It’s common for travelers to ignore their fitness goals often due to the complexities of traveling. When traveling, you worry about flights, accommodation, transport, food, and many other things. As a result, the last thing on the mind is how to stay in shape. You hope that all the walking you’ll be doing will offset all the wonderful food, right?
Does this mean you should let yourself go and be in the worst shape of your life as you travel? Well, of course not.
As someone who cares about keeping your wellness routine going, you should always consider your health as you travel. This may mean considering getting a hotel with a gym or swimming pool where you can exercise during your stay.
It’s also wise to carry devices, gear, and drinks that help you stay in shape. What can you carry to stay fit as you travel?
Vitamins and supplements
Do you have your favorite vitamins or supplements you are sure you won’t find in your new destination? You should consider carrying them with you to keep up with your fitness goals.
Bringing your green supplements when you travel to keep your diet balanced and healthy is a smart move. Plus, it’s easy to pack and ensures you get the nutrients you need while you’re away from home.
Some people fear doing this as they think they will be accused of importing illegal substances, but this isn’t the case. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allows travelers to carry all types of medications, including vitamins and supplements, so you have nothing to worry about.
Even countries such as Australia and New Zealand that have stringent bio-security laws will allow you to bring in your plant-based vitamins and supplements as long as they are for your consumption.
If you are traveling to these more strict countries, remember you might be required to present a brochure, label, or a letter from your doctor verifying the identity of the supplements, so plan for it.
To avoid raising suspicion at the airport, be strategic in how you pack the supplements. The best way to go about it is to start with a layer of clothes, a layer of shoes, then a clear pouch with your vitamins and supplements at the top.
At the start of the screening process, pull the pouch out and show it to the security officer to declare that you are carrying the supplements.
In some cases, the officer may allow you to pass, but in other cases, they might insist on you putting the pouch through the X-ray or explosive screening machines.
To prevent your supplements from being removed from the bag and tossed by the security officer, leave them in their original packaging—don’t empty them into unlabeled plastic bags to save room.
Beverages
If you have your preferred recovery beverages, you can carry them in your checked luggage, but you should be cautious as they can explode due to changes in air pressure, especially if they are carbonated.
Different airlines have different regulations regarding the number of beverages you can carry, so before you toss your LIFEAID beverages or any other drinks in your suitcase, go over the rules and ensure that you comply with them.
In most airports, luggage with cans and bottles is often flagged during screening, so ensure that the suitcase you are carrying your beverages in has a TSA-friendly lock.
Resistance band
If you are traveling to a rural or small town, or just on a budget, chances are you won’t have access to a gym and can’t stay without exercising. Plus weights are just too hard to pack! How do you stay fit without weights? An excellent tool you can use is a resistance band.
When you add some resistance to your bodyweight workout, you up the intensity without requiring dumbbells.
All you need to do is wrap the band around your upper back and anchor it with your hands to make your pushups more challenging. You can also do a lower body workout by standing on the band and then grasping one end of the band with each of your hands while hinging forward.
Exercise bands are made from rubber or heavyweight plastic with soft handles. As much as some people say that they can be viewed as weapons or as strangulation hazards, TSA doesn’t have restrictions against them, so there is no harm in putting them in your bag and traveling with them to your new destination.
Fitness tracker
It’s always wise to keep track of your steps, heart rate, and other vitals when traveling. Thankfully, plenty of fitness tracking tools can help you with this, and they are well-known to airplane officials, so you have no problem traveling with them.
As you go through airport security, remember to remove the tracker and other accessories and place them in a plastic bin before walking through the scanner.
Besides the tracker, also remember to pack its charger. You don’t want to fail to track your steps simply because your tracker has run out of juice, do you?
Most trackers don’t automatically change the time zone as they don’t have a geographic tracker built into them, so if you want your tracker to be in the same zone as you are, change it.
Valuable tips to stay in shape as you travel
Besides carrying devices that help you stay in shape as you travel, you must do plenty of other things to maintain your dream body.
Once you get to a new city, find fitness boot camps in the area. Thankfully, these are easy to find, and they don’t charge a fee. You need to register and turn up for the exercises. Besides keeping fit, these boot camps are also excellent places to meet people with similar interests as you. There are also running clubs you can join and bicycle tours.
If you visit a city with plenty of mountains, you can shed extra pounds by simply going on a hike. You can go as an organized group or by yourself. Hiking will help you stay in shape and develop a feeling of conquering, especially when you reach the mountain’s peak.
Finally, of course it will help it will help if you watch what you eat. Different countries have different foods, and as much as you should experience them, you can simply remember to be mindful about your portions and not overeat.
As a rule of thumb, don’t overindulge, especially if the food is too sugary or packs a lot of carbohydrates.
Author bio:
Mae L. is a freelance writer who enjoys cooking, traveling, and getting lost in a good book. She loves collaborating with awesome blogs to share her tips on anything from business and finance to health and lifestyle topics.
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