Archive for the tag - travel

5-Minute Hotel Room Workout.

February 24, 2012 By

For a lot of people, working out while traveling can be a real challenge – and it’s often an excuse to take a few days (or more!) off from exercise. While the occasional break is perfectly fine, working out while traveling is actually pretty easy. It just requires a bit of creativity.

Appropriately, I’m currently on vacation in Las Vegas. While my hotel has a decent gym, I sometimes prefer working out in my room. To that end, and while in Palm Springs a week ago, I put together a powerful 5-minute hotel room workout. You can follow along or just use some of the exercises the next time you’re traveling.

If you do travel a lot – and if you’re serious about exercise – then I’d recommend investing in some resistance bands or even The Human Trainer system. They’re lightweight, easy to pack and totally portable. And you can use them to take your hotel room workout to the next level.

Check out my 5-minute hotel room workout on the Davey Wavey Fitness YouTube channel.

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How to Stay Fit While Traveling.

January 30, 2011 By

My 6-day trip to Park City, Utah (and blogging hiatus) has finally come to an end. I’m finally back in Rhode Island! There’s no place like home.

Staying healthy and fit while traveling is always a challenge. But here are my top 6 tips for making it happen:

  1. Remember that there’s no such thing as “vacation” calories. You’ve probably heard people try to justify an unhealthy meal by saying, “It’s okay. I’m on vacation.” While there is nothing wrong with the occasional indulgence, it’s important to remember the obvious: Your body doesn’t process food differently when you’re on a vacation. Calories are calories, plain and simple.
  2. Stay at a hotel with a gym, or buy day passes. Before I left on my trip, I was excited to discover that my hotel had a fitness center. When I arrived, I realized the so-called fitness center consisted of two old treadmills, a yoga mat and one piece of equipment. Since the hotel booking was beyond my control, I called the concierge and found an actual gym 10 minutes down the road. I purchased a few day passes – which was a bit pricey – but splurging on your body is always a good thing.
  3. Use your feet. One of the best ways to explore a new city is on foot, and it’s also great exercise. Opting to walk (instead of buses, cabs and the like) will help counteract some of those extra calories we tend to consume while traveling.
  4. Stock the mini-fridge. I made use of the mini-fridge by stocking it with my own food. I hit up a local grocery store and purchased some fresh fruit and sandwiches. Using the mini-fridge for your own food is a great way to cut down on restaurant meals.
  5. Be flexible. Exercise doesn’t need to be “all or nothing.” Maybe your typical gym routine is 60 minutes, and you only have 30 minutes of free time. As Tim Gunn would say, “Make it work.” Do what you can with what you’ve got! 30 minutes of exercise is better than zero minutes of exercise.
  6. Beat the rush. Though this tip isn’t for everyone, I’d recommend getting up an hour before your friends, family or coworkers. Before your busy vacation schedule starts, dedicate this early morning time to exercise. At the end of the day, after hours of traveling and exploring, you’re probably not going to have the energy to exercise.

Those are my six tips but I’d love to hear some of yours! Let me know in the comments below!

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Hotel Fitness: Staying Healthy on the Fly!

August 30, 2010 By

I could give this daddy a good in-room workout. Or two. Or three.

So, here I am in San Francisco. My job doesn’t necessitate a lot of travel—so for me, this is one of those rare glimpses into the corporate world of frequent flyers, awards cards and sky miles. I feel a 5-year old playing dress-up.

Though I rarely find myself in hotels, a lot of you do. And sometimes those hotels have fitness centers—and sometimes they do not. The hotel that I’m staying at does have a gym, but it is rather meagerly stocked—as though it was receiving rations from Soviet Russia. In fact, I don’t think I’ve never seen a hotel gym with a bench press. Being a traveler (whether for work or leisure) certainly comes with a great deal of fitness challenge.

Here are my recommendations:

  1. Be weary of room service! Taking a quick glance at this hotel’s menu, I’m tempted to order such delicacies as fried mozzarella sticks or “nachos grande” (I assume the grande refers to the effect it will have on your waistline). Even the sandwiches are loaded in heart-clogging toppings like mayo and American cheese. It’s fine to cheat every now and then, but I’d suggest hitting the town to find some healthier alternatives.
  2. Exercise in your room. No weights, no problem! Body weight work outs are great for travelers without access to dumbbells, barbells, bench presses and the like. For a great chest workout, try my 17 variations on the common push-up from the comfort of your hotel room. If there is park nearby you can do pull-ups on a tree branch (don’t laugh—I’ve done it before!), or triceps dips on a playground’s parallel bars. Use your imagination a little, or download some workouts that don’t require equipment.
  3. Avoid those salted nuts and lock up the mini bar. As we speak, I’m scrutinizing the mini bar’s contents. For the record, there is nothing “mini” about this bar’s caloric content. Candy bars galore, gummy candy, chips and—what’s that, mixed nuts? I always recommend a caveman style diet—some lean meat, lots of produce and mixed nuts and berries. My excitement is short lived however, as the nuts are literally coated in salt. Unsalted nuts are the way to go—but you probably won’t find them in the mini bar.
  4. Maintain the proper mentality. Just because you may physically be on vacation, your body is not. I always chuckle when people say that they can eat what they want on vacation. Your body doesn’t process vacation calories differently, and the effect on your body is obviously the same regardless. Eat healthy as much as possible—target 80% of the time. Obviously this is much easier at home, but it’s the worth the effort to maintain while away.
  5. Stay hydrated. It’s easy not to get your 8 cups of water while traveling. And it’s much easier to adopt for soft drinks, alcohol, etc. Make an effort to drink water – it will also help stave off some of your cravings.

Being a frequent traveler doesn’t need to be a death sentence for your fitness program or a prescription for obesity. Keep your game face on—and I think you’ll be pleased with the results: more energy, better sleep and increased immune system performance, just to name a few.

What recommendations do you have for staying fit with traveling? Please share your best tips in the comments below!

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