This Week’s Quickie: A Summer Travel Workout

This Week’s Quickie: A Summer Travel Workout
(Shutterstock*)
7/18/2014
Updated:
7/22/2014

It’s officially Summer! To celebrate my favorite season, I’ve been spending a lot of time paddle boarding in the marina, reading on the beach, making epic protein shakes, wearing my Free People cut-offs, and attending outdoor concerts and movies in the LA area. Summer is off to a pretty fab start. - 

Living in Santa Monica, it can seem like Summer is endless, since the weather is pretty much amazing here year round. But the one thing that ties us all together this season (regardless of the weather) is Summer travel. No doubt you’ve got a lot of trips planned, or maybe just one big trip that you’re (im)patiently looking forward to. Alas, no matter how much we pine for our getaways, it seems that the impending break from our regularly schedules gym sessions can bring a sense of anxiety and apprehension. What will I eat? Where will I work out? Will I lose all my gains? Will I gain all the fat?

Well, no. Not necessarily. I travel quite often and I’ve found that as long as you have some simple strategies in place, you'll be able to enjoy your vacation while still acting in accordance with your fitness intentions. Your strategies are going to vary and will pertain to your specific preferences and intentions. But, as a point of reference, these are my travel strategies:

  • I do a travel workout every single day. Whether it’s a long morning walk, yoga on the beach or in a park, a metabolic resistance session at the hotel gym, or incline sprints on the treadmill–I always find a way to be active, even if it’s just for 10-15 minutes.
  • I try to do adventurous, outdoor activities if possible, like hiking, paddle boarding, rafting, biking, climbing, and so on.
  • I pack a lot of snacks that fit my nutritional needs, like protein bars and beef jerky–and I always bring my greens supplement. This allows me to leave only my dinner to the fate of the restaurant gods. While at dinner I choose a hefty portion of protein and vegetables.
  • I allow myself some indulgences, but in moderation. For me, this is usually wine, as I'd rather drink vino than eat dessert or any kind of junk food.

It’s pretty simple, and works really well for me. And in truth, I’ve actually come to sincerely enjoy hotel gyms and travel workouts. Every time I walk into a hotel gym it’s a new experience, an adventure into the unknown. I never know what they’re going to have, so often I have to make up my workouts on the spot.

Today’s quickie, however, is one that you can do in 99% of hotel gyms–a very simple travel workout for your summer adventures. All you need for this quickie is ONE DUMBBELL! I’ve been to hotel gyms all over the world, and while every once in awhile I get lucky and find kettlebells, I have yet to find any without at least one dumbbell. Once, while in Germany, I encountered a gym with very light dumbbells (roughly 15 pounds max); should that happen to you, you may need to use a pair, or even double up two dumbbells in one hand.

This travel quickie is fun, simple, and a total sweat sesh–with just 2 exercises. You can use it as a full workout or as a post-workout finisher. I actually did this in Las Vegas earlier this year after doing two other quickie circuits, and I was pretty smoked. Remember, you can adjust the work/rest ratios and sets in order to make the workout fit into your timeframe and skill level, or you can even add an additional dumbbell exercise or two if you’re looking for more movements. For vacation purposes-since you'll want to spend most of your time exploring/relaxing/enjoying vacation-I suggest setting a timer for 10-15 minutes and getting as much done as possible in that timeframe.

Remember, quality is always the first priority, so movement needs to be safe in order to be effective. Don’t forget to document your sweat sessions and tag me on Instagram. Be sure to use the hashtag #kbquickie so that I don’t miss it.

For this Travel Quickie you‘ll need just one dumbbell.  We’ll be doing 2 exercises:

  • Goblet Reverse Lunges x 5 R/L
  • One Arm Overhead Press x 5 R/L

If you want to make the quickie more challenging, you can do a ladder format:

  • Goblet Reverse Lunges x 10/9/8/7/6/5 R/L
  • One Arm Overhead Press x 10/9/8/7/6/5 R/L

This will take a bit longer to do, but if you’re up for it, it'll provide a more complete sweat sesh than a 5 minute quickie.

Lift, Travel & be Happy!

*Neghar Fonooni, fitness & lifestyle coach, entrepreneur *Founder: Eat, Lift, & be Happy negharfonooni.com

*Image of “runner“ via Shutterstock

 

 

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