Better Health, Better Travel: How Travel Is Supported by Fitness
When I first launched a life of travel some ten years ago, to say that I was in poor shape would be an understatement. To put it simply, I was scrawny, possessed an abhorrent diet, and was pretty much drunk all the time. As a consequence, the need to lug around my oversized bag and giant, oaken guitar case was an ongoing crisis.
Much has changed since then. Over the past several years, exercise, nutrition, and booze-moderation have become fundamental aspects of my life. As a result, travel has become easier and more enjoyable.
Let’s take a look at four ways fitness will benefit your travels.
Easier to Carry Your Life Around
When you’re living the disembarked life, you’re carrying around your home in a bag or bags. That means a lot of lifting and maneuvering of heavy things into overhead bins, up stairs, and across cities.
You don’t have to be super-human to make this easier on yourself. By building up at least a foundational level of muscle, you’re going to take a lot of stress out of getting your stuff from point-A to point-B.
More Exploration Energy
Travel consumes energy, and not just to get where you’re going. Once you’ve arrived, you’ll ideally be spending a lot of time wandering and exploring wherever you happen to be—that takes stamina.
By training and fueling your body for performance, it’s better equipped for mile after mile or kilometer after kilometer of walking. You certainly can walk all that distance if you’re out of shape, but you’ll be a lot more capable, happy, and comfortable if you’ve put in the effort to be prepared.
Not Getting Down with the Sickness
There might be nothing I hate more while traveling than coming down will illness. Not only does it mean missing out on the place you’re trying to see, but it can pose real problems if the need for medical attention arises. Even a little thing like finding the right medicine can be a huge pain in the ass when you’re presented with language barriers—let alone language barriers plus a fever.
Maintaining a basic sense of fitness goes a long way in terms of keeping up a healthy immune system. That can make the difference between ending up with a sniffle, or sitting out Paris stuck in bed.
A Means of Discovery
Fitness provides an outstanding medium for exploration.
Some of my favorite discoveries in a new city emerge when I’m running up its random streets and alleys. I’ve found hidden coves while swimming off the Mexican coast. I’ve made local friends by joining the neighborhood gym. And I’ve participated in all varieties of activities that I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t felt physically up to the challenge.
Bottom line—when fitness becomes a regular part of your life, it can transform the way you travel, enriching your experience while making it easier and more comfortable.
So, here are three fundamental aspects of improving your overall fitness:
- Build a basic workout routine.
Develop a comprehensive gym or bodyweight workout that you perform at least three times a week, during which you exercise all the major muscle groups (back, chest, arms, legs, core), and get sufficient cardio (30-45 minutes of medium-to-high level cardio 3-5 times a week). Do that for one month and I swear you’ll feel a difference.
- Make nutrition a priority.
Fitness is 20% exercise, 80% diet. Fueling your body properly is essential to building muscle, burning fat, strengthening your immune system, and providing your body with energy.
Eating a health diet can seem challenging, but if you follow a few fundamental rules, you should be fine. Basically, you want to eat around the edges of the grocery store by sticking to whole produce, meat, and grains, and avoiding all the boxed and can stuff in the middle. Also, lay off the refined sugar.
- Lay off the booze.
I know that alcohol can be a great vacation additive, but when you live on the road like I do, every day can’t be a holiday—at least not if you want to get anything done.
Overdoing it on drinking can mean days ruined by hangovers, sickness due to an inhibited immune system, forgotten memories, and all-around poor health and functionality. So feel free to indulge, but know when it’s time to have nights of tea and sparkling water.