As a culture we find ourselves hopping aboard a flight or into a car for a trip more so than ever in the past. Whether it be for work or for leisure, traveling is growing into a big part of our lives. We often let the unpredictability of our travels get the best of us and hinder our active routines. However we should not let the fact that we are in a different zip code stop us from continuing our healthy habits that we practice at home.
Now as far as working out and staying active, cardio and weight training facilities vary from hotel to hotel, and while most offer gym amenities these days we cannot rely on them to be well equipped. Of course, just getting up earlier and going into a strange new gym during a work conference can just feel like added work and is not always the most appealing option. Solution: Get creative and make a workout that will help you enjoy your stay more and help you discover your new surroundings beyond the confines of conference rooms or hotel gym.
One of the easiest and effective ways to get a challenging cardio workout session is using those stairs that we’ve all been avoiding in favor of the elevators. With the possible exception of check-in and check-out day, taking the stairs to and from your hotel room is an simple and rewarding workout task can easily incorporated during your stay at least once a day (twice if you are just on the second or third floor!). If this just whets your appetite for exercise without slaking your thirst for it entirely, you can take your workout to the next level by adding an exercise at every other landing between floors.
For example, if I’m staying on the fifth floor and I’ve got about an hour until my next corporate sales meeting, I’m taking a careful easy jog down the stairs to the first floor and then I continue with this:
- Lunges up one flight of stairs skipping a step, then 15 wall or stair push-ups at the landing
- Quick, careful sprint up another flight of stairs to the 3rd floor, followed by 15 squats
- Walk up the next flight of stairs skipping a step, adding 25 jumping jacks at the top
- Lastly running up to the fifth floor and finding a safe place to do a 1 minute plank (avoid being knocked over by the cleaning crew!)
Another great way to inspire you to keep active away from home is taking your cardio session outside the hotel grounds. Ask the Front Desk or Concierge for help finding nearby parks or attractions. A run to a nearby landmark can be a spontaneous spark to get you going. Go ahead and take a jog to that local bakery or raved about sandwich shoppe. Of course you can choose to reward yourself with a taste testing at those places, but make sure you earn it taking the longer scenic route and stopping at any nearby open bench you see to do some step-ups, tricep dips and even a burpee or two if you’re not embarrassed to turn some heads! You are in a new place for a short amount of time so make the most of your stay by remembering to keep up with your active routine so you don’t return home jet-lagged AND more out of shape than normal.