Fit to Travel

If you have been reading this column for a while then you know that I rmly believe that consistency, above all else, is the primary driver behind success with health and tness goals. In keeping with that theme, what I want to discuss is how to maintain consistency when traveling to stay on track with your goals and lifestyle.

My boyfriend, Giulio, and I travel frequently for both work and leisure. While traveling we allow ourselves greater flexibility with our typical training frequency and intensity. When planning out trips we search for gyms in the area or if the hotel gym is sufficient.

Many gyms have weeklong membership options available; you can purchase them without additional commitment. When training in hotel gyms or small local gyms, be aware that the equipment you are used to may not be available, so try to keep an open mind and be creative with your workouts. You may also need to resort to body weight or calisthenic type exercises. If the usual options are not available, do not be discouraged and not work out.

There is still benefit to training at lower intensity. We also plan our workouts based around the activities we have set. For example, we try not to train legs the morning of or day before a big hike. However, we most certainly are guilty of training pecs and biceps before heading to the beach or the pool. That post workout pump con dence hits di erent on vacation. What is most important is making time and space for exercising and training your body consistently, even when traveling.

Another aspect to this we do not want to neglect is how to maintain some semblance of our diet while traveling. This can become the biggest challenge. In many cases we will try to stay in accommodations that have a kitchenette. This allows us to be able to cook our own food for the majority of our meals.

An important part of traveling and vacationing is, of course, indulging in good food and drinks. What I have found works for me is that I try not to go overboard, and I do not allow myself to feel guilty for eating more or richer foods than my usual diet. I do keep in mind when ordering foods that I still need to have protein rich foods, but that protein rich food may also come with a side of carbohydrate rich and fatty foods as well.

CORY FREEMAN is a two-time first-place national bodybuilding champion, having won both of his first-place titles, The Men’s Classic Physique Master’s Over 35 at the 2019 NPC Viking Championship and at the 2019 NPC Masters USA in his rookie year. Cory works as a physical therapist in the home health industry.