How to Stay on Track When Traveling (Part 3: Workouts)
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Staying on track with workouts during travel can be both simple and enjoyable with the right planning and tools.
Welcome to the final episode of our three-part series on navigating wellness while travelling. We all understand the struggle of keeping up with workouts during travel, and after focusing on nutrition in the first two parts, we're now diving into maintaining your workout routine on the go.
This episode of the “Embrace Your Real” podcast aims to provide practical insights on staying dedicated to your fitness goals while travelling. Whether you're staying in a hotel, Airbnb, or with relatives, these tips will guide you in maintaining your workout routine seamlessly. Tune in to be equipped with valuable tips and a fresh perspective on incorporating workouts into your travel plans.
What I discuss:
Find a gym.
Bring workout bands.
Use the Movement with Julie app.
Honor your body with ANY movement.
Workout first thing in the morning.
A couple workouts is better than no workouts.
If you loved this episode, be sure to check out…
Episode 385 - How to Stay on Track When Traveling (Part 1: Nutrition)
Episode 387 - How to Stay on Track When Traveling (Part 2: Nutrition)
My Go-to Resistance bands for traveling: https://urlgeni.us/amzn/triberesistancebands
My booty pump bands: https://ledbetter.co/
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
Get my eBook: FREE Macro Counting Ebook
Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. A podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I issue a dose of real talk and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned if you're ready to embrace your real. Let's get it, let's go. [00:00:21][20.6]
[00:00:27] Hello and welcome back to our last episode in this three part series on how to stay on track while traveling. So the last two parts were specifically on staying on track with your nutrition. So both either during your car ride or your plane ride, and then once you reach your destination, kind of once you're on vacation and what to do from there. And then in this episode, I want to dive in as to how to stay on track while traveling with your workouts. [00:00:52][25.6]
[00:00:53] Now, this is one of the biggest things that many people struggle with when traveling, and rightly so. I get it. It can feel overwhelming. You're, you know, thrown into a new place. You don't have all of the equipment that maybe you're used to or the workout space. And so, you know, you're you're kind of just thrown for a loop and you don't know what to do or you don't know how to stay on track. And so if that is you, I truly believe that with the right planning and having the right tools in place to help you remove the barriers in your way, working out when traveling can actually be very simple. And not only that, it can actually be enjoyable. And so that's why in today's episode, I'm going to be sharing six tips with you as to how to stay on track during your next trip, whether that, again, is leisure or work trip. [00:01:37][43.6]
[00:01:37] Maybe you're traveling back to see your family for the holidays. So be sure to bookmark this so the next time you are traveling, you have this three part series. And then I will also link the other two parts in the shownotes so that if you haven't tuned in to those or if you haven't bookmark them so that you can easily have them accessible, you can do so after today's episode. Okay. [00:01:56][18.7]
[00:01:56] Before we dive in, though, I wanted to share this review. It comes from Fuel My body. She gave a five star review and said, packed with great info. Julie's podcasts are packed with uplifting, knowledgeable and helpful info that help me learn something new to live my best life. Love these podcasts and love her positive approach. Hands down my favorite podcast. Thank you, Julie. [00:02:16][19.7]
[00:02:16] Well, I am so grateful to hear this. Thank you so much for tuning in and thank you for leaving your reading interview. You guys leaving these radio interviews, they really do help us out and not only help me and our team kind of understand how these podcasts are helping you, but also it helps people who stumble upon the podcast. So if you could scooch over to any Apple device, whether that's an iPad and iPhone at your computer and you can type in embrace or rail, and first make sure to subscribe so that you never miss an episode that releases on Monday and Thursday. And then secondly, you can scroll all the way down and leave a rating and review there. I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you so, so much. [00:02:51][34.8]
[00:02:52] Okay, so let's dive in to the tips on how to stay on track with your workouts. Number one, find a gym. So when it comes to staying on track with your fitness routine while traveling booking a hotel with a gym can be one of the most simple, yet highly effective solutions. And I know most of you guys might want to book an Airbnb, but hear me out. So hotels with onsite gyms actually offer so much convenience and accessibility, which makes it easier for you to stick to your workout routine. So again, this is kind of going to vary from sometimes it's not an option to do a hotel. Maybe you're going in with your family or friends on an Airbnb, or maybe the Airbnb is in the place that you want to stay. If that's the case, no worries. I will create some other solutions for you and talk about those later in this podcast. [00:03:34][41.8]
[00:03:34] But if you can, and if the hotel does have an onsite jam, that is going to be so, so helpful because it's just going to eliminate the need for all of this additional planning, transportation to a different gym, finding the gym, figuring out if you can do a day pass. And so, you know, you save all of that time and stress and you're able to put that towards, you know, just a 30 to 45 minute workout. And plus hotel gyms are often open 24 over seven or at the very least have extended hours, which allows you to work out at your convenience. So this flexibility is especially valuable when you're dealing with jet lag or busy travel schedules And just knowing that the gym is just an elevator ride away can be super motivating. I know we were saying in Utah about a month and a half ago and I you know, that was the first thing that I looked at was like, does this place have a gym? If so, does it have access to dumbbells and a treadmill so I can get my steps in and check? Check. [00:04:27][53.2]
