Staying Fit on the Road

Fitness on the road can be a big challenge.  At least it has been for me.  I'm not really a runner.  To be honest, I've never really liked running continuously.  If you are a runner, staying fit will be easier for you because there are trails you can run and many are near hotels you may be staying at.  If not, you should be able to use a treadmill.  This is a great resource for finding running trails near your current location.  It's called Trail link.  They have an app as well.  Alltrails is another great resource.  

If you're more like me you prefer indoor workouts.  Most hotels have a fitness room but many are, well, pretty crappy.  I'm happy if there are a good selection of dumbbells and working treadmills and ellipticals.  That's not always what I get though.  I've been at hotels where there are nothing but broken machines and just a handful of dumbbells . I'm picky about treadmills because my cardio is usually HIIT.  My cardio workout goes like this:

90 second walk  @ 4.0

30 second run    @ 6.1

90 second walk @ 4.0

30 second run  @ 6.2

90 second walk @ 4.0

etc.... I gradually increase my running speed by .1 and usually do 11-14 of these 90 second/30 second cycles.  Then I cool down by walking for 3-5 minutes.  You can increase the run times if you want or so more of those cycles.  I HATE a treadmill that is not responsive.  When I want to speed up or slow down, I want the treadmill to respond to my commands quickly.  

A great gym to join is Planet Fitness.  If you sign up for a Black Card membership you can use one of their gyms anywhere.  Their app will show you where the nearest one to your location is.   You can download their app to help find the closest one.  Or you can download an app called TrainAway that will also show you all gyms that are near your current location. You can get a day pass for many of these gyms.  

Another challenge I found with working out while on a trip was time.  Sometimes the layovers are too short to get one in.  I value sleep very highly and if I've had a super long day and/or have one the next day, I will make sure I'm getting enough rest.  I'm no Spring Chicken anymore.  But when you're really young you can find the energy for working out on those short layovers or after that 13 -15 hour workday.  I remember those days!  I will, however, get off my lazy butt for a in-room exercise band workout.  I always bring a regular cloth band and an extra long cloth body band with me in my bag.  They're super light weight and take up almost no space in my suitcase.  I do both lower and upper body using them.   These are the ones I use by Arena Strength:

They're super affordable and they won't break.  I hate those rubber kind that snap or roll up.  These don't do that.  I'll do donkey kicks, fire hydrants, reclining leg lifts, bridges with abductions and so much more with them right in my room.   You'd be surprised how well these can work too.  They're no joke.  Coming soon I'll be adding a specific glute workout you can do in the privacy of your room with one of these bands.  

Yoga is a great in-room workout you can do as well.  You don't have to bring a yoga mat with you,  I just use one of the bath towels.   Youtube has yoga workouts you can use or you can just do your own.  Pilates is awesome as well and also can give you a great workout without leaving your room or putting on athletic shoes.   

When I'm somewhere that's warm I sometimes will find a bike I can rent for an hour or so.  Sure electric bikes and scooters are fun but if you want to burn some calories use peddle power.  Not only will you get some exercise but you'll be able to get out and explore as well.   I highly recommend doing this from time to time when you're able to.  Always make sure you're in a safe area, though.  Take another crew member along if you can.  

Another thing you can do is download a fitness app.   You can pull up so many different workouts on  your phone or tablet that you can do in your room or in the gym.  These are some of the best ones you can download:

Arena Strength also has their own app you can use with those bands.  You can use those bands with all those other apps as well. 

So don't just be a couch potato in your hotel room all the time.  Get your much needed rest but also get some exercise as well.  Stay hydrated and stay fit!