When it comes to reaching your fitness goals, consistency is key. We all know your normal schedule gets thrown off when you travel, but when you’re moving from place to place and enjoying lots of great food on a trip, it’s just as important as ever to keep up an exercise routine.
LTD recommends trying to do something on the road! There are so many benefits to breaking a sweat that are worth setting aside some exercise while traveling, including more energy, better sleep and improved mood. That's why we rounded up some of our top travel workouts to help you make it happen no matter where you are. Plus, squeezing in a quick workout or two during your trip can make it easier to get back in the swing of things after once you are home and not feel guilty about those great treats you had while globetrotting!
We polled our Luxury Travel Group and asked "How do you exercise when you travel?" Of course like many surveys have concluded, about 60% of travelers don't exercise at all. But out of the rest:
- 50% run or walk
- 50% use the hotel gym
- 20% workout in their room
- 10% do yoga
Why does it equal more than 100%? The dedicated travelers do more than one! We left out the 12-ounce curl answer...
Remember, if you have questions related to your health, always consult your doctor or medical professional. The information presented here is informative only and is not medical advice.
The most common workouts that we do as a couple when we travel are from the YouTube Channel BodyFit by Amy.
About Amy
The YouTube channel BodyFit by Amy was created by Certified Personal Trainer/Fitness Instructor Amy Kiser Schemper and is based in Los Angeles, CA. With over 15 years experience, she specialized in not only in circuit training and interval training for maximum results, but also Boxing, Mat Pilates, Kettlebell, TRX, Sports Specific Training, Yoga, Prenatal and Postnatal Training and Nutrition. She has trained clients of all ages and all fitness levels. A lifelong athlete, Amy has competed in marathons, half marathons, triathlons and more. In 2014, Amy was one of the Top 5 Finalists in Women’s Health Magazine’s Next Fitness Star Contest, and has been featured on Good Morning America, Extra, and The Doctors. Amy has two degrees from Va. Tech University and is currently pursuing her Master’s of Exercise Science through Concordia University Chicago.
What we love about YouTube is that if you have WiFi, you can do workouts on YouTube anywhere in the world on your own schedule. If you aren't sure that you will have WiFi, sign up for YouTube Premium and you can download videos to your phone or pad to have with you all the time!
What do we love about working out with Amy?
- She teaches you safety
- She provides modifications for your fitness level
- If you are pregnant or recently pregnant she has many videos and modifications for you (this is rare and check with your doctor before engaging in any workout program, pregnant or not!)
- She has loads of workouts to keep your routine from getting boring
- Amy is a genuine person and it feels like you are working out with your best friend!
Today we will feature our favorite workouts on Amy's channel for travel! So whether you're on the road for work, fun, or visiting family, here are eight travel-friendly workouts to try.
1. BodyFit by Amy Mat Pilates Workout
This is one of our favorites that you can do in your hotel room or at the hotel gym with something as simple as a towel. It helps strengthen your core and since it has a good amount of stretching, will relax you as well. Pilates is a practice with benefits that will help make your vacation pleasurable and injury free:
- Improved posture,
- Better coordination and balance,
- Increased lung capacity,
- Improved concentration and focus,
- Increased body awareness,
- Stress management
- Injury prevention
2. Resistance Band Workout
Are you someone that wishes they could they could take their dumbbells with them on the road? Of course you wouldn't, but why not take a few resistance bands? We love band workouts most when we travel because you can't rely on a great gym when you pick a hotel. Accurate reviews about the destination gym are sparse and misleading, so we usually throw a few resistance bands in the bottom of our carry on just in case. Why? Resistance bands are great because you can:
- Adapt easily for multiple fitness levels
- Modify familiar exercises
- Exercise your whole body
- Save on storage space
- Add variety to your workouts
- Get your workout in your hotel room or gym
Here is a great set of resistance bands that don't cost a ton. They even come with a carrying bag if you like to keep your bag organized. Click on the photo to learn more at Amazon and support our blog! Thank you so much!
3. Tabata Cardio
What is Tabata? A man named Dr. Izumi Tabata and his team of researchers developed the Tabata Workout to maximize performance results in a minimal amount of time. The research that Tabata and his team conducted clearly showed that a short, high-intensity workout was more beneficial than an hour-long moderate-intensity workout. The benefits were seen across fat burning, muscle growth, endurance, respiration rates, and basal metabolic rates. Amy has a number of Tabata workouts on her channel but this is our favorite as cardio day. We love it because you can do this anywhere including most hotel rooms or by the pool and get these benefits:
- Burn Fat
- Improve Muscle Growth
- Increase Aerobic Capacity.
- Boost Anaerobic Capacity
- Save Time
- Fast Results
- High-intensity Training
4. Low Impact HIIT Cardio
If you are new to working out, just getting back into the game, or have concerns with joints or injuries, low-impact cardio is an effective method of exercise. Of course walking is a great low-impact exercise, but what can we do when we can't get outside or want a little more than walking provides? BodyFit by Amy has a great low impact exercise routine that will help you burn fat and build muscle. Again this is something that you can do simply in your hotel room.
