For business travelers and road warriors, learning how to stay healthy while traveling can pose a significant challenge, especially when they are faced with prolonged periods away from their usual daily routines. While occasional breaks can be refreshing and enjoyable, frequent travel can disrupt one’s training plans and overall well-being.
Fortunately, the hospitality industry has recognized the growing importance of travelers’ health: According to a 2023 report by the Global Wellness Institute, consumer spending on wellness tourism is projected to grow 16.6% annually in the next three years, with expenditures expected to have reached almost $6.3 trillion by the end of 2023.
With a little planning, you can set yourself up for success with wellness on the go by adopting habits and selecting destinations that align with your fitness objectives. In this article, experts weigh in on how to stay healthy while traveling.
Modification is key to maintaining your routine
Rachel Lovitt, an ACSM-certified personal trainer and mobility specialist from Seattle, Washington, emphasizes that staying healthy while traveling is achievable, especially by keeping active in some capacity, even if it differs from your usual routine. She recommends walking and bodyweight exercises such as yoga, squats and pushups.
“For instance, if you’re accustomed to barbell squats, try single-leg bodyweight squats. Likewise, if you usually do heavy chest presses, opt for single-arm pushups against a bathroom counter and incorporate resistance bands for additional glute exercises like bridges or monster walks,” Lovitt suggests. She encourages creativity in modifying your routine and suggests seeking advice from a personal trainer for further ideas.
Rebecca Stewart, an ISSA elite certified personal trainer from Minnesota, echoes this approach and encourages a shift in mindset regarding how to stay healthy while traveling. “We often underestimate the health benefits of walking during travel, which significantly contributes to our overall well-being beyond just our fitness routine,” Stewart says. “So prioritize walking as a primary means of staying active while traveling.”
How to stay healthy while traveling: In-room workout products
If you prefer engaging in high-intensity workouts to break a sweat while traveling, these products can help you conveniently incorporate resistance training into your hotel room fitness routine.
Compact, lightweight, fabric-looped resistance bands and long-looped resistance bands easily fit into a carry-on and allow for a circuit-based full-body resistance workout. Most exercises that are typically done with weights can be adapted to bodyweight versions or performed using resistance bands. These include air squats or banded squats, lateral pull-downs or face pulls with a long band, glute bridges or banded deadlifts, and incline pushups or banded chest presses.
For a more advanced option, consider the TRX system, which offers a comprehensive full-body workout by attaching bands to the back of a door. Additionally, inflatable balance discs provide an effective way to engage your core during travel. And don’t forget your running shoes for logging miles, either around your hotel or on the treadmill.
Where to find fitness programs while traveling
Fairmont Hotels has teamed up with Reebok to introduce Fairmont Fit, a program that offers fitness gear and apparel rentals for guests who are interested in staying healthy while traveling. Some hotels even provide customized running maps of scenic routes and outdoor-themed experiences, vetted by Reebok running specialists. For instance, Fairmont Banff Springs, a 135-year-old castle nestled in Canada’s first national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offers mountain guides and gym instructors who curate a daily schedule of activities to promote guests’ physical and mental well-being. From morning hikes and yoga classes to sound bathing sessions, afternoon bike rides and evening snowshoeing, these guided experiences immerse guests in the landscape, history and culture of Banff National Park.
Wellness on the go
Anantara The Marker Dublin Hotel, situated in Ireland’s capital city, offers a distinctive wellness on the go program that embodies the essence of Irish culture and extends beyond its infinity pool, state-of-the-art fitness center and spa. One highlight is the wild swimming experience, an invigorating cold plunge into Ireland’s coastal waters, led by open-water wild swimming coach Jessica Lamb. Lamb highlights wild swimming’s potential to enhance the immune system, noting that “guests often express feeling energized after, with the initial nerves giving way to a sense of accomplishment…. They feel that the release of endorphins triggered by the cold water mirrors the effects of a gym workout.” Additionally, the hotel offers services that include a running coach and personal trainer as part of its comprehensive fitness and wellness programs.
If your hotel or lodging doesn’t offer wellness on the go services to your liking, consider a mobile service. GYMGUYZ, established in 2008, is the pioneering i”n-home mobile personal training and fitness franchise” in the United States, according to its website. By delivering workouts directly to clients across 29 states at their convenience, GYMGUYZ is reshaping physical fitness. The company’s team of professional certified trainers provides personalized instruction and equipment tailored to each client’s fitness level and goals.
This article originally appeared in the May issue of SUCCESS+ magazine. Photo by PeopleImages.com – Yuri A/Shutterstock.com