Your Step-by-Step Guide to Staying Fit and Healthy While Traveling

My experience is that I drop weight and gain fitness on the road. Restaurant portions are moderate and food is healthy in Asia, which is where we prefer to be. What about the serious athletes, how do they fit exercise, training and workouts into a travel lifestyle? Also what about sports gear? Where can you find new running shoes on the Mekong? How do people manage to maintain their preferred level of fitness? And what about the kids? How can, and do, people stay fit on the road? My husband, we call him Chef, lives in his running, biking and swimming gear and gets out for a serious amount of exercise almost every day.

This has been our life for many years now, he started training for his first full-distance Ironman back in and has competed in Ironman Cairns, Wales Ironman , Ironman Phuket half distance and this year the full Ironman in Langkawi. Triathlons include a bike section so yes, we travel with a triathlon bike much of the time. The beauty of Strava is that you can see if the places you visit have other people actively training, you can check their routes or segments and then compete against these other people within the app.

Even remote places have numerous segments and help you pick where best to train. The Garmin watch gives you useful real-time data including distance, speed and heart rate. You can also meet new training partners if they are fellow Strava users. When it comes to equipment I try to bring everything with me from either Europe or Australia. Even things like bike inner tubes for racing bikes can be impossible to find.

I also make a point of packing the gels and energy bars that my body is used to. Of course if you just want to stay fit and not compete you could easily halve this. I have made changes to my diet to achieve this weight loss, the most recent being that I have joined Slimming World. At home, I maintain a routine of fruit for breakfast, a green smoothie during mid-morning, something light for lunch e.

Therefore, another essential part of my luggage is my running gear. I try to stick to a routine of running three times a week. You can find Layla at Good Vibes Family. Ian is a running inspiration to me, he takes off on decent length runs wherever he is in the world. We almost never stay in hotels with a pool, and never, ever in a place big or expensive enough to have a gym. How to stay fit? Run in the rain, run through the back alleys of Rajasthan, run on the beach, run up all the mountains.

I also try to do push ups per day, but I usually fail at that. But we now walk for hours almost everyday. What I lack in speed I make up for in dogged determination. My kids are old enough now that I can escape to run, the baby and little-kid years made any such me-time virtually impossible. I will suffer in the tropical heat, running is best in cool drizzle for me and after living in the tropics for years I know that my running will be restricted to early and late.

My new best friend, my cooling towel comes with me on every run even in London, I hate heat but the wonders of Asia outweigh my need for personal comfort.

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As a digital nomad and full-time travel blogger who is always on the road, I need to keep a healthy balance both mentally and physically. The top two ways my mind and body stay healthy and fit is yoga and meditation. I usually start my day with a light healthy breakfast like eggs and fruit and move into 20 minutes of meditation to open my mind, to hone in on good thoughts and positive energy. Yes, yoga keeps the circulation of energy flowing through my body, but most importantly, yoga gives me the deep stretch I need to help relieve my leg condition, short tendons.

Those of us born with a short Achilles tendon cannot walk flat on our feet. Walking on my tippy toes my whole life causes frequent leg cramps and pain. Yoga not only helps my body achieving deep stretches like no other workout can provide , it also improves my mind and soul since I find the practice of Yoga to be relaxing.

20 Tips For Staying Fit While Traveling, From A Full-Time Traveler | HuffPost Life

When we are traveling the last thing we want to see is the inside of a gym! Instead we look for ways to incorporate exercise into our travel plans. Walking carrying the children in carriers is a great work out and also a slow and detail rich way to see a new area. We also look out for kayak tours which offer unique viewpoints, great arm workouts, and fun!

For diet, we try to eat local as much as possible and concentrate on the positives. Jessica is the queen of stress busting while travelling and you can find her at Magnets From Everywhere. You can find Gillian and family at Explore. Travelling normally involves sitting for long periods of time car, train, plane , and I like to munch while in a moving vehicle.

Also, new places always have new and amazing food, and I want to try all of it! While exploring new places, it is also easy to forget to drink lots of water to stay hydrated. So, my goal when I travel is to not think of it as any different from my normal day-to-day life and keep myself to my normal standards. Yes, this requires more effort, and for the most part, it is worth it to me, as I feel better when I eat this way. When we do buy food out, I choose my meals and treats wisely. We walked miles every day, we ate really good food, and I was mindful to savor the treats and wine, but not overdo it.

Yes, I had croissants and baguettes, but in moderation with lots of colorful veggies, fruits, and good quality yogurt and cheese. We typically ate one big meal out a day, and breakfast and dinner were items from the market or Monoprix. Most important, is to check in with myself and make sure I feel well so I can fully enjoy our travels! You can find Jillian at Greenawalts Travel. Sometimes that is a good thing exercise and healthy eating or not such a good thing quick meals, junk food and nights on the couch.

I am most definitely in the latter of the two categories. People often associate travel with things like too much beach lounging and gelato, but I experience exactly the opposite. While traveling, I find people are more active and outgoing. Sight-seeing throughout big cities, hiking over new landscapes; your step counts will go through the roof. This couch-potato even climbed a mountain in Ireland! Your couch will never be further from your mind.

