How to Stay Fit and Healthy While Traveling

Staying fit while traveling is not easy, but it’s also certainly not impossible.

I absolutely love traveling, but one thing I dislike about long-term travel is the sedentary lifestyle that often comes with it.  It’s really easy to get out of shape while traveling because you spend a lot of time sitting on a bus or train, sleep-deprived from early mornings and late nights or overnight buses, sitting around having drinks with new friends and partying, etc.

The traveling culture typically isn’t an active one because many people use travel and vacation as an excuse to be inactive.  But if traveling is a regular part of your job or if you’re traveling for months without exercising, your health and fitness will suffer substantially.  And you may find that when you return home, your clothes won’t fit anymore (something I’ve personally experienced a few times), and that is never a good feeling.

When I’m home, I genuinely enjoy being very active.  I love how it relieves stress, clears my mind and makes me feel better overall.  I decided that travel shouldn’t put a stop to my active lifestyle, so I found a way to incorporate it into my travels.  It certainly takes more effort and motivation to be active while traveling, but making an effort to be active at least 1-2 days each week is key for staying fit and not having months of damage to undo when you return home.

 

WHY YOU SHOULD STAY FIT WHILE TRAVELING

 

REGARDLESS OF WEIGHT OR SIZE, A CERTAIN LEVEL OF FITNESS IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE ARE MADE TO MOVE AND BE ACTIVE

If you are an able-bodied human, you are not designed to sit all day.  Moving is healthy and will make you feel better.  Living a sedentary lifestyle will haunt your health later in life.

MANY OF THE MOST IMPRESSIVE AND MUST-SEE SIGHTS CAN’T BE EXPERIENCED WITHOUT SOME PHYSICAL EFFORT

Like hiking to see the gorillas in Uganda or Rwanda; hiking Mount Ijen in Indonesia to see the blue fire; hiking Acatenango in Guatemala to see an active volcano erupting; hiking Huayna Picchu, the mountain with a bird’s eye view of Machu Picchu, in Peru, etc.  You definitely don’t need to be an athlete to see these sites, but a certain level of fitness definitely helps.  And if you hike a longer trek (like Acatenango or the Inca Trail in Peru) there’s a huge difference between actually enjoying it vs. struggling in misery and hating it (or being fit vs. unfit).

Acatenango, the 1.5 day roundtrip hike to 4000m to see an active volcano erupting in Guatemala, was easily the coolest thing I have ever seen in my life and I can’t imagine not seeing it if I felt like I wasn’t fit enough (I met a few people who opted out of it for this reason).

A good portion of these hikes are a mental challenge, not just a physical challenge, however, the mental drive to keep pushing yourself physically is typically gained when you’re used to pushing yourself physically.  And don’t be afraid of slowing down your hiking group.  People are understanding and respectful and everyone can go at their own pace.

YOU WANT TO AVOID BUYING A NEW WARDROBE 

If you come home after a trip and your clothes don’t fit, that’s a harsh reality check.  This happened to me twice in my early 20s, so I decided to never let it happen again (and now I’m in my mid 30s, so age does not need to be a factor or an excuse).  Buying a whole new wardrobe is a waste of time and money.  Money that could be better spent on another international adventure.

 

HOW TO STAY FIT WHILE TRAVELING

 

WALKING 

It’s the best way to see a city.  When possible, forgo transit for walking and you’ll save money, get some exercise and see so much more.

HIKING 

This is one of my favorite ways to stay fit while traveling because you take a break from the busy cities, enjoy nature and a new landscape.

BIKING 

It’s a great way to get around and to sightsee.

VIEW/SUNSET HIKES 

In many cities and towns, there is often a hill or mountain with an amazing view overlooking the city.  If it’s safe to visit for sunset, that’ll be the best time to go.  If not, go during the day.  Earn that beautiful view.

TAKE THE STAIRS 

In many places, taking the stairs, instead of an elevator or escalator, is the only option.  A change in perception means looking at this as a opportunity to get some exercise, as opposed to an inconvenience.

FIND A PLACE TO PLAY YOUR SPORT/ACTIVITY 

If there’s a sport or activity you like to do at home, you can likely find a place to do it in the country or city you’re traveling.  If you do jiu jitsu or yoga at home, find a place to do it while you’re traveling.  You’re guaranteed to learn something new and it’s a great experience because it’s a different way to interact with the locals.

If you like dancing, take a dance class, like Salsa in many parts of Central and South America, Tango in Argentina, and Samba in Brazil.  This also doubles as a great cultural experience.  If you play soccer/football, you’re in luck because that is the most universal sport in the world, so it’s easy to find a place to play and people to play with.  And you might just make new friends 🙂

TRY A NEW ACTIVITY

Traveling is a great time to try new adventure activities.  You can try climbing, surfing, snorkeling, canyoneering etc.