[00:04:28] I mean, the good news is with my programing, all you need is a pair of dumbbells. You don't need any other gym equipment because there really are some hotels that just have the bare minimum, which is, you know, a bench and some dumbbells, and that's it. And that's really all you need. [00:04:42][14.4]
[00:04:42] So again, if you want to book an Airbnb, amazing one when you do that, if you could look for, you know, an Airbnb with a gym nearby or kind of see what's in that area, if you are wanting to really stay on track with your workouts and not kind of go into more of like the banded only bodyweight only workouts, which totally work when you're on vacation. But I do know some people that they just thrive in their normal routine and getting those dumbbell workouts in is super important to them. And so again, when you're looking for an Airbnb, if you can look for the surrounding gyms or if Airbnb is not something that you have to do, or looking for a hotel that has a gym solution, so that convenience is right there within the hotel for you. [00:05:23][41.0]
[00:05:24] Number two is bring your. A workout ban. So in the case that a gym isn't one of the options, I always tell people you always have a backup plan because all you genuinely need are resistance band in your body weight. I mean, if you just want to go bodyweight, you can totally get some killer workouts in. But I just love the pump of resistance bands. I love being able to still lift some, you know, weights, even if it's not in a dumbbell form. Still, being able to lift with resistance bands can be very, very helpful and they can be really effective in getting a good burn in while traveling. [00:05:55][31.1]
[00:05:56] In fact, they're one of the most versatile and portable fitness tool that you can have. And also they're honestly one of the most underrated tools that you can still get a killer workout in that makes you feel sore with just bands alone. So workout bands come in all different levels of resistance from light to heavy. The variability of them really allow you to choose kind of the right level of resistance for each exercise, similar to how you make that decision when doing dumbbells, which makes it suitable for anybody, no matter what your fitness level is. It really also allows you to easily increase or decrease the intensity of your workout by using bands with higher or lower resistance. And one reason why they're so effective is because they can offer continuous tension throughout an exercise range of motion, which means that not only your muscles are engaged during this time, like the lifting phase, but also in the lowering phase of each repetition. [00:06:46][50.8]
[00:06:47] So the constant tension can actually lead to more significant muscle burn and improved muscle activation during your workout. Also, you're able to perform a wide range of exercises with workout bands, which will allow you to target various muscle groups. And these exercises include bicep curls, tricep extension squats, lunges, chest presses, shoulder raises, so many other things. And by really incorporating these different moves, this will allow you to either have a body part specific workout, so an upper body workout or a lower body workout, or get that killer full body workout in, which is challenging, you know, every single muscle group in there. The beautiful thing about the bands and I want to talk about a specific band set that I recommend because this one has so much variation. [00:07:34][47.2]
[00:07:36] It's called The Tribe Resistance Band. I will link the exact ones that I use in the show notes, and so that way you easily have access to them. But what I love about this specific band set is that it comes with removable handles and it also comes with ankle straps that can hook on to the resistance bands. So I even program these and these are even moves that I do regularly at home simply because they mimic cable movements that you do at the gym. [00:08:02][26.2]
[00:08:02] So for example, if you take off the handles and put on the ankle straps, you can do lateral leg lifts, you can do cable kickbacks, you can do step in, step out squats with them, you can do cable, pull through. I mean, the sky's really the limit when it comes to the variety of different movements that you can do. And then if you go ahead and put it, if you take the ankle straps off and put on the handles, are able to do all upper body movements. And then also in the set that I'm going to link is a door anchor. And this just allows you the variation of doing it either at the top, at the middle or at the bottom. Again, kind of you'll really see what I mean if if you're not visualizing it now, but it will allow you, for example, at the top door hinge, you'll be able to do like tricep pull downs at the very top in the middle of the door hinge. If you move it down that door, anchor down to the middle, you can do more like bent over rows, cable rows, things like that. And then at the bottom door hinge, you can do moves like bicep curls. [00:09:04][61.8]
[00:09:04] So at the very bottom you are pulling up. So again, just gives you so much variety when it comes to that. And also one thing that I love about bands is that they just instantly provide this low impact workout option, which is again, making them suitable for anyone with joint issues or people who want to minimize the stress on their joints. And there's just so many variety of exercises that you get and that you can do simply with this one pair or simply with this set of resistance band. So again, I will link the specific ones that I use and love in the show Notes from Amazon. I think they're like 23 bucks. They oftentimes go on sale as well and they are a prime item, which is great. The other thing that I love that it comes with is a bag. So it's a super easy travel bag. So honestly, you can just throw everything in there, throw it in your bag and call it good. [00:09:53][48.4]
