Travel workouts are my jam!

Little known fact about me: while practicing law, I studied for and got both my AFAA personal training certification and my AFAA group fitness instructor certification, because, well, I’m obsessed with fitness! I’ve been struggling with how to create a great plan for my training on the road and I think I stumbled upon a good mix of running, CrossFit travel WODs, and singular exercises for specific muscle groups that I do a few times a week.

I wanted to share with you guys some of my absolutely favorite exercises to do while traveling – these can be done anywhere! Whether you’re in a hotel with a fully-stocked gym, or an airBNB, or an RV, or even a tent – all you’ll need is a little bit of space and the desire to stay fit on the road.

1. Squats

Squats are the mother of all exercises. Right now, a toned booty and strong legs are super “in” but even if they weren’t, squats are killer for your lower half! For runners especially, doing squats regularly can help you stay injury free, by making sure your butt and your legs stay as strong as ever! I do squats almost every single day – they are also a core exercise in CrossFit. But you don’t need the weights – all you need is some good form (see how to do a perfect squat on Greatist, here) and a tiny bit of space! To make them harder, you can always use your suitcase or backpack as weight to keep yourself challenged.

2. Push-ups

Push-ups are another favorite exercise of mine – in a very close second to squats! Push-ups work your entire body and they are great for strengthening your core, too, which many people don’t think of when they think of push-ups. Not only that, they’re fun! Just like squats, all you need is a tiny bit of space and a desire to get your form just right and you’ll be on your way to a stronger body! You can also add some variety into your push-ups by doing incline or decline push-ups off a bed or chair, or even doing something like walking push-ups.

3. Burpees

Burpees are another CrossFit staple and although I hate them, I love them! Burpees work everything – and boy, can you feel it! After just a few burpees, your heart is pounding, your legs are exhausted and your arms feel like jelly. I do burpees almost as often as I do squats, because despite how much they suck, I know how good for me they are. Check out this easy demo for how to do a burpee.

4. V-ups

V-ups are another great, total-body exercise. If you’re sensing a theme, it’s because I believe in getting a great bang for your fitness buck (that’s part of why I love CrossFit so much) and for bodyweight exercises, it’s easy to do seriously functional movements. V-ups work your core, while also making you feel the hell out of your legs. They aren’t hard to learn to do, but they are pretty hard to master!

5. Running and/or Running Drills

Yep, couldn’t get through this list without mentioning running. In an ideal world, you’d have the ability to get out of your airBNB or hotel and hit the open road. However, that’s not always possible. Instead, you can always do indoor running drills like suicides, high knees or butt kicks. These drills won’t replace a longer, more dedicated cardio session, but they will help you stay limber and get your heart pumping.

Sample Workout

For me, a sample workout on the road looks like the following:

3-4 mile run at easy, conversational pace of 8:45-8:50/mile

10 minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds & Reps As Possible – a CrossFit term) of:
10 squats
10 pushups
10 V-ups
15 burpees

Another 10 minutes of stretching and I’m good to go!

What are some of your favorite travel workouts? Let me know in the comments below!

Hiking is an activity you can do almost anywhere, and it’s a perfect way to experience a new place.

I had never been on a true hike before this year. I knew people in Florida that trained all year to go on strenuous hikes, but I didn’t see the appeal of it.

That is until I got to Phoenix and went on my first true hike up Camelback Mountain. It was incredibly difficult, but I had a fantastic experience and couldn’t wait to find a hike to do in the next city. In San Diego, I hiked up Cowles Mountain with a bestie. Then in Salt Lake City, I took my sweet puppy on a hike at Millcreek Canyon.

I’ve loved this activity I just discovered and for anyone that hasn’t done it before, I highly recommend it! Below are a few reasons why I love hiking and think everyone should do it while traveling.

1. It’s hard.

Sometimes, an activity that challenges you is perfect while you’re traveling. Sure, it’s nice to see the sites and take photos, but what about when you want to give yourself a new project to tackle? Hiking is perfect: in most places with mountains, you can choose what type of hike you want to undertake and how much you want to work.

2. It’s quiet.

I’m a city girl, so I’ve mostly geared by travels towards big cities so far. I do enjoy eating at fancy restaurants and experiencing the nightlife, but there’s just something so magical about being on a mountain, alone with nature. You can’t hear any sound except the leaves beneath your own feet and the rustle of the trees.

3. It’s minimalist.

It’s possible to purchase expensive, cutting-edge gear for hiking (and for some challenging hikes, you may need to). That said, for most baby hikes, you’ll only need a good pair of sneakers and a water bottle. As a full-time traveler with very few possessions, I appreciate the minimalist nature of this activity.

4. It’s physical.

Hello, fitness. I’m a runner and a CrossFitter, most of the time, so the idea of walking through a forest or up a mountain didn’t appeal to me. I was wrong to be such a snob about it, though, as difficult hikes work muscles that don’t get a lot of use from sitting at a desk all day! The physicalness of the activity also releases endorphins and makes you happy!

