How to Workout While You're Traveling

Staying active when you travel can be difficult. Part of it can be the change in routine, part can be lack of access. But there's always a way to get your sweat on while you're away from home!

Rose Leggings / Grey Jacket / Sports Bra / Fitbit Charge
Nike Top / Nike Running Shoes / Ear Buds (similar)

Bring the Right Clothes
Bring at least one set of workout clothes - sports bra, tights, tank top, shoes, socks and a jacket if necessary in your location. I know that sounds dumb, but you can't workout if you don't have active wear! When I was a severe overpacker, I didn't think there was room in my suitcase (which is laughable in itself!), but now I'd rather bring that than a lot of other things! Bring 2 sets if you plan on being gone several days. You can do a load of laundry if you're staying with a friend or in an Airbnb, or wash in the sink if you're desperate. Make room in your suitcase if it's important to you!

Where Will You Exercise?
You might not have a gym membership in a new place, and might not be staying in a hotel with a gym, so you might feel like it's a lost cause! There are plenty of workouts you can do without your standard gym membership.

• Hotel Room Exercise - Pinterest is full of different circuits you can do without any equipment from your hotel room! You may also find different workout videos on Amazon Prime, Hulu, Netflix or even plain old YouTube on an iPad or computer. Yoga & pilates are always easy in a hotel, but you can also do circuits of body weight exercises like push ups, crunches, lunges or squats! There are dozens more. Some workouts I've pinned. 
• Run - the best thing about running is that it's free and you can do it anywhere, with any length of time. Even a 20 minute run in a local park or around a neighborhood is great. Plus, it doubles as a little extra sight seeing! Find running routes here.
• Try A New Class - When I was in New York, I tried Flywheel and Overthrow Boxing. I also did a lot of "workout in the park" classes that were put on by the city and were complete free (more on that here)! On the last cruise we took, there was a standard gym, paid classes like yoga, but also free "bootcamp" classes twice a day! I was often the only person there and I couldn't figure out why. The classes were great! I personally have an OrangeTheory membership, and one of the perks is that I can workout in the studios anywhere I go. I've taken classes in Seattle, Florida, New York & plan on taking one in London when I'm there next!

Technology Can Help
If you have a Fitbit, Jawbone or AppleWatch you can keep track of your steps and heart rate during your trip. When we go to walkable cities like New York & London, we end up hitting around 20,000 steps per day! Knowing how many steps you're at can help you decide - walk or subway? Hitting a higher step count than usual can be super helpful if you can't get a traditional workout in. If you don't have a fitness tracker, use the "Health" tab on your iPhone. If you keep it in your purse or pocket all day, it will track your steps & flights of stairs. More on Apple Health here. 

The Trip Might Be the Workout
When we went to Cinque Terre, we hiked all day long visiting each city. I believe we climbed over 120 flights of stairs and walked about 13 miles! I'd say we'd broken a decent sweat. When we visited New Zealand we hiked the Tongariro Crossing & a few other trails, and we did sea kayaking at Abel Tazman. In Costa Rica, we didn't rent a car - we walked 1 mile each way to breakfast & dinner (at least 4 miles day) and did body boarding and swam for hours. We stayed quite active on these trip and really enjoyed it.

I might not stay up 100% with my workouts when we travel, but when it comes down to it I feel much better if I move a little bit each day! I've found lots of ways over the years to stay active while we're on the go. 

What are your favorite travel workouts or tips to stay active?
xo