[00:09:53] Number three is, you know, I got a plug. It is the movement which usually app So seriously, this app can be such a huge lifesaver because not only if you are able to workout it out at a gym or at a place that has a few pair of dumbbells in a small space, you can do all of the programing from within my regular weekly workouts. But also I have an option for bandit only. And this is the Move Your Body Anywhere program. It's a free program for all active subscribers in the app, and there's just tons of workouts in there that are just body. Weight and resistance bands only. So it will allow you the opportunity to get a killer workout in. And I do body specific parts as well. [00:10:33][39.6]
[00:10:33] So I do upper body, lower body, full body, cardio and core. So I mean, you're really not you're not missing a beat when it comes to traveling if you do have to go that route. But the cool thing about the Julie app, like I mentioned, is fiber new workouts every single week. So lower body, upper body cardio and core shoulders and glutes and full body. That's our weekly schedule. And then all you genuinely need is a light pair of dumbbells and then a medium to heavy pair of dumbbells. So a light pair of dumbbells would be something like five, eight or £10 from the majority of people. And then a medium to heavy pair of dumbbells would be classified as, you know, 12, 15, 20 plus pounds. Those are going to be used more for lower body movements. But if you can have a pair of each of those, I mean, that's genuinely all you need. Every single workout also comes with a 30 minute variation. So if you're super low on time, I mean, this is a great way to just get a great, effective, time efficient workout. And so I'll go ahead and link that in the show notes if you are interested in learning more and you can sign up. If you are a brand new subscriber, you get 50% off your first month when you use this link at sale S-A-L-E. movement with Julie dot com. [00:11:41][67.6]
[00:11:41] Number four is honor your body with any sort of movement. So I think that this is really essential to remember that moving your body does not always have to involve structured workouts or even specific exercises, especially when traveling. So if you, you know, you walked seven or 10,000 or maybe even 20,000 steps exploring that area, I would say that's more than enough movement. [00:12:02][21.2]
[00:12:02] And honestly, one of the best ways to experience new places is by going, walking, going, biking, hiking, experiencing the town or the city that you're in. You can also do things like paddleboarding or kayaking or looking for some other non workout activity that is not a traditional workout, you know, in the gym or in your hotel room, but it's something that is moving your body in a different way and it can actually be very beneficial than just doing your regular workouts, especially if you're on vacation, because you're going to be looking at all the new sights, the sounds, the smells, and our bodies need a break. You know, if you're crashing your workouts week in and week out at home, take a week off and try to challenge yourself to just move your body in other ways every single day. That's one thing that I love. If I know I'm on a vacation where I know that, you know, getting my workouts in is just not a priority. It's not something either that excites me or that's feasible. Then I'll say, okay, how can I get my movement? And, you know, we were in New York City last December and we were walking so much. I know people say this all the time, but, you know, there were a couple of times where were like, okay, we could either, you know, hop in a cab or hop on the subway, or we could just walk 15 blocks. And I mean, just being able to walk and explore the city and explore the new sights and sounds. We got so much exercise in on that trip. Even though it was the middle of December, it was freezing cold. I didn't even care because we were in a new place exploring and it just was easy for us to move our bodies. So again, just remember that movement is movement whether you picked up a weight or not. [00:13:34][91.4]
[00:13:35] Number five workout first thing in the morning. So when you're on vacation, you really have no idea the day is going to unfold. One thing that I love to do is to wake up and immediately get my workout in again, just because schedules will, you know, things will change. Whether you're on a vacation with a big group of people, maybe they're planning on doing something for lunch. You know, they're going on a boat ride or they've scheduled something zip lining or whatever it is. The activity of the day is typically first thing in the morning unless you're going on like an all day excursion. And of course, again, like I mentioned, really being intentional with just honoring your body, with movement. If that's the case, you don't need to stress about getting a workout in. But if you want to get your workout in, try first thing in the morning. That way you don't have to stress about when you're going to fit your workout. And plus it's done. You feel good. I don't know about you, but there is something about just getting up and moving your body. To me, it just sets the tone for the day and then you don't have to worry about any of the excuses. If you know, you keep pushing it off and you're like, Oh, I'll do it later, I'll do it later. I mean, nine times out of ten, especially on vacation, the last thing you want to do after getting back to your hotel or back to your room or your Airbnb is to try and figure out what your workout is going to be. So get up first thing in the morning and just move your body. [00:14:45][70.6]
[00:14:46] You're and I feel so much better Be thankful that you did. [00:14:48][2.5]