5. It’s far away.

Away from the people, away from the stress, and away from real life. It’s physically far away, of course, but it also puts you in a new place mentally.

6. It’s social (if you want it to be).

Although I enjoyed my hike alone with my puppy, the hikes I went on in Arizona and California were even better because I got to spend quality time getting to know people. There’s nothing to do while walking up a mountain other than talk about life and build on your relationship.

7. It’s beautiful.

The views. I was one of those assholes that didn’t understand what was so critical about having a nice view, but getting to the peak of a mountain after a really tough hike up quickly knocked me down from my haughty high horse. Sure, you can go to a fancy hotel and get a view overlooking a beautiful city or town, but there’s nothing like knowing you worked hard to get to seeing that beautiful view

8. It’s freeing.

Away from civilization, removed from anything other than nature – how could that not be the best, most freeing feeling in the world?

Working out while traveling can be a dreadful proposition. We often think of travel as fun and light and a “break” from your real life, and can sometimes see that as an excuse to get lazy!

Well, that’s not necessarily true if your “real” life is about to involve full-time travel! A few days ago, I mentioned I was going to start trying to do “Diary” posts every once in a while where I discuss my workout for the day, and maybe a few other facts. Well, I haven’t left Orlando yet, but I’m realizing I’m going to love working out on the road! I was dreading it for a time, and wondering how I would keep up with it, but now, I’m stoked. Wanna know why? PLAYGROUNDS!

Here, a note: I haven’t really spent any significant amount of time on a playground since I was a kid. And even then, I was more of a “reader” and less of a “recess-er.” But the other day, I saw this ridiculous meme going around the internet of a girl doing burpees over a swing, and then another girl attempting the same feat, and failing. If you haven’t seen it, take a second to check it out, here.

Being the incredibly stereotypical millennial and #CrossFitBro I am, I had to meme. So, I went to a playground with a friend and tried it. Here are the results: Anjali’s Swing Burpees.

I was nervous, but thank god I didn’t faceplant! And I realized, I’m going to LOVE playgrounds as a tool for exercise!

So, that being said, here was my workout for the day:

4 miles at my easy pace (As mentioned before, I’m following Hanson’s Marathon Method!) of 9/mile

Followed by my WOD Genius wod:

 

I’ll admit, I had never really thought a playground could be just as fun and effective as a gym, but with the right tools (like my awesome WOD Genius app) and the right mindset, it can be a great way to stay fit on the road. This, I think, will be the beginning of my love affair with working out while traveling!

 

I have a confession to make: marathon training sucks and I hate it.

And it sucks extra hard when trying to do it out of a backpack.

Although I haven’t left to start my journey of full-time travel yet, I have sold all of my things, because I’m leaving in a few short weeks. What that means is I’m living out of my backpack and an air mattress in my apartment. Since I’m trying to keep everything organized, I packed my backpack the way I plan to have it on the road and have been living and working out of it for several days.

So, marathon training is already pretty awful. Sure, I love running, but those long days of hitting the road alone, constantly being tired and eating everything in site can get old quick. That said, it sucks extra hard when you are constantly having to keep everything packed up, worrying about your shoes stinking up your backpack, and wondering what the hell to do with your sweaty clothes.

I’m hoping marathon training doesn’t continue to suck and that I find a way to get used to it on the road. That said, once I get moving, I plan to do “Diary” posts as often as possible (and you’ll see them in the “Diary” category, accessible from the toolbar, above) where I give you a rundown of my workout that day, as well as a few other constants, like maybe what I ate, how much time I spent working, etc. I haven’t decided on all of the categories yet, but I do know I want people to see what day-to-day life is really like on the road, and the best way to do it is to write about it!

So, without further ado, here was my workout today (June 23, 2016):

3 miles at my easy pace (I’m following Hanson’s Marathon Method!) of 9/mile

5 sets of 5 squats from 15 pounds up to 50 pounds

My WOD Genius wod:

A 20 Minute AMRAP (As Many Rounds and Reps As Possible) of: shuttle springs, 9 overhead walking lunges and 9 1-legged single unders

I was exhausted. I am exhausted. Tomorrow, I may do another run and short WOD or I may just run and take a CrossFit rest day.

I also ate a bunch of garbage all day (because I’m stress eating!) which needs to stop.

If you guys have any great tips for marathon training motivation, please let me know in the comments below! And I hope you’ll follow along through my travel diary!

I’m a runner.

I don’t mean that I run fast, or that I run far, or that I run every day.I mean that when my legs or my heart or my soul desires it, I lace up my shoes and get outside.

I have, thus far, run primarily to fuel my soul. Living a life in which I’ve never been sure what I want, or what will fit me, or what will work out, running has been a constant and endless source of love.

Traveling the world, I hope, won’t change this important fact about me.

Although all I really need to run are my legs, I am training for a couple of big races coming up for me in the fall and next winter. Check out my video below to hear more about them, and as always, if anyone has any wisdom for me, please send me a #litmolesson!