Living Fitness

The concept of fitness presupposes that every individual who engages in a coordinated physical exercise would improve his or her health and wellbeing. While a lot of people find it difficult to start out on a regular exercise regime, there are others who have committed to a healthy lifestyle regardless of where they may find themselves.

In fitness there’s no commitment without passion. Commitment brooks no excuses. Anyone who’s passionate about staying healthy would do all it takes to ensure they exercise daily.

For many people, a change of environment may sometimes affect how they work out. Not being close to regular workout partners or being away from a familiar environment may affect their morale. But it need not be so.

A workout is a workout, whether indoors or outdoors, North Pole or South. Here are some tips that would help ensure that no matter where you find yourself you can always engage your body effectively with an exercise.

Start with your body. When you are far away from home, it’s natural to want to seek out the nearest gym whether in your hotel or nearby. But you should think more in terms of how you can use your body as a gym, especially if it turns out that there is no gym available.

We have all become so engrossed with the external that we neglect the internal, in this case, our body and its amazing capabilities. As a tourist, if you are really serious about keeping fit, you need not wait until you find a gym. Using your body weight correctly can prove as effective as using gym tools.

You may start with stretches to loosen your body before engaging in such kinetic chain exercise like push-ups which, thankfully has many variations using your body weight. Truth is: there are many exercises you can do without gym tools that would deliver astounding results.

However, if you are a gym rat, especially the kind that loves to spend hours sweating it out, using the gym tools, you would be lucky if your hotel has a gymnasium. But even if you are a neophyte, it’s advisable to engage an instructor and discuss your fitness needs and how he can help you meet them.

Do not, like many newcomers, just go in there and grab the nearest dumbbell. That’s a sure recipe for an accident. It pays also to find out if the using the gym is part of your package or should be separately paid for. That would certainly save you some embarrassment.

Walk. This often disregarded but highly effective exercise will do your body a lot of good. Walking is perhaps the best exercise and is known to improve cardiovascular functions, prevent obesity while helping to maintain a healthy weight. It also strengthens the bones and prevents such health issues like diabetes, insomnia and many more.

Studies have shown that people who go on regular walks are 50% less likely to use walking aids in old age than those who do not. So, as a visitor in a new environment, take time to see how you can engage your legs regularly. Ensure that there is adequate security in and around your hotel.

Choose the right time. If you are on an assignment, say, a conference or a brain-storming session that takes most of your day, you may find that exercising first thing in the morning may be most effective. Trying to do so after the day’s work may be difficult as your body badly needs a rest.

On the other hand, if you finish early from your engagement, evening workout may just be the right thing for you. However you may look at it, the rules of fitness are not cast in stone. They are flexible and can be adopted by any serious-minded individual who desires results, whether at home or away from home.

This article belongs to Chidi Nebo and it appears in the maiden edition of Travels & Thrills magazine, published by More Cream Than Coffee in January 2025.