Reduce Stress - Feel Great - Enjoy the Experience
You hear the excuses all the time, "oh, I'm on vacation, I'm just going to live life right now!". I am even GUILTY AS CHARGED because I've said the same thing many times.
We live in a world where so many people have become followers of what everyone else is doing, what they see on TV, and what the high-budget media companies are promoting etc. I have fallen into that trap countless times because heck, my friends were doing it, then it must be the thing to do..WTF! What happened to individualism? What happened to doing what's right for you?
When I committed to a health and fitness journey in 2010, it was the best decision that I ever made in my life. Through the years, I've learned a lot, and one thing that I continue to learn is how to stay active and healthy when I am doing one of my ultimate passions......TRAVEL.
TRAVEL means different things to different people, but when I think of travel, I categorize it apart from taking a vacation. For me, travel is either long-term (longer than a weekend getaway), or traveling for business. Taking a vacation for me is like a weekend getaway, just a quick jaunt before heading back to work or home life.
Travel is a lot more than just a weekend jaunt. For me, it's about taking your time, and fully immersing yourself in the culture and living the lands like the locals. Business travel is a little different in the fact that there is a project to work on aside from trying to have a travel experience, and some business travelers don't even have time to explore, and that really sucks =) So if you're a business traveler, you should definitely keep reading =)
Long-term and business travel can really be STRESS- FULL at times, which is why I have found many ways to help me stay active to reduce the amount of stress that can happen.
However you travel or vacation, I just wanted to share with you how I have managed to stay active and workout while on the go. When people say, I don't have time to workout, I'm on vacation, so I'm just going to live my life......I say the same thing, I am living my life as well, but I don't need alcohol and junk food to have a good life.
Oh, and don't get me wrong, I love a cheat meal here and there, but I also know that I only have one body, one chance, and it is my responsibility to take care of what has been given to me.
I've heard of many people on their death beds fighting for their lives because they took their bodies for granted and smoked themselves to death, and filled their temples up with modified and processed foods for years! Are they living their life now? Was it worth it to feel like that? Most people would agree that, THAT ISN'T THE LIFE THEY WANTED TO LIVE.
I'm definitely not here to tell anyone what to do with their bodies, but if no one is here to tell the truth about how to really live a good, healthy and active lifestyle, then people might not ever experience what true happiness may be. I'm SOOOO glad that I had people in my life that spoke the truth to me, and released me from my life of alcohol and junk foods. GET THIS, I didn't like everything they had to say, but guess what, they honestly saved my life! Do you have people in your life that really tell you the truth? Or are they just telling you what you want to hear?
HOW I WORKOUT WHEN I TRAVEL:
1. I always take a walking or bike tour at every city that I visit. You sit at the office all day at work, why would you sit on your ass on a bus tour? LET'S DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT SHALL WE =) Don't like taking tours? Go rent a bike an explore on your own!
Biking through Temples of Bagan, Myanmar (Burma)
2. I look for a gym or outdoor park. Sometimes you will find free day passes on a gym's website, and all you have to do is print them out and go. When I do pay for a day pass, I treat that as a day tour because it's somewhere that I've never been, and I have the opportunity to explore another gym. If you are staying at a hotel, ask if there is a gym facility, if they have one, it's most likely free to use.
I prefer outdoor parks because I love doing my workouts with nature. I tend to look for outdoor parks that have outdoor fitness equipment, and most of the time, it's free.
P90X2 at a local gym in the Philippines
Bangkok, Thailand
3. I look for Free Boot Camps. I've participated in Free Beachbody Fit Clubs, Beach Yoga Classes, outdoor boot camps, local running groups, and OCR trainings all over the world. If you want to find a free workout somewhere and meet other people, it's simple.....GOOGLE IT.
Donation-Based Yoga Class in Leon, Nicaragua
4. I use my Beachbody on Demand all the time! Don't have a gym? No worries! Take your gym and your workouts with you anywhere (hotel, gym, outdoors, beach etc). With over $4,000 worth of online workouts, there is no excuse not to workout. You will have access to everything from strength, cardio, yoga, and more! Get your Free Trial Beachbody on Demand here: USA and Canadian Residents Click Here - All Other Countries Click Here
5. I look for running trails. You will mostly find running trails at some of the outdoor parks. I love trail running because it's peaceful to me. Just make sure that if you are running through some remote places, I recommend that you bring some sort of protection like a small pocket knife or a stick. I've ran through mountains before and have come across everything from mountain lions to alligators, so having something is better than nothing. And always bring water just in case you get lost in a jungle =)
Local college or high school tracks are great places to get a free workout/run in too!
I also look into local running events such as 5K's and Marathons. You will find some free to donation based events, and nothing beats traveling and giving back to the community.
6. Always take the stairs. From the moment I arrive at my destination, I take the stairs. Every movement counts, and let's just say that you were trekking or exploring on foot all day (even at the mall) and you weren't able to get a workout in, at least you did STAIRS.
So that's about it. I hope this helps you stay active during your travels, and I hope to see you somewhere around the world. If you need some extra health and fitness motivation, feel free to contact me here =)
