UPTOURIST

Wondering how you can stay fit while traveling? Don’t let a business trip or vacation keep you from reaching your fitness goals. With these five tips you can take your fitness routine on the road with you, no matter your destination.

Don’t Overindulge

When you’re in vacation mode, it’s easy to get off track with your diet. Grabbing meals on the go doesn’t always leave you with the healthiest options, but a few days of bad eating can throw your body off track and leave you feeling sluggish. Stay away from the stacks of cinnamon buns and burgers at the airport and look for nutritious snacks that will keep you feeling great. If you’re driving, try packing a cooler with healthy options. Once you reach your destination, it’s okay to splurge a few times, but try to find restaurants, or even grocery stores, with healthier fare to help you maintain your fitness goals on the go.

Walk When You Can

One of the best parts of being a tourist is that you can find tons of reasons to walk around. If your hotel is next to restaurants and attractions, try taking a stroll to pick up snacks and see sights. Walking is a great way to stretch travel-weary legs and get some fresh air. It’s also the best way to get to know a new city. Stuck in the middle of nowhere? No worries! You can still stay fit with simple steps. If you’re in a building or hotel with an elevator, take the stairs instead to burn off calories or take a few laps around outside. To really max out your walks, think about getting a pedometer app for your smartphone to set and track your step goals each day. Find other workout hacks you can do anywhere here.

Make Time for Mini Workouts

If you don’t have access to a gym or don’t have time to go while you’re away, don’t worry. A workout doesn’t have to take a lot of time to be effective. If your travel schedule has you struggling to fit in a workout, you can get in a short, high-intensity session in the comfort of your own hotel room. In as little as 10-15 minutes, you can use your own body weight to run through a short, calorie-torching routine. Do a few sets of each exercise and repeat as sets as your time allows. A few simple sweat sessions can help you stay in shape and on track with your fitness goals when you don’t have time to hit the gym.

Book Activities That Will Burn Calories

Whether you’re traveling for work or for leisure, you’re bound to have some time on your hands to explore. Try to build adventures around activities that will keep you active and having fun. Look for a walking tour of the city, take to some local hiking trails or go dancing. You may be surprised to know that dancing actually does count as excellent exercise. Dancing for an hour can burn over 400 calories, so your night of fun could count for one major workout. So get out on the town, have some fun and stay fit in the process!

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate!

Taking a trip can really take it out of you, but if you’re feeling sluggish and slow, you may just need to drink some more water. Dehydration can make you feel tired, cranky and confused. It can also make you crave unhealthy foods. Despite these serious side effects, people tend to get dehydrated the most when they’re traveling. Plane rides, long hours in cars and a busy schedule can make it tough to get enough water into your body. Skip free, sugary drinks and coffee on the plane and stick to water. If you’re driving, keep some water in your car so you can sip from time to time and don’t let bathroom breaks deter you from drinking what you need. Studies show that dehydration can actually cause drivers to make mistakes.

Your travels don’t have to throw your health and fitness goals of track. With some planning and a few adjustments, you can find ways to stay active and healthy while you are away from home.