Life has been a whirlwind of suitcases, entertaining, travel & extra work hours lately. I can absolutely attest that staying on track with your fitness and nutrition goals in the midst of an inconsistent schedule is the difference between thriving and just surviving while on the road.

I’ve been a little AWOL online lately for this reason. Trips to Florida, Whistler & Texas, along with facilitating at a week long National Sales Conference. I have gained a few tips & tricks along the way, which can help with motivation, following through on good intentions and staying on track while on the road, traveling, or just during a hectic, busy week. I wrote this post all at once initially, and then realized how much info I had to share, and if it’s really resonating with a busy audience, breaking it up into 3 bite size posts, made the most sense! Stay tuned through the week!

How to be a Healthy Road Warrior: Staying Fit

If we remove the destructive connotation, a warrior is one who is “engaged in activity”. When you’re on the road, or facing a busy week, you are constantly in motion. Planning time for a workout may seem like a drain on your reserves, but being effective with the time you allocate to working out, allows you to gain the benefits of better circulation, stress relief, deeper sleeps, and improved body composition. Better body confidence ultimately helps build overall confidence. You are exposed to so many new situations and opportunities while on the road, It’s imperative to have the energy & to take it all on.

Minimalist Workouts:

Prepping for the Lululemon Seawheeze 1/2 Marathon while on the road!

I have a full Pinterest page started with “Hotel/No Gym Workouts”. These all center around minimal equipment or space, using body weight for resistance and includes some cardio options. I’m adding to it all the time, so if this interests you, check back often, or follow the board (if you’re on Pinterest). Aside from checking if there is free wifi, one of my main criteria when choosing a hotel is the gym. Having the option makes it that much easier to plan for, and many gyms have early & late hours of operation, allowing you to fit in even a 20 minute circuit after the day is done. The only bad workout is the one you didn’t do.

Another efficient & effective fitness tip for on the road is to use intervals to your advantage, in particular a practice called “tabata’s”. Tabata’s stems from a Japanese exercise scientist Izumi Tabata, and involves high intensity, short duration, bursts of activity which are shown to increase both aerobic and anaerobic capacity. In essence take just about any activity, and perform 20 seconds at your peak exertion (or 80% and above effort level-depends on your cardio fitness going into this…) followed by 10 seconds rest. Complete this 8 X over, and after only 4 minutes, you’ll understand why this is so effective. I like to use a sprint Tabata on both the treadmill and the bike, with core work in between, and a 5 minute warm up of your choice.

Coming later this week: Dining Out (Part 2/3) & Eat Clean: Snacks and Meals on-the-go (Part 3/3). Stay fit, stay tuned, and see you online again soon…