More and more of us now work behind our laptop, moving around for work or pleasure, without one single full-time base. This makes maintaining routine hard, particularly an exercise routine. Unlike COVID, when we learnt how to exercise indoors, we now need to learn how to maintain our exercise routine on the move! Here’s how I figured it out.
1. COMMIT TO CREATING AN EXERCISE ROUTINE
I mean really commit. Exercising on the move is simply just harder, and so your commitment needs to be higher. When somewhere for a short period of time, it’s easy to think, “oh, I can exercise when somewhere else, I need to make the most of Rome’s gelato and historic sites.” [insert any location and activity relevant to you] But, what if you are moving to another location for a short time after that? And again? And again?
So, what does commitment look like? First, hone in on your why: why are you creating this exercise routine on the move? Perhaps to maintain physical or mental health, to achieve a certain goal, or simply to feel stronger.
Then, commit your time. Put it into your calendar, set a reminder, do what you need to do to set that time for your exercise. You can change the time of day, but not the amount of time that day.
2. CHOOSE YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE FOCUS
The key to a routine is to decide what you want to focus on – whether that be flexibility, cardio, strength, technique… Pick two so you don’t get bored. For example, mine are currently increasing upper-body strength and maintaining my cardio.
Figure out how to achieve those focuses, i.e. what activities can get you there, and make it fun! Try to pick activities that can be location-independent and without equipment. For instance, yoga for flexibility, running for cardio, press-ups for strength. Some fun ones are hand-stand programs, dance classes, and cardio challenges. Have two to three activities for each focus, and plan these into your exercise routine. Some may require equipment (eg. Bouldering for upper body strength), that’s okay.
Again, get it into your calendar. Be flexible with the activity, don’t be flexible with the time committed to exercising. No matter where you’re on the move to!
3. USE TECHNOLOGY
So many amazing workout apps and programs are at your fingertips. You can schedule a Nike Training Club core workout every Monday, or an iFit progressive workout every Wednesday. You can also use classpass or equivalent to find a yoga or spinning class, a bouldering wall or gym, near you. Wherever you are, its highly likely there is an exercise app (well, in most places).
Don’t underestimate the amount you can do without equipment or a team of people. Be creative!
Some apps or classes will cost money. I encourage you to figure out which one works best for your focus, and pay – because so often we do better with skin in the game. And what was step 1? Commitment.
The hardest to find are team sports, so I don’t recommend planning those in. But remember what I said about being flexible about the activity? Maybe you see a football match on MeetUp, or a friend invites you to play tennis (you can rent or borrow a racket). That can replace your run or yoga class for the day.
4. PRIORITIZE YOUR EXERCISE ROUTINE, JUST LIKE YOU PRIORITIZE YOUR BED
When you pick a location to stay in – whether it be an AirBnb, a hostel, or other – pick somewhere which suits your exercise plan. Not having space for a core workout is one of the most demotivating things.
Wherever you go, you figure out which bed (or couch) you will sleep on. Well, now, add your exercise routine to that: figure out which location you will exercise in too.
These simple four steps will get you where you want to be. You’ll be maintaining your exercise routine on the move (and feeling great about it), in no time. So, without further ado, commit to that exercise routine – and let me know how it goes!
For travel adventures and more stories on the move, see my blog.