Training on the go

One of the most difficult things to do while traveling is to keep up with your workouts. When I used to travel for work a lot I would usually just rule out those days and call it a recovery week. Sometimes I would hit the pool in the morning or do some pushups in my room, but usually by the end of the trip I had given up. Many hotels have workout rooms, but they are usually very small with little equipment. When I would get back from those trips it would usually take me a couple of weeks to get back into the gym again.

Now that I'm doing mostly at-home workout programs it actually gets a little easier. If I am traveling by myself it's easy enough to bring a DVD, laptop, and a couple of resistance bands with me. Then I can stay with my usual program with a few modifications. If my family is with me I usually won't be able to get enough space or time to work out. But I can still try to incorporate activities into our day that are active. If you're at a hotel, you can usually take a few laps in the pool or take a walk outside.

On weekend trips, which we seem to take a lot of, I try to adjust my workout schedule so that the most difficult day to work out will be my off-day. An example would be this weekend. We are heading out of town for my son's birthday party. We leave on Friday after work. I do my Friday workout in the morning, move my Saturday workout to Sunday, and take Saturday as my day off (which is usually Sunday). I will need to plan to be back soon enough on Sunday that I can get a workout in at night, but that way I still get all of my workouts in for the week. Then Monday picks up right where it normally would.

I have also condensed two workouts into the same day by doing one in the morning and one in the evening, but I try not to do that unless it is necessary.

What it really comes down to is what works for you and what your motivations are. I'm motivated by keeping my weight down and improving my race times. If I tell myself that not skipping workouts gets me there then I am more likely to find a way to get it done.