He who would travel happily must travel light. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Whether I’m traveling for work or fun, I go to great lengths to travel light. I do so not because I’m worried about losing bags, rather, since I often use public transportation or stay in AirBnBs, I like to stay mobile. On a recent trip to Asia, for example, my final route to an apartment on the fifth floor of a building without a lift involved a bus, train, restaurant detour (for some beer and noodles), and a fair amount of walking. While one could have navigated all of this with a bunch of heavy bags, it just wouldn’t have been a whole lot of fun.
Traveling light however doesn’t preclude me from taking along a few items to add some variety to my AM travel workouts:
Jump rope
A jump rope takes up very little space and is a great addition to any workout routine. For example, you can take the scheme I laid out last week and simply swap out core exercises with jumping rope. As your rope jumping skills progress consider incorporating a variety of movements (e.g., side-to-side, boxer shuffle, etc.) to keep things interesting.
My favorite jump rope by the way is the one made by RX Smart Gear. Although not cheap, it will last a long time, can be repaired, and comes with a traveling case that makes it easy to pack.
Resistance Bands
Resistance bands come in two types, with handles and without. The bands without handles are better for travel. Not only are they inexpensive, but they don’t take up much room in a bag.
What can you do with them? You can find plenty of recommendations online or from a personal trainer/physical therapist. I mainly use them for exercises that are likely to prevent injuries. Rotator cuff injuries, for example, can be prevented by strengthening the scapula, precisely the types of exercises easily done with bands.
I’m currently using the closed loop type made by Fit Simplify (currently $11 on Amazon). I take a few I’m likely to use and put them inside my shoes so they don’t take up any extra space.
Tabata HIIT Timer App
A high intensity interval training (HIIT) timer app is great for keeping track of work and rest rounds. Lots of options available, just search for “tabata timer” in Google Play or the Apple Store to find one that will work for you.
Again, you can find lots of ideas for simple routines online – just make sure you start out slow and change exercises up to keep things interesting.
A good time to check out for the week and get a workout in myself. Given that I’ll soon be leaving for travel to Oregon it seems appropriate to add some local music to our Spotify playlist. Here then is Pink Martini with their song “Joli Garçon” off their great album Je Dis Oui. I was reminded of the song by a friend (and reader of this blog) who has created a fantastic system for learning French she calls The Staircase. If morning exercise isn’t your thing but traveling is, consider picking up a few phrases for your next trip to France!
à bientôt…xian
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Having said that, I am interested to hear from you. Good, bad, or otherwise, please feel free to drop me a line at xian@evaero.com. I’m the only person who will read your email and, as time allows, I’ll do my best, at a minimum, to personally acknowledge receipt.