0565.