You’ve spent time refining your fitness regime and building new habits that put your wellness first at home. A part of your wellness routine is travelling. Discovering new cultures and exploring new cities is something that you want to make a part of your lifestyle. A big thought keeps finding its way to the forefront of your mind: How can I stay healthy while I’m travelling?
It’s not uncommon to see a lot of people stop or put their regular exercise routines on hold while they travel. I know that when I first started training and travelling regularly that this was a stress point for me. It was stressful because I believed that I would lose the progress that I had made and would need to start over again. Over the years, I have realised that this isn’t the case. Could you lose some muscle? Not at all. Could you lose some strength? Yes and no but it depends on what you do while you are travelling.
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Travelling and Health
Between changing time zones, getting over the jet lag and adapting to different cuisines, it can feel hard to stay healthy. Luckily, it is not impossible. Your health is your number one priority. The same way that you make it a priority at home, you need to make it a priority abroad. However, it can look different to what you do at home. For example if you lift heavy weights regularly, you may opt to focus on walking, doing a simple hotel workout or cycling.
On the days that I travel, I try to get an early workout in. For very early morning flights, I schedule a quick workout in when I land. If my travel date falls on a gym day in the afternoon, a workout is done before I go to the airport. I put in effort to do something especially if it is a long haul international flight. If my travel date falls on a rest day, walking is the priority. Airports may not be the best places to find healthy foods. However, there are huge and you can walk around them in circles to get your steps in. I try my best to get as many steps as possible before I board my flight. For this I recommend wearing comfortable footwear such as trainers when you are travelling.
Stay Healthy, Stay Hydrated
Believe it or not, we all need water. A lot of people struggle with drinking water consistently and you may be one of them. Either you don’t drink it at all or you don’t drink enough of it. Buying a reusable litre bottle that I could carry around with me encouraged me to drink more. I carry it in my bag when I’m travelling. This way I can avoid wasting money on plastic bottles and do my part when it comes to the environment. In addition, a lot of airports have refillable water bottle stations scattered around near the bathrooms.
Moreover, I always ask for water whenever I’m on the plane. I don’t usually drink anything else especially as some of the snacks can be salty. Our bodies experience extreme pressurisation whenever we fly and when we land that pressure is gone. That is one of the reasons why you may feel bloated and fatigued after a flight. You may find that you don’t want to annoy other passengers by constantly relieving yourself, but it is better to keep yourself as hydrated as possible.
Furthermore, most accommodations whether it is a hotel or Air BnB will provide you with bottled water throughout your visit. I recommend aiming to drink 500ml to a litre more of water each day than what you do at home when you are abroad.
Prioritise Sleep
If you are one of the lucky people that can sleep throughout a long haul flight, I am jealous. I can only sleep on flights that are less than 3 hours from take off to landing. Unfortunately, it is a struggle for me to sleep on international flights. Then when you throw in little to no leg room, a passenger that loves to recline their chair all the way back and a somewhat uncomfortable seat, it makes the task more difficult. Despite that, I try my best to get a few hours of sleep. I know that a lot of people love to use neck pillows to help them fall asleep but I like to use a foot swing. A foot swing elongates my legs and for some reason, that makes me feel like I’m in a sleeping position.
In addition, I try to prioritise sleeping to stay healthy while I’m on holiday dependent on the type of trip. Coming back home after a holiday to need another holiday to reset doesn’t always work out well, especially if you are working a 9-5.
Stay Healthy, Keep Walking
If you really want to stay healthy while travelling, just walk everywhere. I feel that walking is such an underrated tool when it comes to our health. When I went to Rome about 10 years ago, I was getting around 30,000 to 35,000 steps a day. That was by visiting all the landmarks and historical sites on my list. Some places weren’t created to be walkable cities but the majority of places are. This is one of my favourite ways to experience things. Another way is cycling which I try to do on every trip that I go to.
Daily Workouts While You Travel
Lastly, daily workouts will definitely help you stay healthy when you are holiday. I’m a huge believer that any movement is good movement. Whether it is a gym at the hotel, down the street or a hotel room workout, something is always better than nothing. Personally if I am going away for 2-4 days, I prefer to keep up with my exercise routine. I may cut back on the powerlifting aspect of the workout and focus on the accessories. If it is an extended holiday, I may alternate between a gym workout and outdoor workout such as swimming.
As I have gotten older, I’ve realised that I love my routines. When I don’t train for extended periods of time, it feels weird and I notice that the other things such as nutrition can easily take a back seat. My gym wear and my deadlift shoes are always packed in my suitcase.
What are some of your go-to tips to stay healthy while you are travelling? I’ve noticed that people are starting to plan their 2026 holidays so it was time to talk about health and travel. Make sure to hit that subscribe button to join the community and never miss out on a post. Find me on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok for more powerlifting and wellness content.
Until next time,
Folakemi
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