Exercises To Stay In Shape While Traveling

When you’re traveling you likely have a lot on your mind. Putting together workouts to do on the road is likely to be the least of your priorities. There’s just so much else to do! However, if you give it a little bit of thought, you can ensure you engage in fitness while you’re on the road.

Packing Helps

For starters, you can pack for fitness. All you need are a few pieces of equipment and you’re good to go. Carrying resistance tubes along is a good idea, in case you ever need to do resistance training, and a jump rope will help with the cardio. Moreover, these pieces of equipment add very little bulk to your luggage. If you want to go the extra mile, you can carry portable dumbbells. These need to be filled with water before you can use them. However, for most intents and purposes, resistance tubes and jump rope are more than enough. Jump rope in particular is great for aerobic exercises. If you’re a beginner, I’d advise you to take it easy at first and work your way into it. A nice speed rope should be just fine for a small hotel room, where space is confined. It weighs very little and won’t damage the furniture.

In case you’re traveling to a hotel with a swimming pool, consider bringing an inflatable ball along. Not only will it be great for your own personal exercise, but family and friends can join you for a game. Also consider packing aquatic weights, gloves, and so on. Again, these aren’t mandatory. They’re just possible extras you might want to consider. A jump rope and resistance tubing are just fine. In fact, if you can’t carry those, you can do bodyweight exercises, which we shall list.

Finally, consider finding a gym near wherever you will be staying. If you’re already a member of a gym with locations near where you’ll be staying, ask if you can get free access to those other locations. If not, you can probably pay a small fee for a day pass at a nearby gym.

And now that we’re done with the preliminaries, let’s look into some simple exercises you can do to stay in shape while on the road. They really helped me stay fit while I was traveling around doing research for SuperiorPapers.

20-minute Workout in your Vacation Rental

All you have to do is set an alarm clock for 15 to 20 minutes and see how much you can do. The beauty of it is that none of the exercises require anything more than your body.
•    Start with 20 reps of bodyweight squats. Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart, then squat all the way down, till your thighs are horizontal and parallel to the ground, then bring yourself back up.
•    Next, do 15 reps of incline pushups. An incline pushup is like a normal pushup, except your hands will be on a small stool or the edge of the bed while your feet are on the flow.
•    Next, do 10 reps of luggage rows. Use your luggage as the weight in each arm, then take a step forward with one foot and bend until your knee is at a right angle. Rise back up then repeat with the other foot.
•    Finally, do 10 reps of reverse crunches. These are like crunches, except you bring your knees to your chest instead of raising your torso.

Body Workout for Beginners

In case the above exercise seems too difficult, you can consider doing something a little simpler. These exercises still require your bodyweight, but they’re more geared to beginners.
•    Start with 20 reps of bodyweight squats.
•    Next, do 10 reps of normal pushups.
•    Do 20 reps of walking lunges, one on each leg. Walking lunges are the same as luggage rows but without the luggage.
•    Do some dumbbell rows. In case you carried those dumbbells they’ll come in handy here. However, if you didn’t, you can just do normal luggage rows.
•    Do a 15-second plank.
•    Do 30 jumping jacks.

Playground Workout

If you can find your way to a playground or park, then you can try the following exercises:
•    20 reps of alternating step-ups, 10 on each leg. For these, you’ll need to find a raised surface, then step up onto it, one leg at a time.
•    Next, 10 reps of elevated pushups.
•    Next, 10 reps of swing rows. Same as luggage rows, but you swing your arms as you do them.
•    8 reps of assisted lunges. For these, you will need someone to hold you down for a few seconds on each lung.
•    10 reps of reverse crunches.

Advanced Circuit

These ones still use your bodyweight, but they’re great only if you’re advanced and don’t mind the extra challenge.
•    20 one-legged squats, one on each side. This one is very difficult, so only do it if you’re fit.
•    20 reps of bodyweight squats.
•    20 reps of walking lunges, with 10 reps on each leg.
•    20 reps of jump step-ups, with 10 on each leg. They are like regular step-ups, but you have to jump.
•    10 reps of pull-ups.
•    10 reps of dips. You can use the bed or a chair.
•    10 reps of chin-ups. You may need a gym for this one.
•    10 reps of push-ups.
•    30 seconds plank.

Angry Birds

This one is simple, and sounds cool!
•    30 reps of bodyweight squats.
•    20 reps of push-ups.
•    60 reps of one-arm rows, with one on each arm.
•    60 seconds plank.

Conclusion

And with that, we come to the end of our short review. The above exercises are pretty easy and need no more than your bodyweight. For just a few minutes every morning, you can ensure you stay fit while on the road!

About The Author

Thomas Lanigan has work experience for 4 years as a marketing specialist, social media manager, writer at Write My Dissertation, journalist, and editor. Also, he is a professional content writer in such topics as blogging, marketing features, progressive education programs, and business. Feel free to contact him on Facebook or check his Twitter.

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