Now factor in all of the mental health benefits of travel — studies show regular travel decreases risk of heart attack and depression, as well as increased brain health — and travel is one of the healthiest gifts you could give yourself! One of the biggest challenges is staying on track with our fitness. Sometimes we stay in one place long enough to get a gym membership but more often than not we have to get creative with our exercise regime. With these two multi-purpose pieces, suspensions straps and resistance bands, we can get a full-body workout almost anywhere.

The next thing we do is look for parks, beaches, sports centers, running routes…anywhere that we can exercise. We have found lots of parks that actually have some simple exercise equipment, but if not we will use things like heavy rocks or fallen tree branches as weights and will often fill water jugs or bags with sand. Stairs at a sports stadium are also great for cardio and leg workouts. Ultimately we have found that with a bit of thought and imagination there is never an excuse to drop your exercise routine while traveling.

Take Vietnam, for instance, where dogs are roasted on spits by the roadside and ordering a Chay vegetarian version of a dish often means chunks of meat are simply fished out of your noodle soup. I scour TripAdvisor for veggie-friendly eateries, find local markets to stock up on fruit and nuts, learn the local word for vegetarian and rent apartments with kitchens so I can cook my own meals.

I always look out for Indian and Middle Eastern restaurants too, which I know will serve veggie-friendly food. I also love spending time in places like Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is crammed with vegetarian eateries where you can get everything from a huge leafy salad for 60 Bhat to veggie versions of traditional Thai dishes and vegan chocolate brownies. Big European cities like London tend to have a good variety of veggie restaurants too and Whole Foods was heaven whilst road tripping in the USA. Amy and Andrew have been travelling vegetarian for years but are transitioning to a full vegan diet.

Best of luck to them, I found it too hard with a family. Think about it, modern obesity is blamed on computer gaming and bad diet. Why are computer games so much more fattening and health impacting than being desk bound? OK, the teeth thing is mostly good luck but they have balance and move around freely. One likes to compete in running events, one is a superb swimmer with no interest in competition. Being forced into activities I loathed turned me off sport or exercise for a very long time. Before somebody brings up team sports, nobody here has any interest in them and that suits us.

Travelling makes me happy. The sort of happy that involves four backpacks and the people you love. Steve, take it away! When I landed in Sydney to start my life as a nomad, there was one thing above all others that terrified me:. Any time I had traveled in the past, I abandoned my workouts and healthy eating went right out the window because: It bummed me out, but I was always worried about missing that amazing meal or big night out. I also wanted to prove that it was possible to have it all. That you can stay healthy and strong and fit, and also have amazing adventures, say yes to parties, eat local food, and live in the moment while traveling.

I traveled to more than 20 countries, hiked the Great Wall of China, swam with sharks, tracked wild animals in South America, and even lived like James Bond in Monaco. In fact, being healthy can be GREAT for helping you to live in the moment and say yes to adventures too. I just published a book called Level Up Your Life about helping people live more adventurous lives and how to put a plan in place to make that happen, and it covers some of the stuff below along with more travel help. Today, Matt wanted me to share some of my advice with you. And with me too, because I always feel like I gain ten pounds when I travel!

When most people think of exercise, they usually think of people torturing themselves in a gym with weight machines and running on treadmills like a hamster for hours at a time. We only get one chance on this planet, and we only have one body to do it in, so we should probably take care of ourselves.

This basic strength-training workout is really helpful to having a great experience while traveling: This workout can help you get strong and healthy and still have plenty of time to do whatever else you need to do. Now, you might be wondering where to find a playground? Anytime you get to a new city, look on Google Maps or speak with the person who runs your hostel and ask for the nearest park. All you need is enough space on the ground to do your squats and push-ups, and something to hang from for your pull-ups.

Do body weight rows using a desk or table , or pick up your suitcase and do dumbbell rows. Everything else you can do with just your body. Do squats when you can. Crank out a few pull-ups when you find something to hang from while on your hike, or bust out a plank in an epic location because why the hell not. Ugh, nobody wants to hear this while traveling, but how you eat will account for 80—90 percent of how you look and feel.

5 Tips to Stay Fit While Traveling

Time to starve myself! How do we do that? By building a simple, kickass nutrition plan that is easy to follow and applicable anywhere everywhere on the planet:. The focus should be on quality food from natural sources this can often be easier in foreign countries than it is in the United States, as it seems this country is built around grains, high-fructose corn syrup, sugar, and carbs! Every meal should have a protein source and at least one vegetable; add some fruits and nuts. Avoid dairy and grains, or only eat them in minimal quantities.

Now, I can already see your brow furrowing, and you probably have the following question: These foods are pretty much just calories and carbs. Your body will thank you, I promise. This is something I struggled with when I began traveling, until I made a commitment to myself to start eating better, which required me to start spending more money on food to get protein, vegetables, etc. I either saved up more money before I went on my trip a few bucks can mean a great meal in many countries!