PACK A JUMP ROPE 

It’s great cardio and it easily fits in your bag.

RUN OUTSIDE 

Running outside is a phenomenal way to see a city or town.  You can run along the water, through the streets, in parks, and along the beach during sunset.  You can also run stairs or hills for an added challenge.

*If it’s too hot or unsafe to exercise outside, you can do bodyweight exercises in your room.  If you don’t have a private room and feel uncomfortable working out in a shared room, find a more private space or a gym.

YOGA AND BODYWEIGHT EXERCISES 

These can be done in a park, gym, your room or sometimes your hotel’s/hostel’s rooftop.

In some cities and towns, you can find outdoor workout stations and playgrounds for bodyweight exercises.  Some bodyweight exercise examples are squats, push-ups, ab exercises, lunges, burpees (the ultimate full body workout because it includes cardio, endurance and strength, by working your arms, back, chest, abs, quads, glutes, hamstrings and calves), jumping jacks, mountain climbers, etc.  Do jumping squats and jumping lunges for an extra challenge.  Use a ledge or bench for step-ups or jump ups.

DOWNLOAD A WORKOUT APP

For more bodyweight exercises ideas, there are countless workout apps and YouTube workout videos that offer endless inspiration and options.

GYM OR YOGA DROP-IN

Many gyms and studios will let you drop-in.  If you’re there for one week to one month, you can get a pass.

WORKOUT WITH A FRIEND

And keep each other motivated.

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING (HIIT) WORKOUTS

Fact- You can get a great workout in 20 mins or less. But it will be intense.

High intensity interval training is amazing for both cardio and strength and these workouts can be done in a very short amount of time; therefore, this is an ideal and efficient way to stay fit while traveling because it won’t take away from your precious travel and adventure time.  Interval training is when you do short bursts of all-out work followed by short periods of active rest, which makes your body work a lot harder and burn more calories than it would during steady, moderate cardio, like jogging.  Training intervals will jack your cardio, boost your endurance and also make it easier to do the long distance activities, like hiking or long distance running.

 

Staying fit while traveling is more challenging, but it’s certainly not impossible.

If none of these ideas work for you, find something that does.

Mix it up and try new things.

Remember to warm up and to stretch.

The majority of these options are free, so there is no excuse to not stay fit while traveling.  So just do it.  Your body will thank you.

 

HOW TO STAY HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELING

 

In addition, if you’re concerned about gaining weight while traveling, what you eat and drink also plays a big role in this.

I love food and one of my favorite things about travel is trying all the new delicious food.  And I’ve come to learn that, the majority of the time, the local cuisine is not healthy.  Don’t ever deprive yourself, but also make sure you make an effort to eat some healthy meals and snacks too.

 

TIPS FOR HEALTHY EATING

 

TRY TO EAT REAL FOOD THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME

Try to limit processed foods and eat real food like vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs, protein and meat (if you eat meat).

KEEP HEALTHY SNACKS ON HAND

Like nuts, seeds and fruit.

MODERATION AND PORTION CONTROL ARE KEY

Don’t deprive yourself, but don’t go crazy on the ice cream, soda and french fries every day.

TRY TO LIMIT SUGAR, SODA AND SUGARY DRINKS

Fruit juices are included, but we all know how inviting, refreshing and delicious fresh tropical fruit juices are in hot countries.  Ask them to not add additional sugar.

DRINK A LOT OF WATER

PACK HEALTHY SNACKS FROM HOME

If possible.  Healthy snacks are not always easy to find in some countries, like India for example.

TRY TO LIMIT CARBS

This is exceptionally difficult as most countries have very carb heavy diets with rice and bread, so this is where portion control comes in.  I definitely eat A LOT more carbs while traveling.

EAT YOUR VEGETABLES

TRY TO LIMIT FRIED FOODS

BUY AND MAKE YOUR OWN FOOD

When you have the opportunity.

EAT SLOWLY 

Enjoy your food and avoid overeating.

LIMIT ALCOHOL

Fun police, I know, but alcohol is often one of the biggest, if not the biggest, contributors to travel weight.  I certainly drink and party significantly more while I’m traveling than when I’m at home.  So definitely go ahead and have fun, but it helps to pick your nights and parties.  Drinking and partying everyday will kill your body, wallet and likely your waistline too.  When you do drink, try to avoid too many sugary drinks and make sure you drink water too.

DO YOUR BEST AND DON’T OBSESS

None of these things should take away any enjoyment from your trip.  And any damage can always be undone 🙂

Feel free to add suggestions in the comments below.

 

ALSO SEE

 

Be My Travel Muse – On Gaining Weight On The Road

Alex in Wonderland – The Truth About Gaining Weight Abroad