Five Fitness Tips for Winter Travel
Just because you’re thousands of miles from home doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to your exercise goals
Traveling during the winter holidays or during the frosty first few months of the new year can take a pretty hefty bite out of a regular exercise routine. Add in all the heavy holiday meals and eating out and even the thinnest waistline will pay the price.
But even though keeping up with a standard five-mile run, Pilates class, Cross-fit workout or gym circuit, there are a number of ways one can fit in a little winter fitness-on-the-go. Tackle one or all of the following five expert tips and to maintain weight, as well as keep energy levels high and stress levels low.
Get Fit by Phone
Want a personal trainer who appears at the touch of a few buttons? Sign up for three 30-minute structured Fitness-by-Phone sessions with Tiffany Crate, M.S., C.P.T., founder of TLC Fitness Consulting (TLCFitness.net), and you also ask her questions via email anytime during the contract period. A fitness and lifestyle coach for over 21 years, Crate will tailor your workout plan to suit your accommodations and personal needs, keep you motivated during your travels and restructure your plan in the event that your vacation details change.
Go Gadget, Go!
“There are all sorts of small, inexpensive pieces of workout equipment that are lightweight and easy to pack in your luggage,” Crate says. She likes Xertube rubber resistance tubing, available in yellow, green, red, blue and purple (the level of resistance corresponds to the color) at SpriProducts.com for less than $10. She also advises buying an attachment that will allow you to anchor the tubing from the top, bottom or side of a door, increasing the variety of exercises you can do. All products come with a manual that includes instructions and photos of helpful moves.
Want to add a little cardio? A cheap jump rope barely takes up any space, can be used anywhere you have a small square of space, burns nearly as many calories per minute as running, and builds agility, coordination and endurance.
Get Zen
If you’re a yoga fanatic and plan on being at your destination for a week or two, look into purchasing a pass that will make attending classes more affordable. For example, the $30 Passport to Prana card allows you to attend one class at each of the member yoga studios. When you consider the fact that each of the 12 participating cities includes 30-plus options, it’s a tremendous deal. Individual classes often cost $15 each, so even if you only attend three or four, you’ll save money and stay slim.
Take the Stairs – Repeatedly
Turn a practical staircase into a piece of exercise equipment by walking or jogging up it two steps at a time, walking back down normally, and then repeating the process, Crate says. Mix it up by occasionally taking three steps at a time for a burst of intensity, and/or alternate going up the stairs sideways, crossing your feet over each other. “You can find stairwells with multiple flights at a hotel, high-rise or shopping mall,” says Crate, “but that single flight of stairs at your host’s home will do the trick, too.”
Commit to Calisthenics
Calisthenics require zero equipment and are a cinch to do in a hotel room or your parents’ guest room. Try this efficient routine from Ashley Borden, a Los Angeles-based celebrity fitness and lifestyle consultant who has trained the likes of frequent fliers like Reese Witherspoon and Mandy Moore.
1. Start with plank position (the top of a push-up) – hold for 30 seconds.
2. Shift into side bridge (put your forearm on the ground perpendicular to your body and lift yourself up) – hold for 30 seconds on both right and left sides.
3. Stand up and do a total of 20 alternating step backs (reverse lunges).
4. Return to the floor and do five to eight push-ups – do them on your knees if necessary.
5. Turn over, lie on your back, extend your fingertips toward your heels and do 30 glute raises (slowly lift your butt off of the ground, flexing and returning to the ground).
6. Interlace your fingers behind your head and lift your legs with feet pointed and knees slightly bent for 20 lower abdominal raises. Do mini exhales as you pull in your belly button.
7. Get on all fours for Kneeling Bird Dogs. Simultaneously extend your left leg out behind you with foot flexed, and extend your right arm out in front of you with thumb to ceiling. Hold for 20 seconds and then repeat, switching the arm and leg.
The whole circuit should take approximately 5 minutes; repeat the entire set of exercises four times for 20 minutes total.
“The order of the exercises is important,” Borden says. “A key factor in this routine is blood flow to your major muscle groups, which pumps up your metabolic rate, getting you warmed up faster and burning the maximum amount of calories.”
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