Travel Workouts Week 10/11- My Travel Fitness Must Haves

Staying on track with my workouts during this adventure has been easier then I expected. Most mornings I get up early, and get a quick and dirty workout in before starting my day.

This process is a lot easier thanks to a couple essential fitness items that I packed with me. So without further ado, here are my travel fitness must haves.

My brightly coloured ladies!

My brightly coloured ladies!

Two Pairs of Runners: I’ll be honest, I remember feeling a little high maintenance when I put these two pairs of shoes inside my backpack. Would I really need two pairs of runners to work out in?

The answer…yes.

Having already committed to a couple Half Marathons when I return, I knew I would have to log some serious miles here in Costa Rica in order to keep up my endurance. Running shoes are extremely important for long distance runners, and before leaving I had just broken in these saucy hot pink Asics. I knew if I was going to be running long distances, these babies were coming with me.

I also knew that I wouldn’t solely be relying on running for my fitness adventures. I knew I would be doing a lot of cross training in my room. My asics just weren’t flexible enough for all the jumping, burpeeing and all around flailing that I planned on doing. It’s also important to save your “running” shoes for running only, as they tend to wear our fast. So I brought along my Vibrams. These shoes are super compact, and are great for my hotel room workouts. I’ve also worn them on a whole bunch of hikes, and on the plane!

Call me high maintenance if you wish, but having two pairs of runners has been a huge help to my travel fitness regime.

SO glad I packed these!

SO glad I packed these!

Workout Bands: I wasn’t sure how much I would use workout bands, as I rarely use them at home. Well my friends, let me tell you, these things are pretty much a part of EVERY workout I do. You can do it all with these babies; Bicep Curls, Tricep Extensions, Rows, Chest Press, Abs Crunches, and the list goes on!  Whenever we check into a new hostel I’m instantly on the look out for what things I can wrap my bands around! I was totally expecting to lose a lot of definition in my arms during this trip, but thanks to these bands, I’ve managed to keep up a pretty decent strength training routine.

My little bean makes me smile whenever I look at my phone

My little bean makes me smile whenever I look at my phone

iPhone: Although this magical piece of technology is good for blasting music and podcasts while you are working out, I have found so many amazing apps that have become essential for my routines. I am not going to go into to much detail because I think I’m going to do a whole post about them at a later date.But whether its tracking my steps and runs or timing my Tabata or Intervals, my iPhone always has role in my workouts.

And yes, my iphone cover photo makes makes me smile every single time I see it!

Lots of sweat on these pages!

Lots of sweat on these pages!

Workout Journal: Before I left I took an old journal from home and recorded a whole bunch of workout routines in it. Little did I know that this thing would become my workout bible.

Before each workout I take a glance through the ever growing list of workouts. I either choose an exisiting one, or create something new. I then use the book to keep track of my reps and sets as I go.

Not only does this book keep me organized, but it is a constant motivator to keep my workouts interesting and creative. No workouts plateaus here!

So there ya go!

You certainly don’t need much to workout effectively while travelling, but these couple items have definitely made my life easier!

What do you bring to help you workout while travelling?

Pura Vida!

Kate

Follow me on Twitter:@caketress

Staying Active While Travelling

Those who know me, know that I am a glorified gym rat. Jumping on a treadmill and sweating like a mad women is something that has always kept me sane.

The entire month prior to leaving, I have been working at creating flexibility in my workout regime. I’ve been focusing on shorter more intense workouts that can be done quickly and with limited resources. Here are a couple tips I’ve come up with to help with those who want to stay fit, while on the move.

Be creative with your environment

At the beach? perfect, sand provides great resistance when running. In the forest? awesome, tons of logs to lift up, jump on, or hop over. In a park? fabulous, benches are great for dips, step ups and push ups. You don’t need a gym full of equipment to get an effective workout, just use what you have around you! Added bonus, it’s usually way more fun!

Look for active adventures

IMG_5098

You have all heard that I want to see every volcano there is, well undoubtedly that will involve hiking! Learning to surf? That is bound to burn a calorie or two!

Walking, Walking and more Walking

Part of the bonus of being a budget trapped traveller like myself, is that walking will become my primary mode of transportation. I’m so looking forward to being able to go on daily adventures to explore my surroundings. Certainly beats the normal routine of working in front of a computer all day!

Get it done early, and get it done dirty

Costa Rica can get HOT, so, if you are trying to get a workout in mid day, you’re going to run out of gas pretty quick. Shaun and I have always been early risers, and this will certainly work to our advantage while travelling. Getting up early, and getting my workout done will be my plan of attack. As for the dirty part, I mean intense. Who wants to spend all their time working out when there are adventures to be had! The workouts I have planned will be short sweet and intense, so I have more time to play!

So with that, I thought I would share with you a couple of my favourite down and dirty workouts that I will be rocking while in Costa Rica. You can bet there will be plenty more of these to come!Centurion

The Centurion is a great challenge. 1000 total reps of various exercises. You can break them down into small sets and decide what order you complete them in. I usually find that working opposite muscle groups works well, so you have a chance for a quick rest before starting up again. However you do it, you’ll feel a huge sense of accomplishment when its done. Quick tip: keep a piece of paper or your phone handy to keep track of your progress

daisies-green-backgroundStrength training can be challenging when you don’t have weights available to you. I have decided to bring a set of resistance bands with me. These are small compact and are extremely versatile. The arms section of this workout uses the bands for resistance. If you didn’t have bands, you could easily use whatever you had around you: water bottles, soup cans, be creative! Check out this amazing workout from The Healthy Maven using only resistance bands!

Dear HIIT, How do I love thee, let me count the ways….HIIT

Nothing gets me more sweaty, then a HIIT workout. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval TrainingSometimes referred to as “Tabata,” it is a great way to get maximum calorie burn in a very short period of time. Timing the workouts can be tricky, as you have to preform 20 seconds of an exercise at maximum exertion then a 10 second rest for 4 minutes straight. I would suggest downloading a HIIT app to do the counting for you. I use Tabata Timer, and it is fabulous

How do you stay active while on vacation? Any other tips and tricks you want to share?

Pura Vida!

Kate

(Just a quick note: I’m not a trained fitness professional, just a lover of all thing fit. Remember to ask your Doctor before trying out anything new!)