If you just had a massive breakfast, skip lunch — it evens out at the end of the day. Skipping a meal can be called intermittent fasting and can be really beneficial actually! I never eat two bad meals in a row. But then again, neither is staying up too late, not spending enough time in the sunlight, spending too much time in the sunlight, playing video games for too long, eating unhealthy foods, etc. And yet we all do lots of these things; we have to make trade-offs while we live our lives and have some fun. I believe drinking can be done occasionally, in moderation, and a healthy lifestyle can still be achieved.

If you decide that you want to drink, good for you. You know yourself best: Know yourself, and be smart about it. In Croatia during Yacht Week last year, I came up with a rule that I had to do 10 squats and 10 push-ups every morning for each drink consumed the night before. What started out as a joke among my boatmates suddenly became an accountability tactic.

Theodore Roosevelt, an adventurer in his own right, said it best: There are often once-in-a-lifetime experiences that require you to go off your food or exercise routine. It can be as simple as making an effort to sign up for , opting to ride a bike through a city and getting lost on purpose, hiking on small trips to prepare yourself for bigger trips. And every decision helps! Thanks again for reading, and I hope you take one piece of advice from today and use it to help you on your next trip! Want to share your tips and advice? Visit the community forum to ask questions, get answers, meet people, and share your tips!

Please note that some of the links above may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I recommend only products and companies I use and the income goes to keeping the site community supported and ad free. Question for Steve — why are beans something to eat in moderation? Beans can be a carb heavy, calorie heavy food that can lead to weight gain if one consumes TOO many of them. Everybody is different and has different goals.

Thanks for the reply — just now seeing it, oops. Funnily enough, after reading this post I actually heard you on one of my travel podcasts. Of course compared to eating greens it has a lot of calories, but calories, 11 grams of fiber and 15 grams of protein for a cup sounds good to me. Beans are also a really good source of fiber and can help you stay full longer, which is beneficial to both budget and waistline!

Climbing is great but you need to be safe. Great point, and looking back I should have been wearing a helmet. We workout nearly every single day since we have dogs. Thanks for the great advice!

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I backpacked across Spain on the Camino de Santiago all of July and thought I was going to come back ripped. Well, when the markets are far and few in-between, the main lifeline in the small villages is fresh bread, and the wine is cheaper than water, it becomes tricky. Even with all of that I figured I was burning the calories because my bag weighed 23 pounds double what I should be carrying and we hiked miles a day.

Ended up gaining 5 pounds and losing a few toe nails. I bring my TRX along and hang it on playgrounds, palm trees, whatever! Plus, you get some really funny looks from people, which are amusing. It is a structured series of exercises using your body aka calisthenics. Also, all the material downloads to your phone, so no connections are needed once installed I think. We found your blog today and we love it! Today we have been on the road over four months and we have realized that eating healthy and doing some exercise once in a while keeps us better shape and we enjoy more our travel activities and adventures.

I appreciate different diets work for everyone, so why advocate the paleo diet? Isnt most bacon full of nitrates? This is more than likely going to lead to binging later on in the day! I was hiking for hours every day in New Zealand for two months and I felt like I needed carbohydrates. I would have a big dinner of carbs and protein to replenish all that was lost during the day.

I actually maintained my muscle, and put on no weight. Sure, paleo may work for some, but not all. I have been for 10 months so far and yes I have put on weight.

Consistency is key, but that doesn’t mean you’re limited

But I have also been eating like the locals, having an adventure and experiencing different ways of life. I totally agree, and yes, he did need to be called out on suggesting just one diet. I think the cutting of carbs recommendation is relative to a traveler that does not participate in as regiment of an activity like you did for a long period of time. If calories is MORE than you currently eat, you will gain weight. If calories is LESS than you currently eat, you will lose weight. When it comes to body composition and performance how you feel, are you bloated, energy levels, etc.

Some people thrive on high carbs, others … not so much. This is where experimentation comes in, and you need to listen to your body. High in micronutrients vitamins, minerals, etc. Much more difficult to do with a huge plate of lasagna and beer from a restaurant. Anyways, this has turned in to a novel. The rest of the article was fine and had some good every day advice for the average traveler. Determined to find a balance for this years trips and your advice is great…must find playgrounds!

Travelling for me burns so many calories, i need the extra food. I love how you lay out a comprehensive and yet, simple plan that anyone can follow virtually anywhere on the planet. Right now Nathan and I are really focusing on health and fitness particularly because our wedding is in 3 months!! I am gonna give that playground workout a try. Steve, we have a gym we go to 5 days per week. Also, I love the inclusion of the paleo type diet. We have done that in the past and it really worked for us. My suggestion to those out there is eating cheap yet healthy: A lot of valuable information for travelers.

I think intermittent fasting is a perfect option travelers. I moved from the US to Thailand to teach English. Back home I frequented the gym times a week. Here in my little province of Nan, I have no gym! We complete body weight exercises, hold races, and play games like soccer and tag to stay healthy and fit.

One challenge was weighing myself — my best way of keeping my eating healthy.