5. Stability Ball Workout
An exercise ball can be easily inflated in minutes allowing you to take a great workout with you on the road. We use Amy's full-body workout performed solely with a stability ball. These exercises will get you toned in a hurry! Overall exercise routines like this video will:
- Strengthen Your Core
- Improve Your Flexibility
- Improve Your Balance
- Help back and spine health
- Burn Calories
- Prevent injuries
You can take a stability ball with you in your luggage, including the pump. Amy's exercise is great for a workout and then you still have your ball with you for stretching routines! This is our stability ball that we use for travel and it includes a pump. It is always ready to go. Click the photo below to learn more at Amazon and support our blog! Thank you so much!
6. Dumbbell Workout
Many hotels will have a gym available and a quick dumbbell workout will get the heart rate up and build muscles and strength all at the same time. Amy reminds you often how beneficial weight training can be for us for both cardio and toning. What are the benefits of toning with weights? Significant changes, such as improved strength levels and cardio-respiratory well-being, can already be seen after a few weeks. A toned musculature is also important to support and protect the joints from incorrect movements and biomechanical loads like moving luggage or being crammed on a plane. Toning your muscles reduces fat and body weight. Some forms of toning, especially exercises that focus on the muscles of the abdomen and torso, can improve posture and reduce the risk of thinning bones that happens with aging. Personally toning with Amy has helped to improve our thinning bones that one of us has and reversed osteopenia! Our favorite BodyFit by Amy toning workouts are blasts that focus on one body area and full body workouts. Below we have linked to three, upper body blast, lower body blast and full body dumbbell workout and they are all challenging. Just adjust your weights to your personal strength level.
7. Kettlebell
Working with individual weights have an advantage over weight machines or barbells because of the instability component, which forces your body to recruit more muscles and strengthen your core. Kettlebell workouts help just like dumbbell workouts to improve your overall muscle tone. With the big exception of kettlebell swings, which improve your shoulder scapular stability, and depending on the exercises you do, there may be no difference between the two. The biggest thing is that these are all tools in your bag. We don’t necessarily like one more over the other. So switch things up. One day, choose dumbbells, the other kettlebells. Or, mix them up. No one says you can’t do both in one day. Our favorite BodyFit by Amy kettlebell workouts are the full body HIIT workout (oh and do we hate burpees - but they really get your heart rate up!) and the upper body blast workout which provides more upper body and core. We love changing our workouts up to keep it exciting. Look for lower body blast workouts using the kettlebell on Amy's channel as well!
To take a kettlebell with you is not very practical, but there are travel kettlebells you can fill with sand at the beach. Or use a handle that turns a dumbbell into a kettlebell! The Kamagon ball that you fill with water is our favorite and it doesn't take up much space in your bag! They are adjustable by how much water you fill it with and there are different sizes available for different weight options. Click on the photo below to learn more at Amazon and support our blog! Thank you so much!
8. Stretching
Our last recommendation is to consider stretching when you travel! After being jammed into a plane or car for any number of hours, take a few minutes for your own well being and stretch! Just like pilates, stretching can:
- Decrease muscle stiffness
- Increase range of motion
- Reduce your risk of injury
- Relieve aches and pains
- Improve posture
- Relax your mind and body
- Improve sleep
At BodyFit by Amy we love the lower back stretching routine and it only takes 10 minutes. Isn't your well-being worth 10 minutes of your vacation?
A towel works just fine as a yoga mat, but if you want something a little more with a non skid surface, a travel yoga mat might be for you. Some like eco-friendly cork yoga mats or a thicker yoga mat. Rather than attaching a large roll to your carryon, we like this foldable yoga mat to put in our bag. Please click the photo below to learn more at Amazon and support our blog! Thank you so much!
To find out more about Amy, go to her main web page that has links to all of her social media pages and see her books about fitness and nutrition!
If you like our content and to be the first to see our upcoming content, please click here to find us and follow us on Facebook!
Remember, if you have questions related to your health, always consult your doctor or medical professional. The information presented here is informative only and is not medical advice.
ReplyDeleteI thank you for reading articles so that they force me to stop and take a psychological journey on myself.
For example, asking yourself what you are looking for in your soul mate and then discovering that you have a narcissist in your life leads you to reflect.
Mine, however, is not only a mental path because in the last period I have also worked a lot on myself on a physical level I need to have a healthier life and that mental peace also comes to me from the physicist.
My fitness has really slipped since lockdown began. Thanks for the suggestions, I'll have to get back to it.
ReplyDeleteOh... my goodness...exercise routine on the road! wish I have this concept few years back...
ReplyDeleteAnyhow a nice concept and presentation...
Great blog post about your new website with lots of useful content. I'm impressed with how you're already engaging with your audience and creating content that's meaningful and healthy.
ReplyDelete