(BlackFitness101.com) Are you a road warrior who spends most of the time living out of suitcase but you want to keep fit? Keeping fit while traveling is just a matter of ingenuity and thinking outside the box. It’s being just as committed to a healthy lifestyle on the road just as much as when you are home. Yes, you can use the fitness center to maintain fitness while traveling. But does that involve much innovation? Not really. Just the same ole blah blah workout as any other gym.
Follow these five outside-the-box tips to get in a great workout and eat properly while you are on the road.
Tip#1
Put Your Bags to Work
Lugging baggage in and of itself is a workout! Save the tip to the bellhop and lug your own bags to your room. In fact, make it your cardio warm-up and hit the stairs with bags in tow. Once in your room and you are ready to workout, use your bags for a workout. You can use the smallest bag for both an upper and lower-body workout. For instance, hold a small or medium-size bag in your hands with arms extended and perform a raise. For lower-body, hold the bag at your chest and perform squats. Do three to five sets of both exercises.
Tip#2
Look at Your Room as a Fitness Center
Aside from using your bags for resistance training, your hotel room holds numerous fitness possibilities. Most hotels do have fitness centers but they tend to be not well maintained or underserved as far as equipment is concerned. I suggest using the fitness center for cardio and doing strength-training in your room (more on room exercises in a minute). Every hotel room has four things: a bed, a floor, a chair and a wall. Every piece of furniture in your hotel room is up for grabs when it comes to a workout.
Tip#3
Do Strength-Training in Your Room
As mentioned, your hotel room is a fitness center. Use your chair for decline exercises such as pushups. You can also use the chair for small muscle group development such as dips for your triceps. You can use the wall for push-outs (aka standing pushups) while alternating hand positioning between wide, shoulder-width and diamond. You can even get your bed in the picture! Use your bed to perform a trampoline-styled cardio movement for thirty to forty seconds. And of course you can do pushups and planks right on the floor.
Tip#4
Use the Great Outdoors
Some of the best workouts happen under the skies! As you taxi or drive up to your hotel, begin to scope out some ideal running or power walking spots. Look for concourses (well-lit if you plan to run at night) or trails that you can utilize for cardio. Also look for strength-training spots where you may be able to do some decline pushups or planks.
Tip#5
Pack for Nutrition
Pack some protein supplements. In this day of heightened security, not everything is allowed for air travel. Thus, it’s a little bit risky to pack things you will likely have to throw away once you arrive at the airport (if you are driving to your destiny you are good!). Pack small items such as protein bars or other healthy snacks until you arrive at your destination. Use the buffet for healthy selections such as fruits, water or whole-grain offerings.
Staying fit on the road just involves innovation and thinking outside the box!
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitefitnesscoaching.com.