Whether you are traveling for business or pleasure, your fitness routine does not have to be put on hold. It is easier than you think to bring fitness with you wherever you go. There are just a few rules to follow; I call them the 3 Ps of fitness travel:

1. Plan: You planned the trip, right? Well, go one step further and plan your workout, meals and snacks. While most hotels have small gyms that are sufficient, I suggest you Google gyms near where you are staying. Many times these places will have a one or two day pass that is pretty affordable.

I recommend contacting the manager through the gym’s website with a friendly email letting him/her know that you are a fitness enthusiast and are traveling to his/her neck of the woods and would love to come in for a few workouts. If you have the dough, schedule a personal training session. They might even give you free access to the gym for the duration of your stay. Managers exist to make clients happy—take advantage!

Visit my website, www.vo2maxfitness.org, and learn about our travel training advice and customized running route mapping program.

2. Prepare: You must be ready for what we all encounter on trips. It is difficult, but not impossible, to stay on your healthy eating plan. Get back on your laptop and look for healthy, organic restaurants, markets and local stores near where you
are staying. Look at menus so you know going in that you have healthy choices.
Pack some of your favorite “go-to” snacks. Some of mine are L’arabar and
Earnest Eats bars, organic, unsalted almonds, packets of protein powder to mix with Greek yogurt and even some steel cut oatmeal that you can mix up first thing in the morning with a little soy protein and water.

3. Produce: Let’s face it, you are going to deviate at least a little from you typical routine. However, making healthy choices will keep your energy high, avoid that awful feeling of weight gain when you come home and make the transition back to your regular routine that much easier. Have fun when traveling, but make sure you continue to Train Like a Boxer!

Exercise of the week: Travelers Squat-snatch-press with band. Utilizing the rubber training bands that you packed in your suitcase, stand with feet hip width apart, band under each foot and holding the handles at your side, knees slightly bent. Squat down, spring up and snatch the band so that your forearms face forward. Squat down and stand up, lifting your hands (holding the band handles) above your head to full extension (mimicking a shoulder press). Come back down and repeat for one minute. Rest and repeat.

Fuel Travel Tip No. 1: Replace the starch at restaurants with double servings of grilled vegetables. Ask the kitchen to hold the sauce! Keep it clean and natural!