2nd post of 2020! Whohooo I’m on a roll this year….
I have so many different topics that I would like to write about but one that has been on my mind more recently is staying fit and healthy while traveling. Just for a little disclaimer I am not a fitness expert of any kind, anything in this post is from personal experience only. Since it is still January and this month is the highest for people starting new workouts and getting into their resolutions, I figured now is the best time for this post.
*Top pictures is the skyline of Shanghai, nothing to do with this post but I just really like the picture!
It is really hard to stick to a workout regime while traveling. Not only is my schedule completely messed up but sometimes I am too exhausted to do any form of workout. Eating healthy is also a challenge because I eat what is available, many times I don’t have a choice. So, if I am offered pigs feet and oil rice, then that’s what I’ll be eating.
A gym membership is out of the question because I am not in a place long enough for it to be worth it and can’t work out with weights because I am not about to travel carrying around a set of dumbbells in my backpack….
(video from when I actually did have a gym membership lol)
So, my options are limited to an extent, however if you really want something you are going to work to achieve it. There are of course the fun ways to work out while traveling such as hiking, kayaking, triathlons (pictures below) and other physical activities, but these do not happen every day. Walking is the biggest activity since I tend to walk about 10,000 steps a day. But I try to be more intentional with my work outs.
One thing that I found to be helpful is using Beachbody on Demand. I started by doing Insanity in 2015 when I went to live in Tanzania for 7 months. I got the workouts on a flash drive from a friend… no judgment here…. And they were great! No equipment needed other than my laptop and I could work out even in my small room. Insanity got me in good shape to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro that same year right after completing the program.
I continued to use my bootlegged videos, but I wanted to do more. So I decided to go ahead and pay for the Beachbody on Demand video streaming system. I am glad that I did! There are a lot of different workouts that can be done with whatever equipment I have available at the time.
I highly recommend Beachbody on Demand. It’s what I have been using and been getting great results. Since I use it everyday, I have a coaching account and if you want to sign up follow the link below!
https://mysite.coach.teambeachbody.com/?coachId=2020145&locale=en_US
If you don’t want any kind of subscription and want to workout on your own, here are my recommendations. These are the best options that are cheap and very useful:
#1 Something new I have been using are resistance bands. They are lightweight, take up no space when packing and there are hundreds of workouts you can do with these little bands. Just searching on YouTube you can find a lot of workouts that workout every part of your body using these. This is why resistance bands are my number one choice when traveling.
#2 The second thing that I recommend is a jump rope. This is also very light weight and you can get a very good cardio workout in a very small space.
#3 Your beautiful body! There are thousands of great workouts that can be done by just using your body. While it is hard to find time and energy to work out while traveling, it is important to remember how amazing your body is and how far its gotten you in life. You need to continually take care of you body by giving it the exercise and nutrition it needs to keep being awesome!
A bit shy about posting these but here are a few of my progress pictures
And then there comes the topic on food… oh wonderful food. I love to eat, I have very little self-control when it comes to food. I love everything about food, the community, the preparation, the culture, the joy. Everyone must eat, and eating has become a celebration in many cases. There are specific foods for different occasions and some foods you can only find in certain areas of the world. But everything should be taken in moderation. There are obvious health problems with overeating and so I do try (at times) to make sure I am eating healthy.
I love to travel, and with that I love trying new foods and really immersing myself in a culture. In order to do this, I believe that you need to at least try the local food. This is one reason why I could never be vegan or vegetarian. I do love vegan and vegetarian food and I prefer it to meat, I have never been a big meat eater. I just can’t imagine traveling all the way to new place to refuse to eat their local food. Sure, every country does have vegetables, but there are some local dishes that you will not be able to enjoy if you restrict and limit what you can eat. Imagine traveling to China on Lunar New Year and refusing to make and eat dumplings or visiting a tribe in Tanzania who killed a goat for you, and you push their dish away, or going to Mexico and not enjoying a true street taco, or visiting the Philippines on Christmas on not joining in on the roasted pig.
Below are a few pictures from when we were invited to a village in China and they prepared a meal for us
One reason I travel is to not miss out on life and so I will eat whatever comes my way. I do believe in good stewardship and there are problems with consuming too much meat or purchasing meat from certain places or companies. People say that eating meat affects the environment but that’s not 100% true for everyone. A local family that raises and eats their chickens are not harming the environment. When meat is consumed in a responsible way there are benefits.
I may get hate for saying eat more meat, but please go eat more meat lol When back at home if you chose not to purchase meat yourself then I think that’s great and good for you for being able to do so. When you go all the way to a new country then you should try to live like the locals do and eat whatever it is that they are eating. It may not always be up your ally but at least you got out of your comfort zone to try something different and hopefully learned something about their culture.
Lollygaggers 