T Nation

Staying Fit While on Extended Travels

#1

I wasn't exactly sure where to put this so I hope this will do. I've been traveling for about 2.5 months now around Europe and will be continuing my trip through Europe and then to Asia through July 2009. Before I left, I was happy with my workout routine and diet. I was able to go to the gym 4+ times a week to work on lifting as well as cardio.

As I'm traveling, I find it difficult to find the places/time/energy to exercise beyond the large amount of walking that I end up doing while touring sights. It is also difficult to eat right when you are traveling through countries that may not have the best fresh produce on top of spending long hours in train stations and on trains where there are limited food options.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as to some things I might be able to do while traveling that would keep me from regaining the pudge that I had left behind.

For the most part I have been staying in people's homes using a sight called (www.couchsurfing.com) so factor in that usually I am sleeping in someone's living room.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers,
Alex

#2

YES! I am hoping to backpack through Europe (or maybe even Latin America?) this summer so I’m in the same boat.

I’m thinking about doing tons of pushups and bodyweight squats. Pullups will be done if possible. Wear your backpack to make these exercises harder.

For food, I wouldn’t worry toooo much if you are walking a lot, unless you have a slow metabolism or are eating bowls of pasta at every meal or something. Try keeping some canned meats (tuna, salmon, sardines, shrimp, anchovies, chicken) with you as a pretty healthy option. I know you’re going to want to taste the local foods, but this is a good way to up the protein that you may be lacking. Try to include some sort of protein with every meal.

#3

I’ve recently bought my fiancee some training bands so she can just workout at home. I’ve tried them myself and they seem OK and they seem to provide a different kind of stimulus. I wouldn’t trade my free weights and machines for them but in your situation, it’s probably a decent substitute (alongside bodyweight exercises such as pushups, pull-ups, burpees etc)

They look something like these:

http://www.tobands.com/