You pulled the trigger.
Booked that dream vacation that you’ve been dreaming about for months — hell, maybe years on end.
Scaling a mountain? Might have to do it.
Unwind on a tropical beach with your “+1” in tow? Possibility.
Checking out that cosmopolitan city halfway around the globe you’ve always had an interest in? Not a bad idea.
Whatever it is, you booked that bad boy. So it’s time to start prepping, planning, and getting prepared to make those vacation dream a reality.
Part of that whole ordeal…
Hitting the gym and getting in tip-top shape before you visit that once-in-a-lifetime destination you’ve always dreamed of.
But then you realize one thing:
Why would you work so hard to get in shape only to watch your newfound physique dwindle away while you're on vacation?
Luckily, you needn’t worry about all that jazz.
In this quick article, I’ll teach you how to stay in shape while traveling in just three simple steps.
Maintains vs gains
Now, this is where a lot of people get the misconception about staying in shape on the road. These folks think you have to crush workouts in a world-class gym every single day while on the road.
For most travelers, that’s far from the truth.
Here’s the deal…
If you’re traveling for a week or two, you don’t need to focus on making “gains” while on the road.
You just need to focus on maintaining.
Maintaining the body you brought with you on vacation. Not improving it. Not getting out of shape, either.
Just going home looking the same as you did when you booked that flight.
And to tell you the truth, it's not that hard.
Think about it…
Scenario #1 – “Gains”
There’s no doubt about it. You’ll often have to be super strict with your daily routine to make solid gains in the gym.
Be it strength gains. Adding size. Booty gains. Improve your conditioning.
Whatever it is, you have to be focused to improve in the gym.
Not just focused in the gym, but you have to do a bunch of other things too. Things like:
- Preparing meals
- Eating on specific hours
- Training like you normally do
- Strict sleep schedule
This is not conducive to traveling whatsoever.
You won’t have your normal gym routine available if you're on the road for a few weeks.
Your diet will be different. It’s unlikely you’ll be meal prepping while trying to immerse yourself in a new culture.
And sleep? Yeah, if you’re anything like me…you’ll be enjoying the local nightlife flavor at least a few nights while on vacation.
Luckily, you can do all these things if you stop focusing on “GAINS” and lean towards a maintaining lifestyle.
Scenario #2 – “Maintain”
This specific plan to stay in shape on the road is much more flexible.
You would be able to enjoy some type of activities that you normally don’t do, while equally not losing any progress.
For example, maybe one day you hit a 3-4 hour hike in the mountains.
That’s leg day and cardio all mixed into one.
Sure, your squat totals might not go up here, but you’re surely maintaining a decent level of fitness here. You’re not losing anything!
Or maybe you have a tour to go whale watching one morning. You don’t have time to find a local gym that day, but you do 100-200 pushups in your hotel room before heading out.
Maintaining.
You get the idea here…
It’s easy to maintain your level of fitness on the road without interfering too much with your vacation.
That’s impossible when focusing on “GAINS” while hitting the road.
3 simple ways to stay in shape while traveling
Let’s get into some nitty, gitty tips and tricks to make “maintaining” your fitness level on the road so much easier.
Here are a few ideas:
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There are gyms, yoga studios, etc. EVERYWHERE!
Every single city I have ever been to had a gym.
At least 75% had yoga studios.
There are dozens of hotels and apartment buildings that have small gyms in every single city.
You can find somewhere to workout no matter where you are in the world.
This is not an excuse.
A quick Google search will show you dozens of gyms and yoga studios near you no matter where you are in the world.
You’ll also find parks to run, train bodyweight, and so much more.
Or…
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Amazing apps, abs, and more
If there is definitely no gym around, you can always download any app for an occasion like this.
These apps are also amazing for any and all hotel room workouts.
They are hundreds of them.
Literally.
One of my personal favorites?
This app is amazing for ab workouts, quick hotel room workouts, and burning fat.
Highly, highly recommended if you’re hitting the road for the first time.
-
Be. Active.
There’s also a number of activities you can do while traveling that are amazing for your physical fitness levels.
Hiking a mountain for the day? Yeah, that’s better than any gym workout for me.
Swimming in the ocean? Talk about a core and back workout.
Surfing? You’re damn sure to be sore for the next few days.
Biking around the city for hours on end? Great cardio.
By just being active while you’re traveling around, you’ll find it easy to stay in shape and maintain your fitness level in the short term.
Stay in shape on the road!
At this point, you must have a pretty good idea of how to stay in shape while traveling.
What to do and what to avoid.
The main things are to focus on maintenance and not become obsessed with making “gains” while on vacation. Because you’ll end up spending too much damn time in the gym…
And not enough time enjoying why you actually decided to visit a city.
