Exercise when you are in the comforts of your own home or at your local gym can be hard enough, but when you are on the road, whether on vacation or business trip, exercise can seem near impossible. Even the most committed fitness enthusiasts can get side-tracked and omit their workouts while on the road. At times it can be very beneficial to take a week off to let your body rest and recover, but you can’t make a habit of taking time off every time you hit the road. It is important to learn some quick, easy, and effective ways to exercise when time, space, and equipment is limited.

There are many different possible scenarios when on vacation. You may be in a nice hotel with a full exercise facility. You may be staying at a family member’s house with exercise equipment. The other possibility is that you don’t have any equipment at all to workout with. There are lots of potential equipment possibilities in between. But no matter what you have to learn to make the best of what you have, whether it is a nicer gym than you have at home, or just your bodyweight. You have to learn to use what you have at your disposal to get a workout in to maintain the consistency and progress you are making towards your goal. Don’t even consider omitting the exercise routine during the trip; find a way to make it work.

There is only one thing that will prevent you from working out on the road, you and the poor excuses you try to make. There is absolutely nothing you need to get a good workout besides a little creativity. Exercise may even be a welcomed break from the incessant nagging of your family or the never ending business meetings. Instead of trying to justify why you shouldn’t work out, put some clothes on and get to work. You will feel much better when you do.

The ideal scenario would be that, where ever you end up, there is a gym or facility that has all of the equipment that you typically use and need. This will allow you to continue where you left off with your program. The only difficulty with this scenario is getting the motivation to exercise. Maybe it requires getting up a little early before the family and before the day of adventuring starts. Maybe you exercise at night after your business meetings to unwind. Whatever works better for your schedule, you have to do it. If you are on vacation for a week all it takes is two to three trips to the gym to workout. It isn’t that hard to find 45 minutes in a day two to three times a week.

The majority of the time there won’t be any equipment to workout with. This is where a little creativity will help. The best thing you can do, if you know the place you are going doesn’t have equipment, is bring a resistance band with you. A resistance band takes up very little space in luggage but provides infinite possibilities for exercises. You can do any exercise you typically do with a bar or dumbbells with a band. Just use your imagination. Depending on the band you get (I recommend the JC Bands which you can find with the Perform Better link) there may be a loop you can use to attach the band to any fixed object or you can just wrap the band itself around a doorknob. Imagine the movements you normally perform with other equipment and replicate it with the band.

Another option is to make your own set of dumbbells. Depending on your level of strength this may be easier for some than others. Making dumbbells can be as simple as going to the local grocery store and buying two cans of soup, two water bottles, or two gallon jugs of water (milk goes bad). Pick something that seems to be the weight that you would need. You could even fill a backpack with shoes or books to add weight, which you could use to exercise with. These ideas may seem a little ridiculous, but who cares. You will continue working out and reaching your goals. You may even feel better for using a little creativity. If you are concerned about what others may think, ideally ignore them or workout in an area where no one will see. The purpose of the bands and the dumbbells is to try to bring the gym to you as best as possible. With either of these options you can perform almost every exercise you would do in a gym.

If neither of the above options is available you are still capable of getting a great workout. You were born with the best weight set in the world, your own body. You can perform a series of bodyweight exercises, either by themselves, or ideally in a circuit to get a total body workout. Push-ups, squats, lunges, step-ups, dips, and some form of a row are all you need to do to get a great workout. For the rows, or pull-ups I would recommend finding a tree if it is nice outside. Otherwise you could use a door frame. Again it’s not ideal but it’s better than nothing. Start off with 10 push-ups, then immediately do 10 squats. Using a tree for pull-ups or rows, or a door frame to do bodyweight rows, perform 10 repetitions. Use your creativity, I know it can work. Upon completing the rows immediately perform 20 alternating lunges, 10 with each leg. Following the lunges complete 10 dips using stairs, a chair, or a bed. After the dips, use the same equipment to perform 10 step-ups with each leg. After completing the step-ups drop straight to the ground and hold a plank for 30 seconds. Congratulations, that’s one set of a total body workout without any equipment. Do the same thing for a total of two to three sets, two to three times a week and you will maintain your progress, even while on the road.

The last major issue to address about exercising on the road is cardio training. This should be pretty straightforward. You don’t need any high tech treadmills, ellipticals, bikes, or stairmasters to get a little cardiovascular exercise. Put your shoes on and go for a run outside. If it is cold out, plan ahead and bring some clothes to run outside with. For a little variety, if you are staying in a building with a few flights of stairs, run or walk up and down them a few times. It won’t take many trips up and down the stairs to get a good workout. I recommend running up and down once, followed by walking up and down once, and continuing to alternate running and walking. This will allow you to incorporate the idea of interval training into your session. Again use a little creativity and anything is possible.

An even better solution to the cardio dilemma, if you are on vacation with your family or friends, is to involve them. Rent some bikes and go for a scenic bike ride. Go kayaking or canoeing down a river or on a lake. Hike around a forest or the city’s sites. Incorporate exercise into the vacation, so that you are able to spend time with your family and see the sites, while still getting exercise for yourself and also your family. An active vacation can be much more memorable than a vacation that involves taking the subway or cab all over the city or sitting inside watching television with all of your relatives. Instead of watching football on TV go outside and get a family game together. The enjoyment of interacting with your family and friends will be very rewarding both physically and emotionally.

There is absolutely no reason you are unable to get a good workout in while on vacation or a business trip. Depending on the equipment you have, all it takes is a little creativity and some motivation to maintain your commitment to physical improvement. Not only will you feel better from the physical activity but you will also feel better for persevering and finding a way to exercise even when the conditions weren’t ideal.

Instead of immediately dismissing all attempts to workout, sit down, and conjure up the creativity of your youth. Somewhere deep inside there is the creativity to imagine the possibilities of getting a good workout. Don’t let your old age stifle your inner youth. Life is more enjoyable when you are able to let go of the constant need to act a certain way and just have fun. Kids will run around just because it’s fun. They will climb on anything and everything. Kids will make a game out of everything. Treat your life the same way and you will be amazed and what you get in return. Good luck.

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