Whether you’re on the road or at home waiting to get back out there, it’s important to make the lifestyle decision to keep exercising and stay healthy. You can change up your routine, sure, but this is the time to take advantage of hotel gyms and local parks and keep your body moving! Here are a few great travel exercise hacks to keep help keep your luggage light while keeping your heart healthy.
It all starts with planning and what you really need to bring and what you can leave at home.
1) Exercise Shoes
To maintain stink-free luggage, here are 3 cheap items you can either pack or grab on the road.
- Ziptop plastic bags. Pack each shoe in a zip up plastic bag, and pack a handful for other uses, this is one of the most valuable items in your luggage.
- Plastic shower caps. Hotel style plastic shower caps are the BEST for covering the bottom of recently used shoes to maintain clean luggage.
- Dry teabags. I always grab a few extra dry teabags at any free coffee / tea station while traveling. Placing unused tea bags into your shoes will absorb odors AND, the others are just great to have when you run into a place that doesn’t have tea!
2) Workout Gear
You need some workout gear, but especially when traveling for BUSINESS, this can take up valuable real estate in your luggage.
First, WEAR your leggings or exercise pants on the plane. Under a skirt (if you wear skirts); with a nice looking casual shirt, it’s really your choice. Personally, I would leave the beer logos and joke T-shirts at home, North American’s get a lot of style-flack for going all-out-slob while traveling, but again this is a personal choice.
Next, pack dryer sheets. These are the best for solving odor issues once you’ve worked out. Put the dirty clothing into one of those zip-lock plastic bags, with a dryer sheet. These are also great static solutions, as rubbing them over clothing eliminates static electricity.
Lastly, hand-wash your work out gear. This is super easy, work out clothing is usually made with fabrics that dry quickly, and even if you don’t travel with laundry soap, most bar soaps and bathroom sinks work just fine.
3) Muscle Relief
Traveling with or without exercise can lead to muscle strain. You pack a heavy bag around, sit for hours on a plane or train, reach up into overhead bins, AND, if you’re smart, you exercise.
One great tip is to bring along a travel-sized topical spray for muscle relief. Preferably a natural one.
4) One tool to pack
There are refillable kettlebells for weights, Travel hula hoops and even portable chin up bars; these all sound great and if you like them, go for it! However, if you like to travel extremely light and treasure the space in your case, just bring a JUMP ROPE. Jumping is similar for whole-body to weight lifting, is a great cardio work out and can be done almost anywhere.
Remember the key to staying fit on the road is actually exercising and making it as easy as possible.
5) Get an activity tracker!
This packable fit gear is actually a wearable. And, while an activity tracker won’t do your workout for you, wearing it provides a constant real-time reminder of just how active (or in-active) you’ve been. There are many highly rated ones, Fitbit, Garmin, Jawbone, Misfit; find the one that’s right for you and keep track of your movement!
Follow these simple travel exercise hacks and we know you’ll feel better and enjoy your trips more.
