Yesterday, I set sail on what’s sure to be a fun adventure. Like Bilbo at the beginning of The Hobbit, I’m excited. Early in the morning, I loaded up a backpack, got in my car, and set off for a few months of vagabonding, couch surfing, and traveling.
I’m going all over. (Planning stops in San Francisco, LA, San Diego, Portland, Seattle, Boise, Denver, Phoenix, Newport Beach, Boston, and New York.) I’m looking forward to it. But I’m me, so staying fit while traveling is a big focus of this trip. Because obviously.
Most people make the assumption that they can’t keep fit while traveling. Lucky for me (and you), this assumption’s false.
Not only is staying fit while traveling a thing, it’s even possible to make progress while you’re on the road. In fact, that’s my plan. Over the next few months, while I’m enjoying local food, crashing on couches, and crushing gym-less workouts, I’ll also lose fat.
This isn’t a hope, it’s happening.
I already started with a fantastic workout today. And I’m about to show you my 10 go-to strategies that’ll help with staying fit while traveling. But before we dive in on exactly what you should do while you’re on the road, we need to talk about something fundamentally important…
Staying Fit While Traveling: Yes, It’s Possible
Usually, vacation and travel is a major setback for fitness goals. It throws off schedules. It ruins focus (#vacationmode). And it usually means limited—if any—gym access.
At a glance, those look like three strikes against you and your progress. But don’t worry, you’re not out.
Regardless of your goals, the basics of fitness—and staying fit while traveling—are simple:
For Less Body Fat
Maintain a caloric deficit (calories out > calories in).
Be active.
For More Lean Muscle
Maintain a caloric surplus (calories out < calories in).
Stimulate muscular growth.
Do those and you’re staying fit while traveling. Period. But I get it. It’s easier said than done. Sometimes—most times—we don’t eat like we should when we’re on vacation. Sometimes—most times—we neither have a gym nor enough time to hit a workout while traveling.
Here’s the thing: It’s okay.
If staying fit while traveling is your goal, you can be a bit off with your nutrition and miss a workout or two without derailing your progress.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. But it wasn’t destroyed in one either (or a single weekend for that matter).
When it comes to our bodies, we lose sight of this fact and end up over-thinking, over-worrying, or both. It’s not worth it.
Staying fit while traveling is totally possible.
But what if you want more? What if you don’t merely want to keep fit, but you want to see results on the road? I totally get that. Shoot, that’s exactly what I’ll be doing over the next few months.
Here’s how:
Ten Strategies for Staying Fit While Traveling and Getting Results on the Road
All of these will help you with staying fit while traveling. These are also the very strategies I’ll be using to lose fat while I’m on the road over the next few months.
They work.
You don’t even have to follow every single one to reap the rewards. Collectively, they’re great. But each is individually awesome as well. Start with one or two and add more as you go. As always, progress is much better than perfection.
Five for Training
1. Keep It Short, Sweet, and Simple (But Also Effective)
Shoot for workouts that are only 20–30 minutes long. But make those 20–30 minutes really count.
Escalating density training (EDT) is one of my favorite ways to train when I’m pressed for time.
To do EDT, set up two or three different circuits with 3–5 exercises each. Set a timer (I like five to eight minutes) and roll through your circuit as many times as possible before time expires. Rest 60–90 seconds, then move onto the next circuit.
Once you’ve done a timed round at each station, you’re done.
The next time you do the same circuit, do more work—more reps, more weight, more rounds, or all three. That’s where the “escalating” part of escalating density training from and it’s a key part of the methodology.
Here’s what one of my eight-minute EDT circuits looked like today:
1A. Paused Dips x 10
1B. Wide-Grip Sternum Pull Ups x 5
1C. 10-Sec Lat Stretch
By my fourth and final round, my upper body was on fire.
2. Have a Plan
You should go into your trip or vacation with a plan. Finding time to train is a lot harder than having a plan and making time.
Ideally, do 3–4 higher-intensity training days (like EDT), 2–3 lower-intensity training days, and 1–2 days of rest or active rest each week. Here’s an outline of my current schedule:
Monday: high-intensity
Tuesday: low-intensity
Wednesday: high-intensity
Thursday: mobility work and active rest
Friday: hight-intensity
Saturday: low-intensity
Sunday: rest
3. Be Prepared to Completely Abandon Your Plan
Have a plan, but don’t marry it. Plans are great, but life rarely sticks to the plan.
Your training schedule should always be fluid. But it’s especially important when you’re staying fit while traveling. A training split or workout calendar is great, but they’re more like guidelines anyway.
For example, yesterday I was in the car all day. Which is why yesterday’s high-intensity workout ended up happening today.
If a guided bike tour or impromptu football game on the beach pop up, know that it’s 100% okay to adjust the plan to fit your life. Don’t adjust your life to fit the plan.
