Travel Tips

So often when we vacation, we take break from our healthy diets and fitness routines. So, here are a few easy travel tips to help you stay fit while traveling.

I travel a bit and sometimes when I am packing I realize that there just isn’t enough room in my suitcase for my pilates mat and my shoes. The dilemma! It just isn’t always practical for me to take along the mat given its dimensions. However, the pilates ring and weighted ball are small, lightweight tools that slip easily into my luggage and travel well. They are great tools to keep me in shape while on travel. So when you’re traveling this season, don’t take a vacation from your workout too. Find ways to incorporate it into your schedule even when you’re away. As the saying goes, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

When I travel, I am always reminded of the many obstacles – um, distractions – that can easily interfere with scheduled workouts. You may not have the time, space or energy for your full pilates practice when you're traveling but committing to a quick workout in your hotel room will make you feel better. I think we all know how tough it can be to pack a pilates mat so don’t hesitate to leave it at home and try this trick instead during your next trip. Order lots of extra bath towels from the hotel's housekeeping staff and spread them out on the floor to eliminate the ick factor about the cleanliness of hotel floors. Also, don’t forget to turn the heat up so that you don't get cold halfway through your workout!

Wherever your travels take you this spring and summer, here’s how to say “Where’s the gym?” in several languages:

Dutch: Waar is de gymnastiek?

French: Où est la gym?

German: Wo ist die Gymnastik?

Italian: Dove è la ginnastica?

Portuguese: Onde está a ginástica?

Spanish: ¿Dónde está la gimnasia?

Now that you can bring pilates with you on vacation, how should we curb the late nights filled with martinis, mojitos and mai tais? Don’t worry, I promise to tackle the tempting diet pitfalls in upcoming blog posts. Cheers!