ML Coaching
Most of us travel from time to time. Whether for business or pleasure, for a weekend or a months-long trip around the world, we leave our familiar environment behind. And with that, our usual routine gets thrown completely overboard.
Maybe you normally train at a gym, and suddenly you have no access to equipment or weights.
Maybe you normally prepare your own meals, and suddenly you have no kitchen or fridge available.
Maybe you normally sleep at home at your usual times, deep and sound, and suddenly you have to deal with different time zones, strange beds and unfamiliar noises.
We're creatures of habit. When we follow a regular routine, we can keep it up fairly easily, as long as our circumstances don't change.
Normally we wake up at the same time, eat our meals at the same time and go to bed at the same time.
But when we travel, everything is suddenly completely different, and it's hard to maintain a healthy routine.
To counter that, I want to share a few tips that personally help me. As an influencer and fitness model, I'm constantly on the move and had to learn myself how to stay in shape despite a new environment.
Step 1: Make your workout a constant
If you're regularly on the road and want to stay healthy or become healthier, my first piece of advice is to make your workouts a constant in your life.
Even if you wake up in a new environment every day, your workouts stay. Amid constant change, chaos and stress, you can hold on to that.
If you're serious about prioritising your health, then make your training a constant in your calendar, no matter where or when you are. No exceptions.
Sounds difficult?
If you ask yourself how you can fit your workouts into your calendar while travelling, when you absolutely MUST, you'll always find a way.
You could get up earlier in the morning. You could jog for just twenty minutes instead of forty. You could pay for a day pass at a gym
There are always ways and options, as long as your health is your priority. Structure your day to make it possible:
- Put your workout in your calendar
- Set an alarm so you can't forget it
- Arrange your other appointments around your workout, if possible
- Research the nearest gym or park in advance
Especially when you have less time available than in your normal everyday life, my most important recommendation is that you focus on strength training. Combined with proper nutrition, this brings the best results.
A 15-minute HIIT workout in your hotel room is more effective AND more efficient than an hour of jogging. Pretty great, right? You've already saved a ton of time.
Step 2: Plan your workout in advance
Whenever a trip is coming up, the first thing I do is research where I can get my workouts done. Sometimes that means paying CHF 20 for a day pass.
That might not be fun, but your health is an absolute priority, and that money is far better invested there than in almost anything else. Best to build it straight into your travel budget.
You're not just paying to use the gym, but to keep your momentum going.
After a trip, it's often hard to fall back into old, good habits. But if you already prioritise these habits during your trip, they won't feel so hard to pick up again once you're back.
If there's no gym nearby, you can do exercises with your own bodyweight or bring, for example, TRX bands with you. Even though training with free weights is preferable, at least you keep your routine and stay in training.
Step 3: Nutrition is the most important part of the equation
Travelling brings so many new temptations. You want to enjoy your time, and food is simply part of that.
Whether it's gelato on a sunny day by the lake or you want to try a completely new cuisine in the Far East, food is an important part of travelling.
Now you can go one of two ways.
You can eat mindlessly, whatever you feel like, and feel terrible once you're back home.
Or you plan ahead, still try new dishes and enjoy your ice cream, but without feeling bad and gaining weight.
Most people choose the first way, but not us.
Here's what you can do:
- Strategically skip meals. If you skip breakfast, for example, you can eat more at lunch or enjoy an extra glass of wine in the evening, without taking in more calories overall. Your body adapts very quickly to longer fasting windows.
- Prepare yourself for unhealthy meals. Want to make the most of the all-inclusive buffet in the evening? Prepare for it by eating light meals beforehand.
- Never eat two bad meals on the same day. If there are pancakes and bacon for breakfast, have a salad at lunch. Want to indulge in the evening? Have a green smoothie in the morning.
Tips for eating healthy while travelling
- Use the mini-fridge in your hotel room. You can buy fruit, prepped vegetables and other healthy snacks at the supermarket, saving money at the same time.
- Bring non-perishable food – nuts and dried fruit, for example, are great snacks for in between, especially during a long flight.
- Choose dishes with high protein and fibre content where possible. That keeps you full longer and makes it easier to resist fast food.
Step 4: Be active.
Stay moving as much as possible.
Even grandma knew: "Every step keeps you slim!"
Instead of sitting for hours at the airport waiting for your flight, take a few laps. If you spot a bar or a tree trunk somewhere, do a few pull-ups.
Instead of letting a hop-on/hop-off bus shuttle you to the sightseeing highlights, explore the city on foot. Or go hiking and explore the surrounding nature.
If you're on a business trip, you might be able to turn some of your meetings into walking meetings. Instead of sitting in an office, you can move around in the fresh air. Often, ideas come up that way that you'd never get in a sterile setting.
Step 5: Prepare for problems
If there's one thing that's certain when travelling, it's that things won't go as planned. Never.
Your flight will be delayed, your hotel gym will be poorly equipped, there won't be healthy restaurants nearby.
Instead of getting worked up about it, plan for these challenges. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It will never all go perfectly, and that's okay.
I know that sometimes I have to eat fast food while travelling, or settle for a workout in my hotel room. That's still better than giving up completely.
Do what you can. But don't let small deviations stress you out or make you feel guilty.
Sleep is really important. If you haven't slept enough, everything else becomes harder. You're too tired to train and to look for a healthy meal. Plus, you'll automatically be hungrier, because your body can't rest properly.
You could, for example, bring earplugs and a sleep mask, or a travel pillow for long flights or bus rides.
Also remember to drink enough. If you're dehydrated, your body can't function properly anymore. You'll get tired and hungry, and get headaches.
Do you have more questions or tips on the topic? Let me know in the comments :-)