Top Tips for Staying Fit While Traveling

Nobody has a more strict fitness routine than you do. In fact, you can’t remember the last day you skipped a workout. But what happens when you go on a long vacation or business trip? Do those good exercise and diet habits get thrown out the window? The fact is that you can stay on track when you’re on the road. It just takes being more resourceful and using every chance possible to remain active. Let’s look at three tips provided by Jim Stoppani on Bodybuilding.com:

Consider intermittent fasting to keep off bad weight – It’s typical for one’s eating schedule to get out of whack when traveling. Of course, there’s also the desire to sample the location’s most popular foods and drinks, regardless of how unhealthy they may be. Stoppani recommends something called intermittent fasting to burn more fat on your trip and, consequently, keep off bad weight. What Stoppani discovered is that the cycle of fasting and feeding increases your metabolism and makes you burn more fat and carbs. Essentially, thanks to intermittent fasting, you can have just about any food you like in moderation. The kicker here is that you want to get to a point where you’re fasting for 16 hours and eating within an eight-hour window. Let’s look at an example. Most people abide by a 12/12 fasting/feeding day, meaning that if they wake up at 7 a.m. and go to bed around 11 p.m., they probably eat in the window between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. A 16/8 schedule, on the other hand, could mean that you’re eating between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Get in those bodyweight workouts – It’s certainly not easy to hit the gym while away. Maybe the hotel you’re staying at doesn’t have a fitness center. On the other hand, it could be that meetings ran late and you just don’t have the time to get in a typical workout. So what’s the best alternative? As Stoppani mentions, you can always use your body as workout equipment. Think about doing a combination of squats and lunges, push-ups, and doorway rows. As long as you do these exercises, you will activate the genes in the muscles for most muscle fibers in your body.

Exercise whenever possible – Picture this for a moment: you’re flying somewhere to attend a weeklong conference and, after looking over the itinerary, realize there’s absolutely no time to squeeze in a workout. You’ve been to similar conferences before and remember there being lots of sitting. Not ideal, right? But that doesn’t mean your active lifestyle has to necessarily take a weeklong hiatus. There’s always an opportunity to move your body. For example, is it at all plausible to walk to the conference? If so, take advantage of that opportunity. Then there’s the challenge of being at an airport for hours on end. Many people see waiting to board a plane as a chance to sleep, drink, or eat unhealthy airport food. The next time you have hours to kill at an airport, do multiple sets of carrying your luggage up and down the stairs. Ultimately, try following Stoppani’s 30/60 rule. For every 30 seconds you’re sitting, get up and exercise for at least 60 seconds. Studies show that after 30 minutes of consecutive sitting, metabolic genes that help regulate body fat, energy, and health outcomes are turned off. Do yourself a favor and get moving!

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