The holiday season is officially here and with it comes the unavoidable travel. Whether you’re visiting Grandma or embarking on a holiday vacation, it can be difficult to fit in your exercise routine. Fitness and Activity Director at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club, Marnie Laatz Dominy, has the scoop on how to stay on track with your fitness, even while you are away from home.
Tips For Staying Fit While Traveling
While traveling, planning is extremely important to help you stay dedicated to your fitness regimen. When you are setting up your itinerary for the trip, include your workout in there too. Determine how many times that week you want to work out and schedule them into your planner. Thanks to all the digital fitness devices, you can be quite specific and set attainable goals for yourself. You can set expectations for yourself that include mileage, the calories you need to burn, or level of difficulty. There is also an option to sync your fitness device to your IPad or computer so you can easily keep track of the progress you are making.
On vacation, you do not have your usual gym equipment, so sometimes you have to get creative. Fortunately, you have the option to download apps that provide amazing workouts, and you can do them right in your own hotel room. Most apps are free or have a low nominal monthly fee. There are some apps that set you up with a seven-day workout plan, trainers, and even individualized programs. Another option is to look on YouTube. There are so many different fitness videos provided for you and they are an easy download away. Trying something new will mix up your usual workout and even make things exciting.
If you have a competitive streak, set up a little challenge with a friend before you leave for the trip. After you come back, you can both meet up and exchange results. Maybe the winner even gets a prize? Knowing that you will be sharing your results with someone else will be a great motivator when you feel like skipping your morning run or sit-ups.
Easy Exercises to do While Traveling
Plane trips usually entail a lot of sitting at the airport. You can try something different and stay active while you are waiting to board your plane. Don’t be afraid to walk the terminal and even bring your luggage. The extra weight adds to your caloric expenditure and helps utilize more muscles while you move around. Sitting on the plane can feel like a nice little treat if you earned it.
As for bringing equipment with you on your trip, Dominy recommends exercise bands. The band combined with your own body weight can be the perfect combination for an excellent workout and it does not matter where you are. The bands roll up easily and don’t take up much room at all in your suitcase. Exercise bands are available in a variety of different tensions, relevant to strength levels. Some exercises you can try with exercise bands are bicep curls, tricep press-backs, squats, stationary lunges, side bends, and that is just to name a few. It is great to mix these exercises with some cardio like jumping jacks or running in place. Add some abdominal work and stretches and you have yourself a whole workout routine.
Healthy Eating While Traveling
When it comes to health, it doesn’t just stop at fitness. Nutrition is extremely important and can get pushed to the side while traveling. The holidays should be fun and there’s no need to deprive yourself. However, some planning can really be beneficial and help you fight some temptations here and there.
It can be very helpful to pack wholesome snacks for yourself so you don’t feel tempted by the holiday trays that always seem to be out. Nuts and dried fruit make for a great pick-me-up during the day and will keep your hunger at bay. Protein bars are another great option. Protein has been shown to decrease hunger and this will be helpful when surrounded by delicious treats.
Practice discipline throughout the day if you have an event coming up that you know you want to indulge at. You can also make healthy choices while at the party. This can be as easy as avoiding the rich eggnog and going for the glass of red wine. If the host wants you to bring anything, make sure it’s a healthy one. This will ensure for at least one healthy option that you will definitely have.
Dominy’s best trick of all is omitting wheat. Even if you are not on the gluten-free train, it is beneficial because removing wheat decreases your intake of calories. This can be as simple as ordering a salad without croutons or swapping vegetables for crackers when there’s a hummus platter.
How to Recover After Indulging on a Trip
If you notice you have been slacking during the holidays, don’t wait until your New Year’s resolution to fix it. Be proactive and make sure to get back on track. Lose what you gained and you can get back to your normal workout regimen. Dominy highly recommends digital fitness when it comes to this. It is so easy to set attainable goals for yourself and the numbers will not lie to you. It keeps you on track while allowing you to stay motivated. If you have that competition set up with a friend, make sure to meet up as soon as you can. Compare vitals and allow them to relight your fitness spark.
