Creative Exercise Tips for Frequent Travelers

Traveling for work or pleasure often disrupts your usual routine and exercise environment, which can make it challenging to maintain your health and fitness. Even with the best intentions, it’s easy to get thrown off your routine when you’re in an unfamiliar place.

Over the past two years of traveling to Japan for business and seven years of training high-performance individuals, I’ve become well-versed in seeing the world as a place full of tools I can use for my own fitness training. This article gives you five tips to keep your fitness and exercise routine on point while you’re traveling.

How Can I Use Everyday Items for a Workout?

You can use hotel room furniture, walls and even luggage to create an effective bodyweight workout.

Think of your everyday surroundings as a toolkit. Your hotel room’s furniture can serve as a workout bench, and a carpeted floor can be used for ab training just like a gym’s rubber floor.

Here are some specific examples:

• Stairs: If you have access to a set of stairs, you can use them for a conditioning workout or as an incline surface for pushups.
• Walls: A wall can be used for wall sits or even incline pushups in a pinch.
• Countertops: A bathroom countertop corner is a great spot for bodyweight dips to work your triceps.
• Office Chairs: You can put your feet on an office chair to increase the difficulty of pushups.
• Luggage: Stacked luggage can be used for obstacle jumps.

You’ll become more creative with your fitness routines once you see the world around you as a fitness playground. Some of my most creative workouts have been done in a tiny hotel room when the gym was packed, and I was able to find a way to work with everything from the walls to the office chair.

How Do I Stay Motivated to Exercise While Traveling?

Instead of finding excuses not to exercise, make a commitment to use a travel-related obligation as an excuse to exercise.

Humans are masters at inventing obstacles that prevent us from doing something positive. By shifting your perspective, you can change these excuses into opportunities.

Here are a couple of examples:

• If you have a breakfast meeting at 8:00am, you have time to get a workout in from the moment you wake up until your meeting.
• When booking a hotel, book one with a gym or a nearby facility. This sets a clear intention to invest in your health while you’re away.

By setting yourself up for success in advance, you’re more likely to make good choices in the moment instead of inventing reasons not to.

What If My Hotel Gym Only Has Light Weights?

You can still get a great workout by using innovative techniques to increase the intensity of your training.

Hotel gyms are often short on equipment and may only carry lighter weights than normal. While this may be inconvenient, it’s not a barrier to an effective training session.

• Change your pace: If you only have access to lighter weights, try completing your reps with a 10-second timer to feel the burn instead of your usual pace.
• Use intensity techniques: Simple changes in tempo, along with many other intensity techniques, are critical for keeping your workout challenging no matter the circumstances.

If you’re not sure how to make these changes, a personal trainer well-versed in these techniques can help. Our clients at Summit Performance are constantly traveling and rely on us for virtual sessions to overcome the “how” barriers to exercise, ensuring they stay on top of their health and fitness while away from home.

When Are the Best Times to Use a Hotel Gym?

To maximize your privacy and access to equipment, you should use the hotel gym during “low tide” times, typically early mornings or midday.

Supply and demand is a “great governor of the universe.” While you can’t expect the same privacy or schedule flexibility as your home gym, a little forethought can ensure you get the best experience.

• Early Mornings: Most hotel guests are still sleeping, so a 6:00am session is likely to be empty compared to 7:30am when everyone is starting their cardio before breakfast.
• Midday: The best “low-tide” time is from 12pm to 2pm. By then, many guests have left for the day, and the gym is likely to be a “ghost town.”
• Avoid Evenings: Nighttime workouts are a gamble and often busy with the “post social event” crowd.

Picking these “low tide” times helps you avoid frustration and get a quality workout in.

What Should I Pack to Stay Fit on the Road?

The smarter you pack your fitness equipment, the more motivated you will be to exercise.

You’re more likely to use your jump rope or resistance bands if you’ve gone through the trouble of carrying them halfway around the world.

• Resistance Bands & Ab Wheels: These items are worth their weight in gold for the variety and utility they can add to any traveler’s workout toolkit.
• Always pack the essentials: Packing a few key items prevents you from being limited to what you can find in your hotel room and makes your life easier.

Summary & Conclusion

Staying fit while traveling doesn’t have to be a challenge. By leveraging your surroundings, setting yourself up for success and being smart about your packing and timing, you can maintain your health and fitness routine on the road.

Ready to take control of your fitness no matter where you are? Contact our team at Summit Performance to learn how our personalized virtual training can help you stay on track, no matter your travel schedule.

About the Writer

Mike Slomczewski, MSc.PT, CSCS is a physiotherapist, strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Summit Performance. He serves executives, business owners, busy professionals and unique solo athletes with full-service and travel health and fitness services.

Meet Mike in Japan in November!
You can book a Discovery Call with Mike here: https://www.summit.fit/discovery-call 

Learn more about Summit Performance: https://www.summit.fit/