How We Lost 100lbs While Traveling!

As two people who love both food and traveling keeping off the excess pounds can seem really overwhelming.  But in the last year of traveling, we have lost a combined weight of 100 pounds!  Below is part one of our weight lost series! Here are a few helpful tips and tricks for travel weight loss, so that you can live your life without gaining weight. You are in a new location and want to try new things, and we completely understand. This series is not about giving up but in learning to adapt a new lifestyle.  Now we will say this next sentence many times. There is no quick fix and even though Aaron and I have lost 100 pounds we still have a way to go.  

For Aaron and myself we break a healthy lifestyle down into four signs of wellness, which include emotional, physical, and spiritual. When one of these pieces are out of balance it is easy to go off track and start to gain weight. This first blog post we will discuss some of the our tips for physical wellness.

Running/Walking-Running

Now before you go out there and start running in a new country make sure you ask yourself a few questions. 1. Is this culturally okay? 2. Is it a safe area? If both of those answers are yes get your cute butt outside and start running!

If you have never run before it can seem overwhelming, but there are some great couch to 5k apps that can help you start. I could not run for 30 seconds when I first started running and now I’ve run a handful of 5ks! It can be scary but some of my best runs happen in new places. I remember running in Hawaii surrounded by the most beautiful mountains, or running in Ukraine surrounded by churches older than my country. Or even running down the middle of a highway, if you are wondering how that can be safe check out our post on Mackinac Island here. Also don’t get discourage if you can’t run 10 miles, I  know I can’t, try to run a little and walk a little, that way you give yourself a free tour of the city and get a killer workout while doing it!

Make sure to invest in some good running shoes so you know they won’t break after three runs. We both use Brooks running shoes and love them, Aaron has had his pair for three years and they are still amazing. You can check out some of them here!

Activity Tracker

What is the most common form of exercise for someone who is traveling? Walking! Activity trackers help you to track not only your steps but some even track your calories burned, running speed, heart rate, and sleep patterns! This can help to keep you active even when you are busy exploring by keeping you aware. We both use Garmin Vivofit due to its year long no charge battery. This is a big benefit compared to other brands that require nightly charges. We are always on the go and don’t have time to charge our trackers every night. Plus it is water proof which is nice if you are on a beach and don’t want to leave your valuables on the sand. If you are interested in the Vivofit check it out here.

Exercise Bands

Cardio is very important but so is strength training. I have the shape of a pear, which means I was born with and I will die with big hips. That means that I need to convert that fat into muscle. Exercise bands are cheap, lightweight, and small. Which is perfect if you are a traveler going far distances or just taking a weekend trip. I packed 5 resistance bands and use them for a whole range of activities, from biceps to thighs and more. It is about the size of a tennis ball, but more compact in my suitcase. Aaron also likes resistance bands but he prefers the ones that aren’t connected in a circle. Those types allow for a different range of motion and strength exercises. But both are perfect for a traveler on the go! If you are interested here are my favorite :

and here is Aaron’s :

FREE Workout APPs

I cannot emphasis this enough. I use Freeletics bodyweight and Map My Run all the time and I absolutely adore them. They are great if you want to get a quick workout in and aren’t sure of what the moves are. For Freeletics, it is a great strength training app that lets you verse the past version of yourself. When you repeat that workout again, you race again your old time to improve. I am someone who likes a challenge but I also realize Aaron and I are at different places in our abilities. By being able to verse myself instead of him I’m able to see my improvement. Plus you really feel it the next day!

These are just a few of the free physical activities that can be done if you are a life traveler trying to find the balance between expanding your horizons but not your waistline. What do you do to keep fit while traveling?

Soon we will be posting our tips to make the other aspects of your life just as healthy so be sure to come back soon! Make sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you know before everyone else!