Traveling can be a great opportunity to rest and escape the fast-paced routine of your daily life. For frequent travelers, travel can also be a hobby. However, as with any other pastime, it’s crucial not to overlook your health and well-being as you travel. A study exploring the relationship between business travel and body weight found that business travel frequency shares a curvilinear relationship with body mass index and body composition in adults, regardless of domestic or international travel. This means that the more frequently you travel, the higher your BMI and body fat percentage are.
At the same time, researchers note that the higher body mass index and body fat percentage also point to a higher risk of developing chronic disease. In fact, the health risk increases the longer the travel duration is — exceeding 20 days monthly. So, as fun and pleasant as travel is, the science states that you’re also exposing your body to more risk of getting ill.
An excellent way to counter or prevent this unwanted consequence is to pay attention to your fitness as a frequent traveler. Below, we’ll be sharing some tips to help you stay fit no matter how much you travel:
Finding Local Communities
A great way to stay fit in new and unfamiliar places is to seek local fitness or wellness groups and communities. Depending on your location, this can range from group workouts in local gyms to tai chi in parks. Either way, they’re a great way to meet locals, discover new workouts and exercises, and visit new destinations less crowded by fellow tourists.
A simple Google search for the term “weight loss near me” can lead you to local fitness workshops for both in-person group meetings and virtual Zoom sessions. These are good if you can’t find any local fitness communities in your vicinity or can’t stray too far from your WiFi and hotel room for work. Depending on your preference, you’ll be able to meet new people and get expert coaching. If weight loss is a goal, you’ll also benefit from valuable insights on nutrition and lifestyle changes.
Sticking to Healthy Eats
Of course, another way to ensure you stay fit is to eat healthy while traveling. This doesn’t mean you have to restrict your culinary outings — more a reminder to be conscious of your meal, restaurant, and snacking choices. For example, our post on the best snacks for flights includes some healthy options such as protein bars and toasted coconut chips.
As long as you do your research and come prepared, you can stay healthy while traveling without missing out on local specialties and delicacies. You can even cook or prepare your food depending on your travel arrangements. This is a great way to save money and stick to healthier ingredients and meals, rather than opting for the easy fast-food takeout near your accommodation.
Planning Physical Activities
Lastly, you can also slip in some exercise and physical activity into your travel itinerary. For example, if looking at parks to visit in New Zealand, maybe you can inquire if they are bike-friendly or have rentals. That way, you can combine your tourist activities, such as sightseeing and picture-taking, with a fitness boost.
Of course, you don’t have to make each travel experience a conscious workout. Insights from CNN on walking and hiking for fitness highlight that walking remains the most popular aerobic physical activity today, with 111 million people doing it as part of their fitness goals. Alternatively, if you’re headed somewhere surrounded by nature and challenging terrain, it may be a great opportunity for hiking — a heart-healthy way to burn calories while enjoying beautiful landscapes.
Ultimately, while traveling can impact your body weight and image, there are also many ways you can prevent this. Staying physically active, seeking out fitness options at your destination, and making conscious food choices while out and about can be instrumental in keeping you fit and healthy.
