Healthy Travel Tips: How to Stay Fit as a Digital Nomad
Here are some healthy travel tips and ideas for staying fit on the road as a digital nomad.
If you live a fit and active lifestyle at home, you’re probably going to want to continue that while you’re on the road – and it’s not as hard to do as you might think, so long as you’re motivated. While you may not have your favorite gym down the street from you or all your equipment at the ready like you do at home, there are plenty of healthy travel tips and ways to stay fit as a digital nomad on the go.
Aside from the physical benefits of staying fit, studies have proved that there are a bunch of mental benefits too, which are great for traveling as a digital nomad. Whether or not you realize it, your brain is working out while your body is working out! Regions of your brain are activated when you’re exercising due to increased blood flow, which results in lower stress levels, improved mood, and increased energy. All of this is very beneficial for life as a digital nomad!
It may seem far fetched to actually keep up a digital nomad fitness routine while traveling, but there are many ways you can get your exercise in, no matter where in the world you are. It’s not always easy, but we’ve rounded up a few healthy travel tips for you to make things a little simpler for you.
Fitness Apps
We digital nomads already use apps for everything, so why not do the same for fitness? Mobile apps are a super convenient way to stay fit as a digital nomad, and there are a bunch to choose from. Sworkit is one with glowing reviews – an average of 4.7 stars across 20,000 ratings! The app offers over 400 workouts and customized 6 week programs to help you accomplish goals. You can even get 1-on-1 assistance from certified trainers!
If you want short workouts (as in, only seven minute long) try Seven, which gives you maximum benefits in minimum time. You can create personal fitness plans tailored to your fitness level, and choose from over 200 workouts. Both of these apps have free trials but will cost you membership fees if you choose to continue after the trial.
If you want an app that’s going to give you a more social experience and give you access to equipment and in-person trainers, try ClassPass. It’s a monthly subscription that will give you access to group fitness classes at studios around the world! The US has the most locations (there are loads and loads of studios in NYC, San Francisco, and LA especially) but you can also use ClassPass in 21 countries, anywhere from the UK to Thailand to Australia. Check the ClassPass website to see if they operate in the cities you’ll be traveling to.
Healthy Diets & Meal Prepping
When traveling as a digital nomad, it’s super tempting to eat out for every meal and try all the different local restaurants around you. Trust me, I know! However, this not only gets super expensive, but also isn’t the healthiest. Cooking and eating at "home" is one of the most simple and effective healthy travel tips.
Head to a local grocery store or farmer’s market to stock up on some fresh produce and groceries that you can keep at the ready in the kitchen. All Outsite locations have a kitchen where you can store your groceries and cook (with all the essentials like oil, spices, pots, and pans) and many hostels have kitchens as well.
If you want to go the extra mile, take some time at the beginning of the week to meal prep. Cook and store your meals, or maybe even just one meal of the day, ready for the whole week. Having your food precooked and ready to go makes it easy to eat healthy and takes away the guesswork of “What should I eat for dinner?!” Healthline has a great guide to meal prepping for beginners.
Of course, you don’t have to totally write off eating out, but cooking in for most of the time can make a big difference. You can also make this a social thing to foster some community in the house. See if your housemates want to join in and you can cook together, share ingredients, and swap recipes.
Youtube Videos
Workout video tapes may not be a thing anymore, but we have something much better – YouTube! You can find so many healthy travel tips and workouts taught by professionals on there. Throw on something comfortable, clear some space, and cue a video up on your laptop. Many workout videos on YouTube are designed to be done with no equipment, which makes things even easier for digital nomads on the go.
Some of my personal favorite workout channels are Blogilates for fun mat pilates workouts (full body workouts or ones that target certain areas) and Yoga With Adriene for yoga of all types of flows (for example, ones that are designed to help you wind down for bed or ones that are more strength building). Popsugar Fitness is another good one that has lots of follow-along cardio based videos, including latin dance, HIIT routines, and cardio kickboxing all with no equipment necessary!
Get Outside
Use your time away from the computer wisely! Depending on where you’re traveling, there’s usually lots of opportunities to be active outside, doing fun things that double as exercise. For example, many of our locations are nearby great surf spots, and surfing is an excellent full body workout. In Oahu, there are plenty of awesome hikes nearby ranging from beginner to advanced that are incredible scenic and will get your heart rate up. You can ski or snowboard in Tahoe in the colder months, or stand up paddleboard in the warmer months. Of course, you can always go for runs, too. Simple, yet effective.
Another idea is to walk or bike (some Outsite locations have bikes available) around if you’re heading somewhere local instead of driving. You’ll not only be exercising, but you’ll also be eco friendly.
For any of these activities, you can make things even more fun by organizing a group outing with housemates. Getting active with a buddy (or multiple buddies) makes you more likely to stick to your workout plans, and you can motivate each other to push yourselves even harder.
