Tips from a Fitness Pro on Staying Fit While Traveling

As we round the corner toward summertime, thoughts of leisurely vacations often drift through the mind. If you’re like most travelers, exercise is probably not on the itinerary. But don’t let your travel plans derail your fitness efforts.

Jade Teta, ND, CSCS, co-founder of Metabolic Effect and co-author of The Metabolic Effect Diet, explains that whether you’re traveling for business or pleasure, there’s always time for a workout.

“Travel always involves brief periods of downtime,” he says. “If you are traveling by plane, you have time before departures and during layovers.”

A frequent traveler, Teta uses travel breaks to get in what he calls “blitz workouts.” He’ll find a quiet corner of the airport and perform split squats or chair dips for one minute or until fatigued.

“Travel by car means every stop for gas or bathroom is met with a one-minute burst of activity,” he says.

If traveling with the family, this might take the form of a quick game of tag or a sprint challenge.

Hotels also offer a variety of opportunities for a quality workout, Teta points out. “I do stairwell sprints–I run up and walk down. Within the room, I use my body, luggage and the mattress for workouts.”

A mattress?

He says that depending upon somebody’s fitness ability, flipping the bed’s mattress can offer a challenging, full-body exercise.

“Small luggage is good for rows and big luggage can be pushed, dragged and lifted,” he adds. “I do squaring one-arm rows using doorknobs (grip the doorknob with one hand and pull the body toward the door), and you can easily do dips and step-ups with hotel furniture.”

When on vacation, he suggests building active events into the daily schedule, like visiting the local parks or going on hikes.