While traveling, the LAST thing one wants to think is being cooped up in a gym when you should be out exploring your new surroundings. It isn’t until you started traveling that you begin to realize the options available.
Some cool activities remind us of being alive like riding your bike, hiking, and going for walking tours is an adven-fit way start to build a healthy body.
If you are looking for strength training, target every muscle in your body with just a few functional movements, which can be completed anywhere.
Try these 5:
Bodyweight squats: Stand with your feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, with your toes pointed slightly outward. Flex your stomach and butt, and slowly lower your body by sitting WAY back with your butt. Lower your body as far as it will go. A true squat means your upper thighs are LOWER than parallel. If you don’t go down far enough, we call it a “power curtsy”. Squat DEEP. Pause at the bottom, and then explode back up to the starting position.
Push-ups: If you are a beginner, start off with wall push-ups followed by the regular ones once you have mastered them. Place your hands on an elevated surface like stairs or the back of a bench and complete a push-up with your arms close by your side. The higher the platform, the less difficult the exercise will be. The best part about the push-up is that you can do it anywhere.
Lunges: Stand with a shoulder-width stance. Step out with your right leg. Lower your hips until your back-leg’s knee almost touches the ground. If you stepped out far enough, your front knee won’t extend past your toes. Explode up and back by pushing off with your front leg. Step out with the alternate leg and repeat!
Reverse crunches: Lie on your back with your palms flat on the ground, and legs bent so that your feet are on the ground. The more bent your legs are, the easier the exercise will be. Keeping your shoulders, butt, and hands on the ground, raise your legs toward your stomach, tightening your core. Once you reach the top portion of the movement, raise your legs vertically, and your butt should come off the ground slightly. Lower your legs back down, and then return them to the starting position. You should feel this movement in your stomach.
Backpack lifts: Hold both backpack straps in both hands at your thighs, your arms extended, so the pack is parallel to the ground. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart, knees slightly bent. Press your hips backward and hinge forward in a deadlift, keeping your back straight and your core engaged, so your glutes and hamstrings control the movement. When your back is roughly parallel to the ground, bend your elbows and row the pack up to your torso, squeezing your shoulder blades together. Lower the pack, then squeeze your hamstrings and glutes to pull yourself back to standing. Continue for 60 seconds
If you only have five minutes here and there, that’s fine. Do squats when you can. Crank out a few pull-ups when you find something to hang from while on your hike or bust out a plank in an epic location because after your fitness is a priority.