NOTE: pay attention to the specific regional rules regarding travelling with food. You can get yourself into a fair amount of trouble if you carry restricted foods.

Jerky and Biltong (dehydrated meat)

Jerky or Biltong or any other dehydrated meat is perfect for travelling. You get all the benefit of meat protein and iron without the problem of the meat going off. The portions are generally small enough to carry around in a day pack (and you can always cut to size if not). It’s not messy as there’s no juice. It’s filling and it’s good for you. Make sure you pay attention to the way in which the meat is processed, not all methods are ideal. Choose an option that does not use artificial additives and is not too high in salt.

Nuts and seeds

Nuts and seeds are a superior choice to potato chips and corn chips. Whilst eating them by the handful isn’t ideal, they are a great quick snack while you’re on the go. Nuts and seeds are a good source of natural fats and can fill you up quite quickly. You have many options and can mix and match as you wish. Try natural (unprocessed) and roasted. Avoid salted options as they will make you thirsty and you don’t need the salt any way. Also avoid peanuts as are not actually nuts, they are legumes and can irritate your gut.

Vegetable sticks

Prepare your own raw vegetables and pop them in an airtight bag or container and you’ll never go hungry. Some great options are carrots, celery and cucumber. Slice everything into “fingers” and you’ll find you have an easy to handle snack. You could even pack a dip if you wish (try hummus or baba ganoush).

Eggs

Hard-boiled eggs provide a great protein and fat hit and might work for you as an option while travelling. Boil your eggs in the morning and remove the shell, then put them in a solid container to avoid getting them squished. They aren’t suitable for all travels but make for a great breakfast on the run.

Photo credit.

Sometimes it’s actually more fun to exercise outdoors. Imagine doing a workout on the beach while on Koh Samui or hiking in the Canadian Rockies. There are heaps of things that you can do outdoors to stay fit.

Here are three workouts that don’t require any equipment and can be completed just about anywhere outdoors:

Workout 1

• Run 1.2km. Record your time. Rest for 3 minutes.
• Complete 50 squats. Record your time. Rest for 1 minute.
• Run 800m. Record your time. Rest for 3 minutes.
• Complete 50 push-ups. Record your time. Rest for 1 minute.
• Run 400m. Record your time.

Your aim in this workout is to maintain a high output in the ‘go’ phases and recover as quickly as possible in the rest phases. You can modify the intensity of the workout based upon your condition on the day. Different levels of effort will provide a very different response.

Workout 2

“Angie”

For time:

• 100 pull-ups
• 100 push-ups
• 100 sit-ups
• 100 squats

This is one of the original benchmark CrossFit workouts. It’s very tough.
It actually does require equipment in the way of a pull-up bar. So, you could try this one in a playground or wherever you can hang off something and perform a pull-up.

Here are a few ways to scale the workout to something that may be more suitable to you:

1. Reduce the reps by 25%, 50% or 75% percent
2. Replace the pull-ups with supine rows
3. Complete the push-up from the knees

Workout 3

Five rounds (for time) of:

• 25 burpees
• Run 2x 50m shuttle

Make your own

You can create your own workouts with little effort by selecting a few exercises from the following pool:

• Pull-ups
• Push-ups
• Burpees
• Sit-ups
• Leg raises
• Get-ups
• Mountain climbers
• Supermans
• Squat jumps
• Lunges

Once you’ve selected your movements you can fit them into one of the following formats:

• Five rounds of 20 movements each (pick three movements)
• As many rounds as possible in 12 minutes (15 reps each for three movements)
• Three rounds of: a run (up to 400m) plus 25 reps of two movements

This is by no means a definitive list. There are few rules when building workouts. Some common sense does play a part though.

Photo by John Nyberg.

Sticking to a regular eating pattern can be just as hard!

Not only do you have to contend with what food is available at airports a lot of the time, but you also need to worry about cultural changes in what  food is available, changes in time zone and therefore what meal you should be eating and of course the quality and safety of the food you are eating.

The last thing anyone wants when travelling is a case of crook guts!

So here are my top 4 tips for sticking to your guns on the eating front while travelling.

1. Get straight to it. Just as they say to try to sync in straight away with the sleeping patterns and time difference in the location you are visiting, so should your eating.  Arrive at breakfast time, don’t go for a comfort food or something that is just handy. Try to get straight into the type of food you would normally be eating at the time of day it is in your new location.  Even if this is only a small light meal.

2. Stick with your eating habits. Do you normally have a low G.I. diet, do you normally have poached eggs every morning, do you normally drink 3 litres of water a day? Whatever it is as, much as availability will allow, get to it in your new destination.  Continuing your routine is a must to avoid a big negative impact on your food intake.

3. Go easy on the booze. It is very easy to get sucked into a few extra drinks than we would normally consume on a daily basis when we are in a different setting. Whether it is because we believe it will help us sleep better or simply to fill time in a different setting away from our routine it can throw us further out of whack that we may already be.  If it’s a glass of red wine every night as part of our routine when home then try not to exceed this.  It will only through your body further out. The last thing you want it to make your body feel like it needs a further sleep in or a greasy meal to get up and running.

4. Don’t always go with the cliches. Eat where the locals eat? This is all well and good when you are not in a third world country. But I definitely wouldn’t follow this pearl of wisdom when in India, much of South East Asia or the like. The locals may have built up a tolerance for the local fare. Make smart choices and be careful. Maybe take some calculated risks if you want to experience the local tastes and smells of a region. But if you are travelling for sport or competition stay as far away from anything they may upset your digestion leading up to you big challenge.

So there you have my top 4 suggestions for your staying consistent with your food intake while on the road.  As you know your body’s performance is only as good as the fuel you put in the tank.  So stick to the quality fuels, even when out of town. This way you will continue to be able to make some great gains from your training while away.

These tips are even more important if you are travelling to perform!  Stick to your guns.

Photo by Alex Bruda.

Luke Scott – B App Sci (Human Movement) – is the owner of Revolution Personal Training.
If anyone has any questions about setting up a specific exercise program in any of these locations please contact Luke at info(at)revopt.com.au or 1300 362 311. He would love to set something up for you to get you started.

Unfortunately, most people think that running is simply about putting one foot in front of the other. This is not the case. Efficient running requires practice and the drills featured in these videos from Fitness Anywhere will help you become a better runner, get a better workout and avoid injury.

Drill #1 – Arm swings

More information about this drill.

Drill #2 – Round-the-clock lunges

More information about this drill.

More drills

There are five more drills for you to learn on the Fitness Anywhere blog.

Remember practice makes perfect!

Photo by Ariel da Silva Parreira.

Photo by Daniel Battiston.