I haven't really shared much about it on this blog, but exercise is a HUGE part of my life. I'm extremely addicted to working out and can count on one hand how many times I've missed a workout in the past 8 years (other than when I've had a baby). I workout six days a week like clockwork and am still doing so at 36 weeks pregnant.
I don't have the luxury of going to a gym or even really leaving the house to exercise, which is why HIIT (high intensity interval training) has been such a blessing to me. I've been doing these type of workouts for eight years, from the comfort of my own home, with amazing results. Since I'm already accustomed to exercising at home, adjusting my HIIT to be travel friendly is super easy.
When we travel I simply tweak my workouts to bring with me. Just because I'm not at home doesn't mean I'm going to bail on my fitness regime. My favorite exercise for cardio is speed roping, and a jump travels real well! For my weights I've invested in an assortment of resistant bands, which are also tiny and perfect for packing.
I've been designing my own HIIT routines for a while and I know what works for me. Typically I create two workouts, one that focuses on upper body and the other focuses on lower body. But when I'm traveling I just create one workout with a mix of upper body, lower, body and cardio mixed all together.
The major perks of HIIT is that they are QUICK workouts that get the job done. I can get up a tad bit earlier than my family and get a decent workout in and then go about our vacation fun. HIIT can be any length of time, but I've always done a 15 minute sequence. 50 seconds of doing an exercise as fast and as hard as I can and then 10 seconds of rest (or 'setting' up for the next exercise).
Sample Travel HIIT Sequence
Speed Rope
Left leg split squat with band right arm curl
Speed Rope
Right leg split squat with band left arm curl
Speed Rope
Circle band around ankles, right leg lift
Speed Rope
Circle band around ankles, left leg lift
Speed Rope
Upright row with bands
Speed Rope
Standing right side crunch, left foot step on band and hold band handle with left hand
Speed Rope
Standing left side crunch, right foot step on band and hold band handle with right hand
Speed Rope
If I was not a complete awkward clutz I 'd take some some pictures or video of me actually doing the workout, but this is going to have to do for now, lol. Hopefully y'all can make heads or tails out of it.
Here are the bands I used in this particular exercise sequence.
These are the bands I used for the side leg lifts.
These are the bands I used for the rest of the workout.
I much prefer my free weights as opposed to the bands, but they do make exercising while traveling a breeze. After all you can't exactly stuff a set of dumb bells in your carry on, lol.
If you're not into speed roping you can easily substitute those exercises with any cardio type of move. Some ideas include, burpees, high knees, jog in place, alternate kicks, bunny hops, speed skaters, etc.
Trust me y'all HIIT is the best type of workout for every day life AND when you're on the road! I mean fitting in 15 minutes of exercise is a breeze! We all have 15 minutes we can free-up to do a simple exercise routine, even when we're on vacation. And hey, I don't know about y'all, but I need all the help I can get to combat the extra fun food and calories I have a tendency to consume while we're on vacation! 🙈
With Love & Hope,
Jennifer
No comments:
Post a Comment