I’ve got a lot of traveling coming up between now and October. All good travel, just a lot of it in a relatively short period. One thing I’ve found that really helps my mental clarity and feeling of “normalcy” when traveling or PCSing is making time for myself in the form of fitness. I always feel better if I manage to squeeze in a quick workout, regardless of how long I’ve been traveling or how busy my upcoming day might get.
Over the years, I’ve developed a list of fitness travel essentials which I take with me everywhere. These came with me to Baku last month, and they are coming with me to Denver in less than two weeks (NOW ATTEMPTING TO AVOID THE MENTAL FREAKOUT THAT HAPPENS WHEN I REALIZE MY ANNUAL MEETING OF 2,000 PEOPLE IS TWO WEEKS AWAY. HOLY. SHIT. DID I DO A GOOD JOB?!).
I’m aware that most major hotels have some form of fitness center if that’s your thing, but I’m not a big fan of gyms. I’ve found I’m much more inclined to work out if I don’t have to leave my house/hotel room/wherever I’ve been sleeping. To help anyone out there who is slightly crazy like me, here’s my list of fitness travel essentials.
- Resistance Bands: These things weigh absolutely nothing and can be used in place of dumbells for many exercises. A must.
- “Booty Bands”: I don’t know if these have a different name, but they are those little resistance bands you can put around your ankles. They weigh even less than a full long resistance band, and once they made their way into my collection of fitness equipment, I absolutely do not travel without them.
- Some sort of small athletic shoe: Remember back in like 2012 when those horrifically ugly toe shoe things were all the rage? That whole minimalist running shoe thing? Yeah. I got a tiny bit swept up in that and when Sean and I went to the Merrill outlet in Maryland we each bought a pair. I’ve worn them outside to run approximately twice because 1) they suck for running, and 2) my body hates running in general. Now I use them solely for indoor workout shoes, and they are perfect for travel since they are so lightweight.
- Portable Workouts: What I mean here is some sort of way to access a variety of workouts whether this is an app or simply printed exercises. If you have the mental willpower to come up with your own workouts and actually execute them, I applaud you, but that’s not me. I personally use the Tone It Up app on my phone/tablet, and I love it. What’s great is they will always list the type of equipment needed for each routine so I can choose workouts which fit my situation.
- Workout Clothes, of Course: For this upcoming trip to Denver I have to pack somewhat strategically. I need work clothes, fun clothes, and probably hiking clothes. I’ll likely have to do some laundry in the hotel since I won’t have room to pack a week’s worth of attire, but I’ll make it work. I hope.
- Post-Workout Snacks: Granola bars. I literally buy these in bulk and let my OCD tendencies organize them like this. I’m nuts, but at least I’m aesthetically pleasing.
I hope this list was somewhat helpful. And I hope to maintain some level of calm for the next few weeks as our work meeting approaches. I do intend to continue posting twice a week but you never know what may happen between now and the end of May. If anything gets erratic expect a return to regularly scheduled content (Tuesdays and Fridays) after June 10.
