6 Tips for Staying Motivated to Workout While Travelling
Having the motivation to workout while travelling can be hard when you just want to relax, sleep in and enjoy a well-deserved break from life. And you can totally do that!! But if you’re travelling for an extended period or you’re looking to keep up your fitness routine while travelling, then here are some tips that I’ve found personally keep me on track:
1. Do it in the morning.
This is seriously a MUST for me personally while travelling. If I don’t do it in the morning then I won’t do it at all – I will find more fun things to do like explore cities, drink mojitos at lunchtime or end up in a food coma. Getting it done in the morning also starts the day off on the right foot – it helps boost my energy and makes me feel ready to conquer the day. While travelling, there are too many awesome things to explore once you’ve started your day, so working out first thing in the morning frees up your day and gets rid of your excuses.
2. Do what feels good for you on the day.
On holidays it’s hard to set a schedule or routine – it just feels wrong. Even making an appointment for a massage can feel like too much commitment – how do I know what I’m going to want to be doing tomorrow at 3pm?? Instead, I do a workout that I feel like doing when I wake-up – sometimes it’s just mobility work and yoga, sometimes it’s pilates and sometimes it’s a sweaty HIIT workout. And once you get your workout started, you usually want to keep going.
If you find it tough to think of what workouts to do on your own, follow workout videos or guides. There are so many on YouTube, but I especially love Pop Sugar Fitness for their variety of trainers and workouts of all different lengths. They are my go-to when I’m needing a teacher to tell me what to do!
3. Set a few general goals to keep you on track.
It can be easy to wake-up on holidays and feel like doing a whole lot of nothing, so it’s good to have a couple of general fitness or wellness goals to stick to. This will help you decide what kind of workouts you want to do and will give you just enough routine to stick to.
My fitness goals while I’m travelling: keep my core strong with regular pilates, stretch and meditate at the end of every workout, do sprints once per week to maintain cardio fitness for trekking, retain the muscle that I’ve built before travelling and keep my back strong to prevent neck pain and headaches.
I find that knowing what I want to achieve keeps me motivated to do a variety of workouts (not just my favourite ones) and gives my exercise some purpose and direction, which keeps me on track.
4. Exercise at regular intervals to stay on track and set time goals.
Set yourself a weekly goal of how many times you’re going to exercise and stick to this number every week. I set myself the goal of working out every second day and I’ve found that this gets me out of bed when I’m not feeling it while also giving me days to sleep in or chill in the morning.
Setting yourself a time goal for every workout can also be effective at keeping you motivated when the pool is looking extra welcoming. Set yourself the goal of working out for 20, 30 or 45 minutes and set yourself a timer so you know when time’s up.
5. Find an epic space to workout in.
The beauty of travel is that you’re going to be in some places that make way prettier workout spaces than your usual indoor gym. Find yourself a nice view or a secluded space to workout in and you’ll feel grateful, inspired and motivated during your workout. Most hotels and hostels have some beautiful and private areas that you can workout in – all you need is a yoga mat or even a towel!
6. Use the luxury of time to your advantage.
Time is a luxury that you have an excess of while travelling – take advantage of it! Do the things that you never can find time to do while in your normal routine – stretching, meditation, manifesting, etc. I’ve found that adding 15-20 minutes of stretching and meditation to the end of every workout while travelling puts me in a seriously good mood for the day. This is a luxury that I don’t have the time for in daily life so I am soaking up the ability to do this!
I hope you find these tips helpful, let me know if you implement them and how you go! What are your fave ways to stay motivated while you travel? Comment below and let me know your fave tricks and tips.
