I was out traveling the last two weeks and as per usual, my number one concern was how to stay active and fit during this time. I’ve spent a lot of time in the past dwelling about this and this trip was kind of a revelation for me, and I wanted to share my ideas with you. This does not necessarily mean that it works for you in the same way, but maybe there are a few things in it to take away.
Don’t overthink – you’re on holiday
Obviously, of you are spending time away from home on vacation or travel, you won’t have access to your typical gyms, courts or other fitness equipment and options. So, how do you stay fit and active or adhere to your program while also getting a good rest or achieving your travel goals?
Key is to stop overthinking. A great advice on court as well, this is especially true for things that have their own reason outside of your training. Chances are, that you are not a professional or aspiring pro, but rather an ambitioned hobby or tournament player. And we have things to do outside of tennis, be it business travel or just getting in some relaxation in your well-earned holidays.
Keep those things at center for that trip and just add your possible training in where needed and possible. If you need to stress out continuously about tennis and fitness, both these will not have the desired effect for you anyways. If you are on an active kind of holiday, as I was, with 20.000 steps a day and multiple hikes, you don’t need to worry about losing all your fitness in a week or two. And if you have a strenuous business trip at hand, a short run in the morning might be just enough for your needs on that day. Bottomline is, there is usually no way that you can train at the same frequency or high intensity, unless you plan your entire trip around tennis.
Basic maintenance is key
The things you want to do however, are the basic maintenance drivers of your body. You still want to stay active and keep your body burning calories – so you should aim for minimum 10.000 steps a day, regardless of your travel. That means you want to have a walk around your resort, walk a few steps in the aisle of your flight or just move around town whenever possible. Next, you want to keep your mobility, so look for some basic stretches in the morning and/or evening to keep your body ready for action. There are a few muscles that tend to tighten really fast, especially around your spine and hips, so you want to keep them going.
I recommend either joining a guided mobility program (there are great ones available online) or just get a few basic stretches, twists and movements in. For example, the World’s Greatest Stretch is an all-round hip opening move, that will give you a lot of benefit from a single movement. I usually stretch right after waking for 5-10 minutes and it just makes it so much easier to hop right back into action after vacation.
Live a healthy lifestyle on the road
Adding to these basic principles, your lifestyle will help with keeping fit and preparing to get right back into action when you get home. Of course, we tend to let loose a bit more on vacation and there is nothing wrong with this, but you still want to follow some basic rules. Drink your daily ration of 2-3 liters of water, eat a mostly healthy diet and try to not go completely overboard with alcohol. This might look a bit different on your bachelor’s party than on your yearly vacation, but I hope that you get the idea.
Sleep is another factor that can influence performance and health greatly. You still want to aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep (not time in bed) and adhere to somewhat of a rough rhythm. A good night of sleep does not only make you feel better, but also keeps your body’s hormones in balance, thus keeping it healthy and relaxed.
Go for the easy option
I know we all love our routines, going to the gym and doing our set program or hitting the court every Monday. But on travel, this might look a bit different and that makes a lot of sense. If you cannot make it for your planned 1,5 hour full-body training, this is not the end of the world for your two weeks of yearly vacation. But you still do not need to consider this a complete failure or not do anything at all instead. Myself I would often go for 0 or 100 only, completely disregarding the possibility of a compromise.
But there is always the possibility to just do a quick 20-minute bodyweight training in your hotel room, go run a few kilometers or just hit the treadmill at your hotel for half an hour. All these will help with maintaining your fitness level, keeping active and burning more calories. On the road, it doesn’t need to be perfect, but it needs to fit your current situation. I hope that these things will make you a bit more relaxed on your next trip, so that you can stay healthy, fit and get ready for your next tennis match!
Let me know your routines on travels in the comments!
More resources:
Tennis Travel Blog
Fitness Blog
