[Obligatory caveat – I’m no fitness expert. Consult your doctor before doing anything strenuous. Also, if you know more about exercise than I do, please share your fitness ideas in the comments. Thanks!]
Squatting
Let’s face it: our backsides are pampered here in the States. While traveling you could be faced with any number of toilet scenarios that will shock your delicate sensibilities: creatures swimming (true story), seat covered with ?????, no seat at all, or simply a hole in the ground.
Get those legs ready with some squats.
Bracing
At some point you’ll end up on a bus that is careening around cliff-side roads that curve left, curve right, curve left again … you get the idea. There’s nothing holding you in place, so your core muscles start to brace to keep you from leaning into the stranger next to you.
Focus on your core with planks. (Unless you want to get close to the stranger next to you. I’m not judging.)
Steady-ing
This is for those times when there’s no seat available on the bus mentioned above. So you’re standing. Around the curves. Maybe there’s something to hold onto. Maybe not. Hope your legs are up to the task.
Practice your balance with these tips.
Lifting
Unless you’re on a tour that includes people carrying your bags for you, you’ll be employing arm muscles that have never seen active duty. You’ll lift your carry-on to the overhead bin. You might lift your full bag to the luggage-organizer-guy on the roof of the aforementioned bus.
Get your arms ready to lift things above your head by, um, lifting things above your head. Or with these arm exercises.
Climbing
At some point you’ll probably have to climb several flights of stairs with your bag in hand or on your back. Or, if you like quaint hillside colonial towns (like I do), you’ll end up climbing those quaint hillsides on foot – because, to keep the town quaint for us touristy types, the town keeps all ancient narrow meandering roads (or footpaths) as-is. Your legs and lungs don’t always appreciate this as much as the rest of you does.
Get your climbing muscles ready with a treadmill set to an incline.
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3 Comments
Petrea Burchard
I remember how much it hurts my feet. Everything else is secondary to that foot pain. So it’s not exactly exercise, but spend extra money on shoes.
Poor little critter! I’m not going to pee on a critter, nohow.
03 Apr 2014 07:04 pm (@Twitter)
Kim@OCDtravel
Yes, good point Petrea! Shoes are definitely a good investment. The right shoes are worth every penny.
I’m sure the critter appreciates your bladder control 😉
04 Apr 2014 09:04 am (@Twitter)
Fmovies
off is one of those tiny things that can
30 Sep 2019 03:09 am (@Twitter)