If you doing a little holiday traveling this season, you should use the time to spend with your family and loved ones, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your health while traveling. Maintaining an effective fitness routine while you’re out of town is much easier than you’d think and can be very rewarding. Here’s how you can continue to work towards your fitness goals while still enjoying your time away.
Find your favorite HIIT routines
If you haven’t heard of this popular fitness trend yet, HIIT stands for High-Intensity Interval Training. In a HIIT workout, you exert quick bursts of energy through a variety of intense bodyweight exercises, followed by short periods of rest. The combination of movements and rest gets your heart rate up, allowing you to burn a ton of calories in about 20-25 minutes, depending on the length of the HIIT routine. The best part about this type of workout: you can do it anywhere with no equipment! Hotel rooms, parks, parking lots, balconies (with good railing) or basically any space big enough for you to jump around in are all perfect for a quick HIIT. You can find a great collection of free HIIT workouts on YouTube and different fitness websites. Check out Fitness Blender on YouTube to try out some of my favorite HIIT routines.
Incorporate cardio in your travel plans
I think we can all agree that the best kind of cardio is the cardio that doesn’t feel like cardio. Depending on where you’re traveling, you can most likely find ways to stay active outside during your trip without even feeling like you’re actually exercising. Whether it’s sightseeing around a new city, biking across the countryside or hiking up a mountain, activities like these can be great forms of cardio to get you out and about and sweaty. Don’t forget to eat good, protein-heavy meals before your excursions, and drink lots of water to keep your body fueled and ready for the next adventure.
Don’t be afraid to try local fitness centers
Before your trip, it may be worth your time to look up fitness centers close to where you’re staying. Many gyms and fitness studios have guest passes, week trials or even free classes that people from out of town can take advantage of. Use your vacation time to take that yoga class you’ve always wanted to try, or visit that CrossFit gym that’s sparked your interest! This lets you treat yourself to something new while working towards your fitness goals.
Your fitness routine shouldn’t have to suffer because of a little holiday traveling. Use these tips during your next trip so you can come back from your travels feeling happy, healthy and motivated to stay fit.
