I spend A LOT of time in airports and cars.
I know I’m not the only one. Death of the Salesman? I think not. Almost every flight I’m on is sold out. Airplane travel is no longer a glamorous Mad Men adventure. It’s a test of patience, planning, and for me- the luck of being short.
Seriously, this is the one great feature of being vertically challenged. Plane travel! I fit in the seats enough to be as comfortable as expected. Still, when I get bumped up to first class, you can bet I’m engaging in a fist pump and a hell yeah! I can’t count how many times I’ve been seated on a plane and some large human being sits next to me and says,
“I am so happy I’m sitting next to you!”
Really? I can’t say I feel the same way when you’re half in my seat and sweating on me. Planes are in major need of being redesigned for modern day life. Bring it on, Delta. I’m ready to help you with your design flaws.
Anyway,… I completely digress.
Back to exercise on the road.
This is one of the top questions my clients ask me. “I’m doing great with my exercise program when I’m at home, but I have no idea what to do when I’m on the road. I feel like I have no time to work out and my day is jam packed with meetings and travel and I’m so tired and I just don’t have the energy to do this and…”
Whoa,…. Tiger. You’re stressing me out and I’m not even with you.
Let’s simplify this and start small. Travel is its own beast. Even if you are seasoned, travel takes you out of your normal rhythms and disrupts your patterns and habits. This can, under some circumstances, be a good thing if you are entrenched in your habits and unwilling to change. However, it usually is a huge burden if you are working towards health goals and never feeling like you are on any schedule or pattern.
While I could post an awesome hotel workout for you right now, I won’t.
I will in another post at some point. It’s just not important right now. It is more important to lay the foundation and start in small smart ways to workout on the road, so you can work into a rhythm of doing a killer hotel workouts later.
[Tweet “It’s important to start in small smart ways to workout on the road. #traveltips #travelhealthy”]This week, I just want you to start with these simple steps and get into the habit of consistently doing them. –
In airports, instead of riding the escalators walk up them.
Jam-packed? Act like you’re late for your flight and say- “Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me, and pardon me.” Add in an “oh dear” here and there, look at your phone like you’re checking the time and throw in a frantic face for good measure. People will part like Moses waving his hand over the red sea, making a clear path for you to hustle it up the stairs. With a carry on in tow or a heavy purse in hand, 3-5 minutes of this will get your heart rate going.
Instead of riding the moving walkway, walk on the floor.
Crazy? I know. People used to do this all the time in the old days. You’ll be ok. Just make sure to wear comfortable shoes.
When you get your rental car, make a point of parking as far back in every parking lot as you can.
I used to hate when my Mother would to do this at the grocery store. I now laugh that I used to view it as embarrassing! Oh teenagers… You know what? She had a point. Every step gets you closer to attaining and maintaining your health goals.
Get to the hotel and request a high floor, then walk up the stairs to your floor every time you go to your room. Bonus points if you do this with your luggage.
Watch your coworkers’ faces as you wave goodbye to them when they all cram onto an overfilled elevator and get into each other’s personal space. Smell ya later!
Lastly, try to pick restaurants you can walk to.
Yes, this is easier in cities. Although not an excuse in the suburbs, because every hotel is now near a major strip mall with some major chain restaurant that some client or coworker wants to go to. You’ll feel a million times better after eating some things not on your diet, if you can walk it off a bit. Plus, the benefits of a leisure walk at night? Lowering of cortisol levels, which mean less belly fat and massaging of the stomach organs for better digestion and sleep. You have probably spent the majority of the day sitting down, so stretching your legs will feel great.
All these little actions add up over a day, a week, a month and make an impact.
Leave the guilt at home of not getting massively sweaty workouts in at the hotel. If you do get in a workout, major high-five and slap on the back! That is awesome and it only helps you on your health journey. But, I’d rather you do these little actions consistently than one or two days of a major workout to only not do one for another six months.
Let me know how this works out for you in the comments below and if you have any fun actions to add.
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A bientôt,
Annick