By Matthew Gianforte


Whether you travel for work or pleasure, do you always bring your healthy habits with you or do you leave your healthy habits at home for when you return? Regardless of why you are traveling, traveling is an easy way to overindulge yourself. Overindulging and a lack of exercise can cause you undo some of the hard work you’ve put into leading a healthy lifestyle. Sure, cutting loose and having fun are important on vacation, but do you really want to return home feeling worse than you did when you started your trip? Traveling does not mean you have to overindulge and forget about fitness. You can stay fit while traveling. Just a few changes to your traveling routine and you can stay fit while traveling and still enjoy your time away from home.

1. Pack Your Laptop and a Fitness DVD or Two. Business travelers are likely to travel with a laptop. Vacationers can benefit by bringing their laptops along with them. Pop in a workout DVD first thing in the morning. This will help to get your blood flowing. You will be energized and ready to enjoy your day or conquer the long day of work meetings you may have ahead of you.

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2. Take a Walking Tour of the City You are Visiting. Instead of hopping in a cab or renting a car, try to do as much walking as possible. Avoid public transportation unless it’s storming, you are running late or the destination is simply too far away. Instead of visiting the hotel restaurant for a meal, walk to a neighboring establishment. This will give you a chance to better explore the local cuisine as you stay fit while traveling.

3. Be Sure to Check Out the Hotel Gym. If you have 30 minutes in the morning or evening, head to the hotel gym to stay fit while traveling. Depending on what hotel you are staying at, there may be a very fancy gym or just a few machines in a small room. This is very helpful for those who regularly go to the gym back home. This way it won’t be a struggle to return to the gym when you get home.

4. Skip the Elevators and Take the Stairs to Stay Fit While Traveling. This can sometimes present a challenge if you are traveling with a lot of luggage. A room at the top of a hotel will have a great view and give you plenty of exercise while taking the stairs to your room. This will cause you to burn a lot of calories!

5. Explore Local Fitness Activities. Use your time in a new area to explore local fitness activities to stay fit while traveling. This may include surfing, boogie boarding, hiking, swimming, sailing, rafting or climbing. If you are at the beach, be sure to do more than just soak up the sun! If you are from a small town and visiting a large city, take advantage of fitness classes that may not be offered in your hometown.

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6. Rent a Bike and Explore the City. Biking is a fun way to explore any city, beat the traffic and stay fit while traveling. Many cities — especially those that are tourist hot spots — while have rental stations, where you can rent a bike in one location and drop it off at another location.

7. Be Sure to Get a Good Night’s Sleep. This is one healthy habit you should keep no matter where you are traveling or why you are traveling. Be sure to get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly while traveling to stay refreshed. This will help you to stay focused if you are traveling for business. If you are traveling for fun, a good night’s sleep while allow you to make the most of each and every day in a new city.

8. Don’t Forget to Enjoy Yourself. You are going to regret your trip if you don’t have any fun. Pick a day and indulge yourself. Whether you are craving an ice cream sundae or a margarita, it is okay to splurge some while traveling. Just don’t over do-it. This can lead to lots of time feeling sick instead of enjoying your destination.

9. Relax and Enjoy Your Trip. Never be in such a hurry to take in as many sites and try as much of the local cuisine as possible. Relax (remember, you may be on vacation) and take time to enjoy the food you are eating and the sites you are seeing. Who knows how long it might be until you are able to return to this particular location.

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10. Make Your Trip an Adventure to Stay Fit While Traveling. Never just plan to fit on the beach, eat and drink all week. Take the time to explore the city and stay active. Vacation does not mean you should throw all of your healthy habits out the window. Making your trip an adventure will also give you plenty of stories to tell when you return home.

Regardless of why you are traveling, you still can stay fit while traveling and have the time of your life exploring a new city or destination.