4. Total Body Is Better
Focus your workouts on total-body routines. Isolation is great, but very hard to pull off when you’re dealing with minimal or no equipment. Plus, doing total-body workouts will be more beneficial for both losing fat and building muscle.
Working out the entire body will allow you to do more work with less rest and burn more calories as a result. Burn more calories and you’ll be able to burn more fat and do a better job of staying fit while traveling. Huzzah.
One simple way to leverage a total-body workout for fat loss is to alternate between upper and lower body exercises. Because they’re non-competing muscle groups you’ll be able to minimize rest and maximize fat loss.
Total-body routines can help build muscle as well.
High frequency training is an oft-neglected strategy of muscle growth. Traditionally, focusing on specific muscles or muscle groups is a key part of training for bigger muscles. It can totally work. But so can high frequency training.
The key is training enough to stimulate growth, but not so hard that you compromise recovery. Shoot for about 25–50 total reps per main muscle groups with each session.
5. Get Training Insurance
Training insurance is key—especially on those days you can’t make time to be active. Even if you’re training isn’t perfect, insurance will help you with staying fit while traveling.
What is training insurance? Proper nutrition.
And it’s a must-have.
Five for Nutrition
6. The 80/20 Rule
Eat the things you know you should 80% of the time. Then enjoy the foods you love with the other 20%.
Nutrition isn’t an all-or-nothing game. In fact, giving yourself a little wiggle room usually gets better results than a painfully strict plan. Consistent moderation is much better than inconsistent rigidity. Every. Single. Time.
The 80/20 rule can be applied in two ways. To the macro or the micro.
On a macro level, 80/20 might mean something like three indulgent meals each week. (Side note: indulgent doesn’t mean going full fat kid. It simply means enjoying something that wouldn’t fall under the stereotypical “healthy food” umbrella. Think: burger and fries for dinner.)
On a micro level, 80/20 might mean having a little treat every day. Maybe it’s some froyo after strolling around the boardwalk or a French macaron.
Simply do the version (macro or micro) that sounds like the best fit for you and your personal preferences.
7. Skip Breakfast
Skip breakfast and enjoy bigger lunches and dinners.
No, skipping breakfast isn’t taboo. In fact, I’ve been doing this for years—even when I’m not traveling. It’s called intermittent fasting and it’s awesome.
For a food lover like myself, it gives me the chance to have bigger, more satisfying meals for lunch and dinner without overeating. (This works way better for me than having breakfast and eating several small meals throughout the day.)
But it’s also been shown to be incredibly effective for helping people lose fat, increase insulin sensitivity, promote overall health, and develop lean mass.
While fasting, don’t consume any calories (calorie-free beverages like black coffee, unsweetened tea, and water are okay) until you break your fast with lunch.
You don’t have to skip breakfast all the time, but it’s a great tool to use if you’re working on staying fit while traveling.
8. Focus on Protein
Even if you aren’t tracking your food, make sure you get enough protein.
Honestly, I don’t want to track foods while I’m on vacation. And I don’t blame anyone that gets a little loose on tracking and macros while they’re on the road.
To make sure you get enough, simply use your hand as a reference.
If you’re a man, shoot for at least two palm-sized portions of protein with each meal. If you’re a woman, shoot for at least one palm-sized portion of protein with each meal. You’re more than welcome to have more. (I know I like having more.) But make sure to get at least that much.
Your body will thank you.
9. Eat What You Need First, Enjoy What You Want Second
Front-load your day with nutrient-dense foods so that you can have delicious flavor at dinner.
Our bodies may want ice cream, but they need vegetables. Because, you know, nutrition or whatever. By having more of the foods you need early in the day, you’ll be able to eat more of what you want later on. This works in a couple of ways.
For one, filling up on veggies at lunch will leave you with several more calories to play with at dinner. And that’s a major win. (Especially if you fasted through breakfast too.)
Also, you’ll be able to give your body the vitamins and minerals it needs to function and perform properly. Not only does that mean you’ll be better at staying fit while traveling, but you’ll also feel better as you enjoy the ride. That’s a double win.
10. Nutrition Insurance
Real talk: You’re not going to eat perfectly. Nobody ever does—traveling or not. Just like having training insurance would help fill in the gaps of your training, nutrition insurance will help you fill in the inevitable gaps of your eating.
My favorite nutrition insurance? Earth Grown Nutrients from Onnit.
Greens are good to have on hand when you’re staying fit while traveling (and all the time). Even if you’re not eating perfectly, they’ll help ensure your body gets the nutrients you need to feel, function, and perform your best. And Onnit’s are one of my favorites.
Snag your nutrition insurance with Earth Grown Nutrients today.
If you’re interested in staying fit while traveling, these strategies will help make it happen. Use them to your advantage, enjoy traveling, and see results while you’re on the road.
That’s what I’m doing.
Care to join me?