How to stay fit and healthy while travelling?

It’s very hard to maintain your healthy routine while travelling, especially if you are travelling for a long term period through different countries and different climates. Have you experienced it before? At home you develop a daily routine which allows you to work according to schedule. You know where to buy healthy food and what to do to stay fit. But when you are out of town you can’t go for the same routine.

Every country and area has got different bacteria, viruses and bugs floating around. It’s all harmless to locals, as over the years they got immune to it. But if we are travelling to a different country, we are exposed to these bugs, viruses and bacteria, which the body is not used to. In order to stay healthy, you have to boost your immune system. Staying fit with exercises and healthy food is the main focus for you to stay healthy during your entire trip and afterwards.

So, how can you maintain your body weight and shape while you are out of your routine environment? Here are some simple tips and tricks that will help you to stay fit and healthy.

Pack Sneakers:

When you are out for a trip, your health and well-being is most important to enjoy the trip. But do you know the lazy feeling when you are just eating and enjoying? So, it is necessary to be active on your trip to enjoy the best days of your life. No doubt, you don’t have lots of time for the gym and don’t want to spend hours of your precious time in a fabulous area at the gym. A great way to maintain your health and fitness is by running an walking early in the morning and at night (in safe areas).

It is better to take your sneakers with you while you plan for your trip. Running will fulfill your need of gym and remains you active during your travel. Along with your fitness, running will help you in discovering your visiting area. It will make you feel better while walking and running. Just keep in mind that sneakers should be light-weight so that you will be protected and ready to move anywhere and whenever you want.

Use Hotel Fitness center:

Now a day most hotels have a fitness center or a gym which offers the residents of the hotel to exercise so that they will remain healthy and fit. So try to use the gym of the hotel to stay fit. If your hotel or hostel doesn’t have a fitness center, there is no need to worry about that, you can exercise in your room. Go for that exercise that requires minimum space e.g.

• Push-ups
• Chin-ups
• Plank
• Leg raises
• Jump rope
• Body weight squats
• Inverted rows
• Reverse crunches
• Yoga
• Bodyweight exercises

All these exercises need a small space and a minimum of your time. If your stay is longer than 2 to 3 nights, you can join the city or local gym for fitness. Nowadays, the most gyms offer for visitors a small daily fee and it will help you to stay on your primary routine.

Wake up early:

I know how silly that sounds for some people and believe me, I know how hard it is when you are staying in a hostel and went out the night before. But waking up early morning is necessary to maintain your health and to be fit while travelling and during whole trip. Try to wake up early in the morning. That does not mean 5am start, when you just got back at 4am that night. You can have rest days and make sure, you give your body enough sleep.

In warm climates, it is easier to work out in the morning, as it is cooler and in many areas, it is nice and quiet in the morning. Further, most people have more energy throughout the day after a morning exercise. A rush of endorphins after your morning workout boosts your energy and mood throughout the entire day. If you start your day with a healthy mindset, you minimize the risk of eating junk food, as you only want to refuel your body with healthy food.

Walking:

Try to walk rather than using the cab service. Ask the near points of the city which are walking distance from the train or your hotel. This habit makes you feel better and removes laziness of your body. You will be active and extra calories will be burnt. Walking around the area you are visiting will give you a total different feeling of that area compared to if you keep using the cab or public transport.

I used my pedometer on my phone in Bangkok to see how much I walked per day. In Australia, I walk in average 2000 – 3500 steps per day. In Bangkok I had every day around 17,000 steps.

There are some other ways/exercises for maintaining health during your travels:

• Go hiking
• Adventure trips
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Diving
• Walking, even going shopping is walking
• Yoga

Eat healthy:

Eat healthy remain healthy. It can be very difficult to eat healthy while you are travelling, especially in countries which are not aware of health issues from sugar and processed foods. Travelling can get stressful if you change locations, but try not to miss a meal and avoid fatty, processed and sugary foods. You should be aware of the fact, that your eating schedule will be disturbed while you are travelling. Try always to bring organic food supplements with you to maintain the vitamins and minerals in your body.