Simple selfcare & activity while traveling

Most of us are traveling at some point in our lives whether it’s for holidays or though work. Whatever it is, it can sometimes be challenging to keep our habits and activity levels during these times and if you are away for a longer period of time, it can be hard to come back to it later again.

If you are a person who loves your routines and almost need them to function properly, here are some tips for you to maintain your good health at all times.

Simplify your activity schedule

Don’t expect yourself to have the exact same workout schedule and habits as you have at home. That will probably make you disappointed when you can’t keep up with it since it’s most likely not your highest priority at the time. So don’t feel bad about it, the goal is to make yourself feel better, not worse. Remember all activity is good and a little bit is better than nothing. If you prefer the gym and you don’t have your gym close by, do the things you can at the place where you are staying or outside. Parks are perfect for that and they may even have a free outdoor gym You can still get a good workout with only a few bands or body weight. There are many short programs online that you can use as well, if you don’t feel inspired to come up with your own ideas.

Explore new places

If you don’t want to do a workout session, go for a run or walk. The best thing is that you will explore new places on the way. Most of the time you will already get this kind of activity just by traveling since you probably want to discover the new areas around you anyway. Do some extra walking instead of taking public transport. Make a stop in a nice park or similar to do a short meditation or just slow down, be present for a moment and appreciate what’s around you.

Shorten the time, if needed

Remember why you came to this place, to explore, experience and maybe work. You want to spend most of your time for that so it is totally fine to shorten the time for your other stuff. The difference is that you still do it so you will still get the benefits from it and improve your mood and focus for the other things.

Explain to others around you

When you travel with other people like friends and family, the schedule of things to do can be pretty full on since you want to experience as much as possible. Others may not have the same needs as you have so it can be beneficial to explain to them that you need some time for yourself during the day so they understand.

Invite others to join

You may want to spend all the time with your loved ones during your travel and that can be the perfect time to push each other to stay healthy, do the exercise and keeping some good habits for all of you. Maybe even introduce one or more of them to try something new because traveling is all about new experiences, right?

Why this is so important for me

I hope you got some new ideas on how to keep committed to yourself. When I start being lazy and skip my workouts or especially morning routines, I start feeling grumpy, annoyed, tired etc. For me it’s very important to stay active but also slowing down, it’s not all about getting a high pulse and be on the go all the time, more the opposite.

I was traveling to New York many years ago with my family which was a very interesting place. As everyone know, it’s a very hectic city with things going on all the time, day and night. We could hear police sirens all night and I had to put my ear plugs in to be able to slep, which was fine. However, I was not in the best place mentally during this time in my life with a lot of anxiety and stress and I got overwhelmed very easily. One of the days when we where walking around in a shopping centre, which we had done everyday since we came there, I was close to having a panic attack. I had to walk out of the shop and try to find a calm place to just sit and breath for a while, which is pretty hard to find in the middle of New York.

I had not been taking proper care of myself in a long time and eventually it shows whether you want it or not. I was too overwhelmed by all the impressions with people, lights, sounds and the fast paced environment. Slowing down has become an important part of my life now and I implement most of it in my morning routine and sometimes during the days and evenings as well. I still get overwhelmed sometimes by too many impressions at the same time and that’s why slowing down and taking proper care of myself has become such an important part in my life.

Take time to feel what you need and don’t skip it just because you travel or are with other people. Don’t see it as something that has to be done. Remind yourself why you do it, how it makes you feel and what benefits you get from it. Cut the time but still do it. You will get even more ready with lots of energy for your adventures!

So now it’s time to jump up and down 5 times and then go for a 20 min walk. That’s what I am going to do. Let’s go!