Travel Health & Fitness - The Lean Exec Way
Travel Health & Fitness - The Lean Exec Way
Travel Health & Fitness - The Lean Exec Way
Travelling isn’t an excuse to do no exercise and eat poorly, but it is an excuse to have some fun and do things a bit differently than usual. Any kind of travel, whether it’s for work or pleasure comes with extra challenges to regular work out routines, whether that’s:
- Tiredness
- Limited Time
- Availability of a gym or place to exercise
- Business meetings
- Indulgent food and alcohol
- Enjoyment!
The list goes on.So how can we manage, maintain or even progress health and fitness when travelling? Unfortunately, there isn’t a simple answer as everyone is different and at different levels of motivation and fitness, so what works for one person may not work for another.However, on the positive side there are ways to approach it that can be helpful in making it work in any travel situation. Here are some ideas:
- Choose a hotel or accommodation with a gym or gym nearby.
- Check to see if there are places to run or exercise near the hotel or accommodation e.g. a park
- Don’t completely avoid tasty treats. If you know you have to have a big client (or holiday) lunch or dinner, do some research and prepare to eat more healthily in the day saving some calories for the big meal.
- Choose your food wisely. Don’t just assume fish or vegetables are best as it depends on the preparation. If they are covered in calorie dense cream or oily sauce, that’s no good. A lean rump steak or perfectly cooked lean pork loin (ideally with some steamed vegetables) might actually be a better option.
- Wake up earlier. 15-20 mins is all that is needed to blast a few calories before breakfast and even reducing a hangover (just make sure you are well hydrated). In a hotel it’s possible to wake up at 6am, have a 30-45 min gym session, shower and be at breakfast by 7am. Most likely quicker than you could do it at home.
- Embrace the jetlag for better sleep. Waking up at 4am and can’t sleep? Don’t lie in hope. Go to the 24-hour hotel gym. This is a great way to use the dinner calories, it doesn’t have to be as intense as usual. It’s surprising how good you will feel afterwards. Not to mention that leaves a good few hours to get ready, do some work and eat breakfast before the day has even started! It might be a long day, but there is a good chance of getting much better sleep the next night.
- No gym, no excuse. Even when there isn’t a gym in the hotel, you can still exercise in your room and it’s even quicker and takes less time than going down to the gym. A couple of key moves, some clever use of chairs or that light weight resistance band in the luggage can mean a full body workout is doable in as little as 15 mins. See The Lean Exec – Hotel Fit
The key to success in health and fitness is building it into life and finding a balance, no matter what the situation. Whether it’s finding 15 minutes of a full hour there should always be time to take care of our bodies, as without a healthy body life becomes that extra bit harder. The Lean Exec Book
