As someone who travels regularly I know the importance of getting in my workouts while on the road. I have found that there are a few basic things that I must do in order to get my workouts in on a regular basis. Take a look at these tips and hopefully you can glean some principles that you can apply during your own travels.
Prioritize – Workouts are important to me. I constantly remind myself that if I am sickly then everyone else around me will suffer. God is Number 1 in my life. I am Number 2. By a long shot. I am above my family, friends, church, employer, everyone. A broken down Pete equates to a broken down family, friends, church, employer etc. So I make my workouts and eating a priority. And I do this by constantly reminding myself of their importance. I used self-talk and mantra’s to make sure I keep my health first and foremost in my life after my relationship with God.
Plan – I make it a habit to call ahead and seek out lodging with proper fitness facilities. If a client is bringing me in I ask the client to make sure my lodging comes with fitness facilities. If I cannot be assured of a good in-hotel facilities then I plan accordingly. I will ask for a hotel near a large chain gym and inquire about the gyms hours and day rate. If I don’t have good luck with that then I either bring along exercise dvd’s or simply use some of the exercises I designed for my Lose It Fast Lose It Forever Classes ™ . Those who don’t plan to succeed, plan to fail.
Pack – It’s an honest fact that sometimes luggage gets lost during travel. I remember one occasion when I was traveling to a small town in Nebraska I did not know I was supposed to pick up my luggage and deliver it to the transferring plane personally. I thought the guys from the Southwest Airlines television commercials handled all baggage issues. Maybe the fact that I did not fly Southwest or even the fact that the co-pilot on the second flight was stowing the luggage personally should have raised a couple of questions in my mind. Needless to say, my luggage got lost. (I want to digress and tell you how I was actually excited to be able to find clothes at Wal-Mart but that is off topic :-). However, I was guaranteed that I would get in good workouts while on this trip because of how I packed my carry-on.
I always, 100% of the time, travel with my workout essentials in my carry on. My Polar Heart Rate monitor chest strap is in my laptop case along with my iPod and headphones. My Heart Rate watch is on my wrist and I always, 100% of the time, wear my running shoes onto the plane. If I am not wearing a good pair of shorts then I am wearing sweats. If the airline loses everything I still have the essentials that will insure I can get in a workout wherever my travels take me.
Practice – Not many things work out the very first time you try it. That is why we say practice makes perfect. On the flights home from my travels I always spend a few minutes gathering my receipts and taking notes on my experience. Did I accomplish my goals? Was the client better off then when I arrived? Did I maintain my eating and exercise during the trip? What changes can I make?
By taking time to evaluate my trips I can practice and tweak, practice and tweak, practice and tweak until I have developed a system that works for me.
My hope is that you can learn from my experiences and Prioritize, Plan, Pack and Practice in order to effectively develop and maintain good workout habits while on the road.
It is not easy but it can be done. Start by doing the things listed above and you will be well on your way to permanent success. In addition, check out HealthyWage, which provides health incentives for everyone. Incentives make accountability fun, and studies show that incentives increase your odds of success. Check it out! And keep up the good work!