[00:14:49] And lastly, number six, remember that a couple workouts is better than no workout. So the last thing you remember is that you don't. And in fact, I'm going to argue you should in workout every single day of your trip. I mean, again, if this is something regular that you do and you try to stay in a consistent routine, you know, you travel for work week in and week out, that's a totally different story. But if this is a vacation, you've been consistent with your workouts. Maybe you've gotten a few workouts in on your vacation. Call it good. Like if you're gone for seven days, try to get, you know, maybe three workouts in. That's great. And really and on the other days, try to honor your body with move in other ways. Traveling is hard as it is. We don't need a. Ourselves out by doing overdoing it with workouts and stressing ourselves out about it. So my suggestion is, if you are only going to get, let's say, for example, three workouts and if you're gone for a week, I would recommend prioritizing lower body, upper body and full body. That way you are able to really make sure you're working all of your muscle groups. And at least if you're following my program, my full body workouts do intentionally work core and then also in a lot of the upper body and lower body movements, you are you're recruiting our core. Your core should be engaged and it should be properly working your core with a lot of lifts, especially with the amount of compound lifts that I do in my program. So keep that in mind. But that is what I would recommend. [00:16:05][76.7]
[00:16:06] Just a schedule to kind of stick to. If you're only going to do two workouts, I would recommend doing a lower body and an upper body and then obviously one workout I recommend, you know, hitting that full body workout. [00:16:16][9.9]
[00:16:16] So let me quickly recap what I talked about and my tips for staying on track with your workouts and traveling. Number one is to book a hotel with a gym or at the very least, an Airbnb with a gym nearby. And again, this is for those of you who are wanting to prioritize your workouts, intentional workouts while you're on your vacation, whether that's work related or leisure. Number two, bring workout bands or keep dumbbells at your relative's house. Again, this is something that, you know, if you are in a relative's house, especially for those of you guys who are traveling, a lot of people have demos, at least one or two pairs, especially because COVID, so many people got some demos and I guarantee they might not have used them since 2020 or 2021. But you can ask them and they can dust them off and those will be great for you during that time that you're staying there. Number three, use the moment with Julie app and number four, honor your body with any sort of movement. Number five, if you are planning to work out, just try to work out first thing in the morning that really sets the tone in that way. You don't have to worry about any excuses later on in the day. And lastly, number six, remember that a couple workouts is better than no workouts. So again, the two things that I'm going to link in the show notes are the go to resistance bands for traveling. [00:17:23][67.2]
[00:17:24] So those are the ones that I get from Amazon. They are truly amazing. I also didn't mention this earlier, but my booty pump bands, those are so the fabric resistance bands are four glute days for lower body days. I do program those in my move your body anywhere. I do utilize those. With that being said, that is a total optional item so you don't have to get those. But those are very beneficial. Again, not only for traveling but just day to day movements that you're doing. Hip thrusts, glute bridges, glute bridge abductions, side to side walks, leg lateral lifts. I mean, there's tons of different movements that you can use the booty Pambansa I will go ahead and link those as well. And then the last thing that I will link is my Julie app. So again, if you are a brand new subscriber, you get 50% off your entire first month. Fiber Any workouts are released every single month or every single week excuse me at 12 p.m. Mountain Standard Time. So we have lower body, upper body cardio and core shoulders and glutes and full body. All you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. It's for all fitness levels. I give low impact bodyweight easier movements for about 99% of every movement there is an alternate exercise. So if you are in need of that, you can definitely use that. And then again, if you are an active subscriber in the app, you get access to the free travel program, which is called Move Your Body Anywhere. And if you are an active subscriber in the next few weeks, we are rolling out something really exciting in the app called Flex Workouts, and those are going to be like kind of one off workouts that you can log at any time. [00:18:54][89.9]
[00:18:54] So stay tuned for that. Really excited about that. I think that those will be utilized a lot, especially while traveling or just those times that, you know, maybe you're looking at the weekly workout and you're like, and I don't know that I want to do that. Maybe I want to do like a booty day or I want to do a specific bicep workout or I just want to work my core. There's going to be tons of one off workouts for you inside the app there. So that is all that I have for today's episode. Again, this is a three part series, so the other two episodes I will link in the show notes that you can easily go either tune into those if you haven't already, or at the very least bookmark them. So the next time that you're traveling, you have access to all of that information in your toolbox. If you have a friend, a coworker, or someone in your life that you feel like would really benefit from this specific episode, I always just ask that you share it out with them. You can copy the link, send it to them in a text message. You can also screenshot this and post it up on your Instagram story, but that is all they have for today's episode. I love you so much. I mean it and I'll talk to in the next time. [00:19:49][55.0]
[00:19:57] All right, sister. That's all I got for you today. But I have two things that I need you to do. First thing, if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie a Ledbetter. Yes. It's with an eye in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world. And I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real because you're worth it. [00:19:57][0.0]