Working Out While Traveling: A Step By Step Guide: By Head Coach Paul Roller
That busy time of year is upon us. Parties, family gatherings, religious events and the like are all on the menu for most of us this holiday season. It’s also the time where traveling and getting out of our normal routine is normal. It’s a crossroads time for our health and fitness. If we don’t keep it as a priority for ourselves it can be very easy to slip into a holiday couch ridden food coma for 2 months. Gaining 10 pounds and getting out of breath walking up a flight of steps isn’t my idea of a fun holiday season, how about you? If you’re with me then keep reading, I want to give you some tips and tricks to stay on track with your health and fitness routine through this time of year.
Step 1: Set a hard and fast rule to keep training no matter what!
I’ve found that an easy way to stick to any plan or new habit is to set an absolute must follow rule for yourself. For example: “I will not eat ice cream for one year.” If the decision is already made for you, you don’t have to spend time and energy thinking about it. So make up your mind that when you are traveling over the holiday season that you will keep to your normal workout routine. Done and done.
Step 2: Do some research on gyms/boxes in the area you’re traveling to.
These days there are Cross Training boxes EVERYWHERE. A good resource to use is Cross Training.com affiliate map. Find a box with workouts that aren’t over and above your level and also not too easy. Once you find a box, some may only charge you the price of one of their T-shirts and some may charge you a full drop in rate. Check out the gym’s website before heading in!
Step 3: Schedule and pay for your classes ahead of time.
This relates back to rule #1. If you make the decision to go to the classes and pay for them ahead of time, the decision is already made so you don’t have to worry about it. Surely you don’t want to waste your hard earned money by not showing up, make the time and go! I get it, the holidays are about spending time with family and friends, but if you have supportive people around you, they will understand you taking an hour out of your day to make yourself a better human.
Step 4: If you can’t make it to a gym or don’t have access to one, research home workouts.
A simple Google search of “Cross Training home workouts” will yield 8740000 results. There is a myriad of different movements and workouts you can put together on your own if you can’t find a box or have time to make it into a class. And if worse comes to worse, you can always just do burpees ☺. Burpees work every time, no matter what!
Step 5: Get after it!
Of course the most important part of all of this is to go out and DO IT! I always say, once you walk in the door, the rest takes care of itself. If you are going to a new gym with new people and a new environment, you will push yourself much harder than normal. So don’t worry if you’re not feeling very motivated before going, it will happen!
The holidays are meant for enjoyment and relaxation, but not a total deviation from your healthy lifestyle and habits! Take care of your body and mind during the season and it will be much easier to get back in the groove of things once the winter doldrums hit!
From everyone at Cross Training BK Fit, have a very happy holiday season!