Workouts while traveling...

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed about a week and a half long silence here and at my Twitter account. Unfortunately, my wireless service was not great AT ALL and was unable to post anything--not that I had time anyway during my action-packed time away, lol! :)

But despite the rather hectic schedule, you all know that I can be a bit OCD when it comes to my workouts. Luckily, I just finished my 12 weeks Hybrid program of Chalene Johnson's TurboFire & ChaLEAN Extreme so I was actually in a recovery week where I was actually supposed to take it easy with no strenuous lifting or cardio. Sure I could have just let my workouts go since I worked super hard these last three months but exercise is my addiction so I had to do a little something everyday! So to show you that getting your workouts in while traveling is NOT impossible, here is a list of what I did:

Saturday, Oct. 2: REST
Sunday, Oct. 3: 3.5 mile jog on a gravel road & then a 3.5 mile leisurely walk on the same road later that day
Monday, Oct. 4: About an hour's worth of Supersets for Upper/Lower Body using my Pink resistance bands
Tuesday, Oct. 5: Used a Free iPod/iPhone app called THI Personal Trainer Lite and did the Bodyweight Circuit. I recommend getting this app since you don't need the wireless connection and you can even make your own Custom workouts. It also has great videos to demonstrate the exercises as well as graphics of what muscles you are workout out.
Wednesday, Oct. 6: Did a similar round of Supersets that I did on Monday.
Thursday, Oct. 7: Did a Customized Workout using the THI Personal Trainer Lite noted in Tuesday's workout
Friday, Oct. 8: Did a shorter round of Supersets with my resistance bands since we had very limited time that morning and had a later night than usual.
Saturday, Oct. 9: Easy jog of about 2.5 miles
Sunday, Oct. 10: Ran a 5K (3.25 miles) at a nearby track (Fyi, it wasn't an official race although I was going more for improved speed!)
Monday, Oct. 11: Was back home by evening and found the energy to do P90x's Chest & Back
Tuesday, Oct. 12: Still recuperating and catching up with my awG business, housework, unpacking, etc. but threw in Insanity's Max Interval Circuit, my highest calorie burning DVD workout, at some point during the day to help with some of the damage done while out of town, lol!

I admit, you do have to psyche yourself up to get up a little earlier to fit these in, but I simply had to stay determined to do at least *something,* and I can say I always felt tons better after completing a workout, even the easier ones as I knew I did something positive for my health. I did also do a lot of walking at the Conference and during our leisure time so I probably worked my legs and burned a few more calories there. The hardest part is keeping the diet in check, but we'll go there another time...

So my advice to anyone who is hoping to get a workout in while traveling but will likely be short on time and possibly no access to a DVD player or equipment, I would recommend these workouts:

*Jogging/running: Assuming you have a safe area to go to, this is pretty easy to do and it burns tons of calories and is GREAT cardio.
*Stair Climbing: If you are in a hotel with a couple flights of stairs, this makes a great workout that builds both endurance and strength. I did this during one of my trips this past summer and managed to burn as many calories as Insanity's Max Intervals.
*Bodyweight exercises: Do several sets of push-ups, crunches, squats, lunges, mountain climbers, tricep chair dips, & jumping jacks. Start out with 10 repetitions of each/1 set and add more sets as you get stronger. Work up to about 15-30 repetitions once three sets get easy.
*Resistance Band exercises: I love my resistance bands! Very light and compact, you can easily throw these in a suitcase and get a pretty good workout. I have pretty much memorized exercises for these since I do many of these with my patients as an Occupational Therapist but if you need some ideas on how to use them you are welcome to email me at adorned_with_grace@yahoo.com or click here for videos on how to use them: Resistance Band Exercises  *You can buy a set from my Beachbody Website; just click on the "Shop" tab and then go to "Equipment & Gear" then the "Bands & Balls" to find them. For the average female, I would recommend the Standard Kit. For the beginner male or advanced female, I'd go with the Super Kit; however, if you are already lifting over 40 pounds, definitely go with the Extreme kit!

The key to doing this effectively is determination and then to workout hard enough that you do break into a decent sweat. I prefer a harder workout that may last only 20 minutes vs. a long, leisurely one for 60 minutes as the afterburn is much better and seems to have a better cardio training effect as well. You have to get in the mindset that exercise isn't something you do just so you can eat more (although it is one of the reasons I do) but a way of life; let it be a habit that you don't even have to think twice about doing on a daily basis--your body will thank you for it!