My Christmas weekend was no different. Over in Daytona with my wife's family we enjoyed an amazing Florida holiday weekend filled with fun, family and food. Over the last two months I have been working hard to work out, fighting to get back into shape (that seems to have escaped me after those high school baseball days) so that I can stay healthy working long days on a laptop. With a new sleep pattern, a full house and some rain, it made working out a little more difficult. Luckily I had a built in personal trainer on site.
My brother in law, Barry Heyden, is the former strength coach for the NY Mets and came well prepared to keep me on my holiday schedule. During the 4 days I had the opportunity to learn to use things that are available and also time allotments to get the most of my workouts. No one wants to spend 45 minutes to an hour on vacation getting sweaty by themselves and no one wants to carry a portable gym on an airplane (plus I'm sure TSA wouldn't be too happy about that!). Barry had the solution that I am going to share with you today that really any traveler can use to get the most of their traveling adventures and still feel like they are in the hometown gym or running a few miles around the neighborhood.
It's All About The Core
The core as in the midsection where all the turkey, pasta and sweets have taken over (though
it was so tasty to eat). When putting together a quick holiday exercise plan the focus was on working the core and building heart rate quickly. We performed a slew of exercises from push-ups with some bicycle kicks in between each rep to leg lifts with the bike kicks. All with a high intensity and short rest time. This got the blood pressure to rise and the lungs to begin to strengthen.
Multitask
The next best suggestion from Barry was to work as many muscles with each exercise as possible. Remember that we are working in a short window of time. Maybe 20 minutes before breakfast, or a quick break in the action in the afternoon. The more you can accomplish with one group of exercises the better.We started with a squat to shoulder press. No lie, but this was tough. We started with arms in the air with a broom stick. Then we went down to squat, bringing the bar down. Before we attempted to stand up, we raised the bar and then came back into the start position. Doing a set of 15 really whipped us into a quick sweat, working the legs, core and shoulders with one quick minute long exercise.
When you are creating your hotel workout, look for similar activities to work many areas of the body. There are plenty of add-on exercises and motions that can turn single muscle exercises into multiple with a little creativity and thought.
Hydrate With Water
Whether on the road workshifting or having fun on the holidays it is very easy to pick up a cola, beer or loaded fruit juice. Barry said this was a huge mistake that many of the Mets players also had. Keep replenishing yourself with water and your body will cool down and recover faster. Adding sugars will only slow the growth process. Also look for a quick healthy snack after going through a quick training. Carrot sticks or apple slices are easy ones and they can even be picked up at the hotel convenience store or local grocery store.Above All Else, Shoot For High Intensity
I know as good as anyone how easy it is to relax, throw the feet up and say I'll get back to it when I get home.Going hard for 20 minutes can be the best thing you do all day as it gets not only your body but your mind stimulated and ready for a rocking day. Whether that be meetings, presenting or giving superior attention to the family. The key here is to have a quick plan of action to keep yourself in a high intensity physical mind frame for 15-20 minutes. The number of reps or sets is irrelevant. Going quickly and with full focus from pushups to lunges to laptop curls will ensure that you keep yourself in a ready and mobile state. Above all else it will allow you to survive the equivalent of the freshman 15.
What are your holiday and hotel workshifting fitness tips? I'd love to hear what gets you going on the road (even if it's just to get away from the crazy in-laws for a few minutes!).
Photos by: ex.libris & Playtime Fitness
Well done Greg. You are popping up everywhere I turn these days. Before the holidays I signed up with my favorite charity to run a 5K. These events give me something to look forward too and forces me to think about my overall health, fitness and endurance during the holiday season. I'm lucky enough to have a gym at the office, so I generally do 3M on the treadmill and work a variety of body parts 3 x's per week. When I am on the road, its a different story. I find that a few sets of push ups and sit ups keeps my body active until I can return home and back to my regular routine. The most challenging part of staying fit is eating healthily when 90% of my job entails, "doing lunch" with clients. Recently, I've switched to sweet potato fries and broiled fish instead of steak and mashed potatoes. Let's see how long that lasts ;-)
Cheers,
Kevin
@Kevin - The lunch thing is killer. I'm a big lunch meeting guy (killing 2 birds is my motto) so that is a big hindrance on how I eat and stay healthy. I'm a sucker for a burger and fries and that needs to change.
Maybe one day I can keep up with ya in the 5k. Have a great new year man.
I'm on the road between 150-175 days a year and for a long time, let that lifestyle own my health and wellbeing. In other words, I'd go 20 hours a day without any down time, let alone workout or self-care (massages, etc). Something clicked circa two years ago and I started making my travel schedule with health in mind. So I do my due diligence about where I'm staying, bring resistance bands, running shoes, a swimsuit, and several workout outfits in my luggage. These don't take up much space and when I arrive at a destination, I take them out and put them in a visible spot as close to the door as possible. I allot 30-45 minutes in the morning--even if I have to wake up at 4 or 5 am-for a walk or run, followed by core exercises. At night, I try to get clients to do something active with me. Usually they are on board. It's nice for them to get out, too. On eating, I plan carefully and travel with a healthy supply of raw almonds, Lara bars, and packets of oatmeal. I get to the end of the line (if there's a buffet lunch) and fill my plate with greens. All these things are sort of obvious but they take practice and intention to maintain. Consistency over a long time is what has helped me lose, not gain weight on the road. When in doubt, check out hotels that offer fitness as part of their "branding proposition." Aloft is very good about this, as are the Kimpton hotels. Also, I try to book a massage or something similar at least once a month. Necks and shoulders get tight from airplane travel. It's worth every penny.
That's great stuff Nicolede. The resistance bands are one of the best kept travel secrets for fitness. With those things you can do countless exercises and increase intensity to burn through a quick workout.
Thanks for the tips on Aloft and Kimpton as well.
In addition to resistance bands, I've also found that doing 50 lunges across my hotel room (often while watching Biggest Loser) is a great motivator and a way to get myself away from my computer for a few minutes. I also do several weight-lifting exercises using my laptop bag (curls, tricep extensions, etc.)
I carry almonds, Emergen-C packets, and green tea bags in my carry-on and try to incorporate tomatoes into as many meals as I can while on the road for extra vitamin A, C, and fiber.
@Elizabeth - that's a great use of the resources around you, I love it.
As for the snacks, that is really smart to bring on the trip. Many people forget that and end up with gas station power bars when they could be getting a quick pick me up that they know is good for them.
@Elizabeth - that's a great use of the resources around you, I love it.
As for the snacks, that is really smart to bring on the trip. Many people forget that and end up with gas station power bars when they could be getting a quick pick me up that they know is good for them.