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How to Stay in Shape When you Travel

Bodybuilding

How to Stay in Shape When you Travel

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Do you travel a lot? Living in a suitcase can be fun and mentally stimulating, but it comes with a price for most frequent travelers. Humans are creatures that physically thrive when they’re able to set up a healthy routine, which involves a high quality diet, physical exercise, and a good amount of rest. Travelling is a sure-fire way to tear a routine to pieces, as we try to adjust to our new surroundings, the choices of food and beverage, as well as the new bed.

how-to-stay-in-shape-when-you-travel

So, does that mean that travelling has to lead to a decline in physical performance, gaining fat, and feeling moody and lethargic? Is there a way for you to curb these negative side effects, and stay in shape while you travel? In this article we will check the best 5 strategies that will help you to maintain your physique even when you are travelling.

Contents

1. Eat healthy

This sounds quite simple right? But if you travel a lot, you’ve probably grown accustomed to changing your eating habits constantly. Of course, it’s necessary to adjust to the food options that is available, but there are always some options that are better than others. For example, if you only have a fast food restaurant at reach, that doesn’t mean you have to order a pizza or a cheeseburger. Perhaps they also serve grilled chicken and salad which can be another option for you.

eat healthy

Another great way to eat a relatively healthy diet while you travel is to keep a count of your macros. Try to measure how many calories you need to eat daily to maintain your weight. If you want to lose weight, consume fewer calories, and if you want to gain weight, consume more. Try to consume 70-80 grams of protein everyday. By following these two simple principles, you can make sure your progress to go in the way you want, regardless of the food menu that you’re forced to choose from.

2. Bring Supplements

Another simple method to stay in shape is to bring some supplements with you. Protein bars and whey protein are especially useful. They can be used as meal substitutes. If you find yourself in a hotel room, in a bus, or on an airplane, a protein shake will be the best food option available. These supplements will allow you to intake enough protein to maintain your muscle mass, while at the same time relieving any cravings for sugar and snacks.

Another great supplement to use is creatine. Creatine is used for gaining muscle and strength, but it’s also great for maintaining muscle. It enhances absorption of protein and carbohydrates, and makes the muscle look pumped and full as it draws water into it. It’s a good supplement to take, especially if you decide to train during your travels.

3. Stay physically active

By keeping your caloric intake in check, you will be able to stay lean or even lose fat while you travel, regardless of the amount you train or not. However, the same cannot be said for maintaining or gaining muscle. In order to keep the muscle mass intact or improve it, you have to give them a reason for existing. It’s as simple as that. You’ve put on the muscle because you used some sort of strength training that made your body grow muscle to sustain this performance. If you stop exercising, the muscle atrophies. Adding an exercise routine while travelling is a great way to prevent this from happening.

Whether you have a gym at your disposal, or you’re left bare handed in a middle of nowhere, there is always something you can do. Luckily, there are countless online workout videos today that can be used to put in a real workout. As long as you have an internet connection, you can get some inspiration and encouragement through an online medium. A great source of online training videos can be found at Coachtube.

The exercise routine you should do, really depends on your physical levels and the goal you have in mind. If you’re travelling for only a week or two, there really isn’t much danger of losing muscle mass. Perhaps your body will even welcome a rest from the hard workouts that you do every week. However, if you’re away from home longer than that, having an online training video at handy can be quite helpful.

4. Sleep

The third major ingredient of fitness success is getting enough rest. This is also the main aspect of a healthy lifestyle that gets put on the back-burner while travelling. That’s even more true when it comes to vacations, as staying out long into the night turns into an everyday event. Of course, it’s not my intention to be a party breaker, but putting some emphasis on getting a few hours of sleep every night is definitely recommended.

Generally speaking, most people need to sleep for at least 7 hours regularly every day to keep the testosterone levels from plummeting, and to keep the cortisol in check. If these hormones become imbalanced, our energy levels and physique starts to deteriorate.

Switching time zones does have a large impact on our sleep as well, and can lead to a period of adjustment to a new sleeping pattern. However, establishing a new sleeping routine can speed up the adjustment process and make the transition smooth. This leads us to the last and next point.

5. Establish A Routine

Regardless of whether you’re travelling, having a routine is crucial for fitness success. That’s not to say that you need to have everything completely in check. However, a few segments need to be routinely addressed. First of them is the diet.

When travelling, many times we have to compromise our perfect, healthy diets for a more moderate menu. However, keeping a certain caloric average intake, and eating schedule is a good way to maintain a routine, and not starve or overeat out of accident.

When it comes to training, following a short and simple training routine can do wonders for staying in shape. And when it comes to sleep, having a schedule can also be immensely valuable. Having 7 hours of sleep every night as a main goal is a good place to start.

Conclusion

Travelling can be fun, and it’s good to shake things up a bit from time to time. However, that doesn’t mean we need to lose all our hard-earned fitness progress because of it. Hopefully this article has given you some insight in how you can stay in shape while you travel and have a blast.