On the Go: Tips for Sticking to Your Exercise Plan While Traveling
Traveling can be an exciting adventure, but it often disrupts our daily routines, including our home exercise programs. Whether you're on a business trip, vacation, or visiting family, it can be challenging to stay consistent with your physical therapy exercises. The good news? With a little creativity and planning, you can maintain your progress and keep your body moving, even while on the go.
Tip 1: Pack Therabands – Your Portable Gym
When it comes to staying fit on the road, therabands are a traveler’s best friend. These lightweight, elastic bands are easy to pack and versatile enough to mimic many of the resistance exercises you would do with weights at home or in the clinic. Whether you’re working on strengthening your shoulders, glutes, or core, therabands can provide the resistance you need without the bulk of dumbbells.
How to Use Therabands While Traveling:
For Shoulder Strengthening: Loop the band under your feet and perform shoulder presses or lateral raises.
For Glute Activation: Place the band around your thighs and do squats or side steps.
For Core Work: Anchor the band to a sturdy object and use it for standing or seated core anti-rotations.
Tip 2: Tennis Balls – Your On-the-Go Massage Tool
Travel can often lead to stiff muscles, especially after long flights or car rides. Instead of lugging around a foam roller, consider packing a tennis ball. It’s small, lightweight, and can be just as effective for soft tissue work. Whether you’re dealing with tight calves, hamstrings, or back muscles, a tennis ball can help release tension and keep you feeling limber.
How to Use Tennis Balls for Soft Tissue Work:
For Calves: Place the ball under your calf while sitting and roll it back and forth to relieve tightness.
For Hamstrings: Sit on a firm surface, place the ball under your hamstring, and gently roll it to target sore spots.
For the Back: Stand against a wall with the ball between your back and the wall. Slowly move up and down to massage tight areas.
Tip 3: Be Resourceful with Your Surroundings
When you're traveling, your environment can double as your workout space. Use park benches, hotel room furniture, or even sturdy railings to modify and perform exercises from your home program. For example, you can use a bench for step-ups or a chair for seated exercises.
Ideas for Using Your Environment:
Park Bench: Use it for step-ups, tricep dips, or even as a support for stretches.
Hotel Bed: Lie on your bed for supine exercises like bridges or leg lifts.
Stairs: If your hotel has a stairwell, take advantage of it for cardio or step-based exercises.
Tip 4: Embrace the “Something is Better Than Nothing” Mindset
When you’re on the road, it’s easy to feel like you’re not doing enough, especially if you’re used to a more intense or structured workout routine. But remember, something is always better than nothing. Even if you can only squeeze in 10-15 minutes of exercise, that’s still progress. Short, consistent efforts can help maintain your strength, flexibility, and overall well-being until you’re back to your regular routine.
Quick Workouts to Keep You Moving:
Morning Stretch: Start your day with a 10-minute full-body stretch to wake up your muscles and joints.
Hotel Room Circuit: Do a quick circuit of bodyweight exercises like squats, lunges, push-ups, and planks.
Evening Wind-Down: Before bed, spend a few minutes doing gentle yoga or deep breathing exercises to relax and unwind.
Final Thoughts
Traveling doesn’t have to mean taking a break from your physical therapy progress. With a few portable tools like therabands and tennis balls, a flexible mindset, and a little creativity, you can stay on track with your home exercise program no matter where you are. Remember, the key is consistency—doing what you can, when you can, will help you maintain your progress and return home feeling strong and ready to continue your journey to better health.
Safe travels and happy exercising!
