It’s tough to manage eating well while you are away on business. When we return, we feel lethargic and often a little heavier than when we left!
If you travel for business, then you must consider exercise as a way to remain healthy. Sitting in a car, traveling on a plane, and meeting after a meeting means it’s not always possible to eat as well as you could, especially when you are in a new place and don’t know local options.
In this article, we will provide some helpful tips for staying fit and exercising while traveling. We will look at how you can achieve this and what you can do to help yourself, and we will even provide exercise examples to inspire you.
Tips
It is important to remember that these are only ‘possible exercises’ and that you should consult a medical professional before undertaking exercise. If you are particularly overweight or suffer from any medical conditions such as bad knees, bad heart, bad back, or any other known issues, discuss options available to you with a fitness professional. Listen to your body and build up to exercise, and never go in too aggressively because you may injure yourself.
Why you need to exercise while travelling
When we travel for business, it is easy for Fast food and other elements to creep into our routines. It’s not always possible to find the right food at the right times or even eat to a particular schedule. This results in an increased ‘sedentary lifestyle’ and higher-than-average calorie intake, naturally leading to weight gain. Sometimes, weight gain can be quick and obvious, while other times, it can be a slow build that we may not even notice ourselves until our trousers don’t fit or we glance in the mirror. Exercise can make you more productive, which was covered here.
Additional weight can negatively impact Health in a variety of very important ways, from increasing blood pressure to an increased chance of diabetes, through pain in our joints to wanting to move less. Of course, high cholesterol and other negative buildup in our bloodstream can have long-term impacts on our well-being and health.
Exercise while traveling
Taking exercise equipment with you while you travel, especially if you are using planes to fly will prove difficult and frankly implausible. Equally, you wouldn’t easily fit a barbell and squat rack in the back of a saloon car.
What can you do to exercise on your travels?
If you are travelling for business via car, you can take a small amount of equipment with you, such as hand weights. However, if you are travelling by plane, then the additional pair of 5 kg dumbbells may not be the best decision for your travel allowance. There are things that you can do while travelling that will help you maintain and even lose weight.
Walk (If time permits)
Walking is a fantastic exercise that can build your calves and thighs and strengthen your lower back. It is often safer for you than running, and can be useful to find places to eat and stay in your local area.
Press-ups (Shoulders, chest and back)
You can always perform press-ups in your hotel room. Wide-arm and narrow-arm presses use different parts of your muscles, and they are particularly useful when you sit around a lot or travel for work.
Squats & Lunges (Use the larger muscles and burn more calories)
If you are unable to walk because it’s late or the area is not particularly safe, then you can always consider squats and lunges in your hotel room. These two bodyweight exercises are excellent because they use large muscles in your legs and burn more calories, which makes them a very efficient and useful way to control weight while traveling.
Resistance Band Exercises (Great for arms and legs)
If you are looking for a single piece of equipment that you can take with you, then resistance bands, also known as Workout Bands, provide a fantastic solution. They are light and can be wrapped up and put into your travel case. They are available in a variety of resistance levels and can be used on legs and arms. They are good for biceps cows, for example, and shoulder strength exercises. You can also use them for back and leg strength exercises.
Ab crunches or bicycle kicks (Modification)
Often, with high-calorie diets, the mid-drift or core section of the body suffers the most, so using ab crunches can be an excellent way to improve stomach and core condition. However, this is not recommended if you suffer from lower back or back issues in general. If you’re worried about these things, modify bicycle kicks like squats and walking, which use the largest muscles in your body, specifically your thighs.
Other tips
Eat breakfast – If you eat breakfast and choose something like brown toast or a fibrous cereal, you will start your metabolism and keep your Constitution functional. It is best to avoid breakfast in a bid to save calories and at least having breakfast you can afford yourself a little time to find the right lunch.
Choose low-calorie—If there is a salad or low-carbohydrate option, it would be wise to consider choosing this where possible because the next dinner options may not provide the same low-calorie choices.
Choose water not wine – Alcohol contains sugar and Will very quickly increase your weight, consider choosing water or diet sodas to avoid unnecessary calorie intake. Drinking water also improves your energy and stops you from feeling hungry.
For the stairs – Perhaps your meetings are in an office building at the stairs? Why not consider choosing to use the stairs rather than the lift or escalator. If the office is not in the building then you can also choose the stairs when parking your car. Use every opportunity to turn your legs over and burn calories to force your blood around your body.
Final thoughts
Of course, the big takeaway is that if your calorie intake increases while you are away, you must also exercise to keep yourself healthy and your weight stable. This will make it less of a challenge when you get home and lower the risks associated with a sedentary lifestyle and weight gain. Enjoy traveling, and remember that fitness and exercise will help you to remain healthy and are good for your wellbeing.