When consistency is the key in prioritizing physical activity, breaking from your routine can be stressful and detrimental to forward momentum. When you’re at home, you already have prepared healthy foods or know where to find them. Finding healthy food choices in a new location takes extra effort, making fast food found on every corner even more tempting. Sleeping in a different bed is not always the most restful. Most of the time, I am lucky if I can get a good five hours of rest (Despite what my wife thinks, it is not ALL fun and games). I make it my mission to continue to prioritize physical activity, even when on work travel, and SO CAN YOU!
How does that look?
- Travel Bag: You will have to substitute some of your leisure clothes for ones you can get SWEATY-N-STANK in, but it is all worth it. Previously, I would pack more leisure clothes than I ever got around to wearing. Even then, 9 times out of 10, I end up wearing the same pair of shorts or pants and rotate the tops. It is work travel, so most of my off-duty trips are to the grocery store or restaurant to grab a bit to eat before turning in. *Laundry Hack: toss your workout clothes in the shower with you afterwards, wring excess water and hang dry. If you sweat like me, this will keep it from setting in to PERMAFUNK.
- Wake Up Call: Waking up a minimum of 2.5 hours before I must depart. This allows an hour for morning preparation (empty stomach + empty bowels = LET’S GET IT!). Energy drink, coffee or pre-workout, depending on the activity and what I have access to. One hour for the physical activity and 30 minutes to get ready! I wear a uniform, so…
- Fitness Center: We have all seen what some lodging places try to pass as a “Fitness Center”. An empty hotel room with a treadmill, elliptical and a bicycle IS NOT A FITNESS CENTER! Pisses me off. If possible, I try and look ahead at the facility with the most fully equipped, legitimate Fitness Center. GAME CHANGER: I recently stayed at a Hampton Inn that offered something that BLEW MY MIND! While this Hampton Inn did have a “Fitness Center”, I opted out. About 100 yards away was a 24 Hour Fitness facility that I decided to utilize instead. After getting a day pass, the 24 Hour Fitness desk clerk mentioned that some hotels will reimburse the cost of the day pass. I mentioned this to the Hampton Inn Front Desk employee, and sure enough, $15 back in my hand! The received some great reviews from me!
- Get Running: One of the least expensive ways to get active is to put feet to pavement or trail. Living on the west coast, there are tons of cities and towns that have a network of trails. And why not, it’s beautiful out here! In the more remote areas there is less chance of trails, but you can always rely on sidewalks. So, I default to running outdoors. If all else fails, there is always that stuffy “Fitness Center” treadmill you can utilize. Just get up early enough that you’re not competing for it or left with breathing in anyone else’s morning breath or worse (some people ain’t got no “fitness center” etiquette).
So, less excuses and more moving y’all! Feed the FEEDBACK MONSTER and comment below if you have some other tips, tricks or hacks you utilize to make physical activity a priority away from home. Let me know how I can help you GET START!