My next work trip is coming up. What's packed in my suitcase and on my agenda?
As I pack my carry-on suitcase for an upcoming 4-day work trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, I'm staying true to my guiding principles on how to stay active during work travel. And my #1 rule is to always leave some space for workout outfits. Because remember - if you don't even bring your gym cloths, there will be no working out.
I know that sticking to my regular diet when traveling to Russia for work is a much bigger challenge. Russian cuisine relies heavily on dairy and gluten. And most of our lunches and dinners are prearranged for our whole group. So I make it a point to myself to make some time for exercising every day. This is not my first time going to St. Petersburg for work. I will be staying in the same hotel and am very familiar with their rooms, gym facilities and breakfast offerings. So it makes it easier for me to plan my routine beforehand. But even if I am staying in the hotel for the first time, I always check the hotel website in advance to see if it has a gym or a pool.
Planning my exercising routine in advance makes it easier for me during the trip. I don't have to think about which YouTube video to follow or which routine to do on the machines. I can just put my workout outfit next to my bed when I go to sleep, get up 30-45 min earlier and follow the plan! Here is how my workout plan looks like this time:
Day 1 - Arriving at 4 pm after 13 hours of flying:
- No gym or workout in the room planned. Instead, on the arrival day I always like to take a long walk along the main street of St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospect, stretch my legs after sitting in the plane, enjoy the city and the architecture, and maybe do some shopping. Normally that's my only evening free from work events so I try to take advantage of that.
Day 2 - Morning exercise in the room:
- 12 min full body time interval workout (through my fitness app). Time interval routine is a high intensity workout that consists of a sequence of exercises (such as jumps, squats, push-ups, etc.) that should be completed as many times as possible within an assigned time interval
- 19 min full body (arms, legs, butt, abs) YouTube video
Day 3 - Morning exercise in the hotel gym:
- 15 min jog on the treadmill
- 14 min full body Tabata (through my fitness app). Tabata is another high intensity workout that consists of repetitive 20-second rounds of intense exercises
- 10 min abs and planks series
Day 4 - Morning exercise in the room:
- 11 min full body Paleo Run workout (through my fitness app). Paleo run routine consists of short series of exercises (such as jumps, dips, split squats, push-ups, etc.) that alternate with 1-minute cardio intervals.
- 18 min 'love handle' YouTube workout
In one of my previous posts I shared some tips on how to stay active during work trips and the benefits of it. I really enjoy including early morning exercises in my work trip agenda. It energized me for the whole day, makes me feel better about myself and helps staying fit. It also motivates me to chose more nutritious options for breakfast and overall throughout the day.
I travel a lot for work and can tell from my own experience that as days get busy with work and work-related events the last thing you want is to spend your time and energy figuring out what exercise routine to do and how to make it work given limited space and equipment. Planning my workouts and choosing exercises that can be done anywhere takes a lot of headache away during the trip and helps to stay motivated.
Do you have any trips coming up? What are you planning to do to stay active on the road?