Let’s face it…change can be hard on most people’s motivation. Sometimes change can be energizing, but when it comes to fitness, many of us rely on routines to keep us at our high levels of engagement. If you wake up at 5 AM every morning to workout, you’ve created a physical and mental routine to keep you on track. Most don’t wake up ripping and rearing to get in the gym. Some days may bring forth something a little more exciting and you can get a little more steam going, but most days you are getting into the gym because you are giving yourself the mental lay of the land of what this means to you, and physically going through the motions until you’re actually there getting it!
So now let’s throw in a complete change of our schedules due to travel. Not only is the timing of our days likely different, but we’re eating differently, we woke up in a new bed, we may be sitting/driving more than usual, or maybe we’ve added alcohol to the mix. Now let’s wake up at 5 AM excited to crush a gym workout. Oh, and you’re not even sure the gym will have your favorite equipment?! Maybe it’s best to just stay in bed!
No way! That’s why this community is here! We want to give you every motivation and advantage that we can in staying on track with your fitness goals! So what are some of the tips that keep me on point when on the road?
My first suggestion is to keep your habits as close to at home as you can. There are obvious changes that you cannot help, but we have a whole guide to sticking to your health habits when on the road (Unleash Your Inner Warrior: Defeat Travel’s Health Hindrances and Emerge Stronger Than Ever)! Maintaining healthy eating, hydrating, limiting alcohol, and stretching are great ways to keep you feeling somewhat grounded and on track.
Next, and so tied into the original vision of this community, is to plan ahead! This applies most to your eating and workouts. You can get some additional support on healthy eating tips when traveling (Elevate Your Travel Wellness: Discover Immunity Superheroes for a Healthy Journey). Checking out our Hotel Gym DATABASE can help you take care of the other piece. Knowing your surroundings ahead of time and creating a workout, whether a specific routine or at least a general routine (sometimes the joys of travel get in our way and we need to check the original plan (Balance Your Cheers and Sweat: Navigating Alcohol’s Impact on Your Fitness Journey While Traveling), will give you one less excuse to skip. Not only will the database give you an idea of what equipment to expect, but your fellow Hotel Athletes are constantly leaving behind their recipes for success (AKA awesome, free workouts in that exact space)!
Motivation is a mental game, so I will have to give a shoutout to how important it is to utilize some mental ninja moves to maintain the momentum of the routine. Like with most things in life, we need to keep reminding ourselves of our WHY! Why are you waking up to workout? It’s different for everyone, but remind yourself of these, especially on the road. Remind yourself of how you will feel, and what that will do for you personally and professionally. I can tell you right now that if I get an awesome workout in ahead of meeting up with a client, the endorphins carry over and are visibly noticeable by all that are in that meet up. There is a higher level of confidence, more relaxation, and a general sense of ease that radiates. To be on point not just with fitness for the day, but boosting my professional game, makes the trip down the hall to the hotel gym a sure thing. Oh, and don’t forget to smile first thing upon waking up! This is going to be a good day no matter where you are in the world! Remember, you don’t have to, you GET to!
Routine mix up – As alluded to earlier, change is hard on motivation, but also has some energizing effects. This is the perfect time to use this change for energy to your advantage. You may be going to a gym that has everything you would ever need for a workout, just like at home. Or it may not be anywhere close. So you will get forced to change up the routine. Get excited about this! You’re going to be doing some new moves that you haven’t performed in awhile. You’re in a brand new space, and may run into new people who enjoy fitness. You’ll get back to your routine in a few days, but for now, embrace the new environment!
Keeping it fun ties into the mixing it up category. Travel gives you the opportunity to experience different sites, situations, and people. Make sure you are living in the moment and take advantage of those nuances. Don’t force a two hour gym session at the expense of missing out on the rewards of travel. Again, maybe it means having some drinks one night and modifying your workout to be a little less on the intense endurance side, with some fun, new exercises to keep that motivation up. Showing yourself that you can have fun and still stay fit is a huge key in continued success as you travel again and again!
Some of us live and die by having either another accountability partner, or maybe even a whole group depending on where you do your fitness. Seemingly, the road strips you of this. But guess what… it’s 2023 and we have enough technology to be holding our buddies accountable, and them us, even when not physically together. Do you both meet up each morning for a workout? Well then text each other at that same time as a “check in”. Maybe even share a clip of the workouts you are doing. You’re mixed up and fun workout may inspire some motivation in your buddy! If you’re used to group fitness, or a personal trainer, see if you can connect on a personal level with at least some members of the group (or trainer) and send updates of your “keeping up” while on the road. Maybe they can share the workout ahead of time and you can incorporate as much as you can with whatever equipment you have. A little harder approach is to find out if another colleague or client staying in the same hotel would be up for a workout. You might be surprised at the bonding that can occur over a workout!
Be kind and reward yourself! If you push it too hard because you are trying to counter the effects of travel, you may take your motivation the opposite way. If the workout is too grueling for the circumstances that you have going on, you may get injured or just have a negative impression of working out on the road. That may lower your chances of getting up the next morning or the next time you travel and making the workout a priority. Sometimes, travel is the best time for a rest day or two. At home, you are always taking it to the next level. Maybe a few days of light lifting and mobility are just what the doctor ordered. Don’t worry, a few days is not going to derail you. It may just get you to the next level actually. And don’t forget to reward yourself for overcoming all of the motivational and physical challenges that travel brings! Live it up!
