I think I've developed new muscles in my forearms. I've been dragging around this massive suitcase for three weeks, from baggage claim to taxi, up and down flights of stairs, from a hotel to the trunk of a friend's car. If only I were satisfied with this amount of exercise while traveling then I'd relax. I'm not -- and I'm glad!
Traveling, whether for work or play, throws my normal sleep, eating and exercise schedule for a loop. On the one hand, it's healthy because variety is important. However, I have also found myself seriously off track while on the road, returning home sick, to a typical running route that is suddenly exhausting.
Along with my forearms, I've been strengthening my travel skills. Here are some ways to stay active while you're on the road:
Pack right
When I leave Alaska, I tell myself an adorable fairy tale that the place I'm visiting, wherever it is, will feel tropical by comparison. This is rarely true, but upon finding out I live in Alaska, people around me reinforce this idea. The cabbie: "Oh, you're from Alaska — this is nothing to you!" My friend whom I haven't seen in a while: "What's Alaska like? Must be lots colder than it is here!"
The thing is, especially over the past few years, many places especially in the East were colder and snowier than Anchorage in winter. We just had the darkness, which makes me particularly grouchy when asked about it.
I've realized that no matter where I'm traveling, I still need to pack good outdoor layers because in many places weather is unpredictable and may be more Alaska-like than I'd guess. Maybe I won't need a raincoat, but if I don't pack it I probably will. I pack a pair of lightweight gloves and a hat, running pants, shorts and, of course, sneakers. If I'm traveling for a while, I'll bring a small bottle of Woolite detergent so I can wash headbands and sports bras in the hotel sink, letting them air dry overnight. I bring running snacks that I'm used to, and usually buy fresh fruit to keep around in my hotel so I'm not fully reliant on restaurant food. Sometimes I pack my swimsuit, goggles and swim cap, just in case I feel like scouting out a pool. And I have also packed a helmet since many cities now have readily available bike-share programs. If I'm traveling somewhere mountainous, I bring a small backpack and a spare water bottle.
Make a plan and say it out loud
I go outside in part to escape my laptop. However, a little time in front of my laptop before exploring an unfamiliar city really pays off.
If I plan on running or biking, it helps to have a ballpark route in mind instead of pausing and referencing a map every five minutes. Applications such as MapMyRun (which also includes bike routes) show tons of user routes, which can be filtered, for example, by distance. There's also a useful feature that allows me to map my own route. I tend to get mentally exhausted when exploring a new place, which quickly makes me physically tired, too. A 2-mile run tends to feel like 5. But mapping out my route, including distance, helps me think through and mentally prepare for what I'm going to do.
Secondly, when I'm training for a particular event and need to get a certain mileage in, it really helps to research and plot out the distance. Looking at what other people ran or cycled, the elevation gain and loss gives me plenty of vetted options. I like knowing I won't suddenly find myself on a busy road without a sidewalk. I've discovered many amazing running and cycling routes this way, usually far from where other tourists hang out.
Finally, I set a time and tell someone my plan. Sure, this is a safety thing when in an unfamiliar place, but it also holds me accountable. It is the easiest thing in the world to wake up in a hotel room somewhere, surrounded by all those fluffy pillows, and convince myself that I never really wanted to go on that crazy adventure run. If someone out there (preferably not just my significant other) knows about my plan, I am much less likely to bail.
Staying outdoors
I'm superstitious about the connection between outdoor recreation and health. At home in my normal routine, I'm rarely sick. But I know the trifecta of red-eye flights, hotels and a gym is all it takes to knock me down. There is just so much humanity in all of those places, surfaces that have had people's grubby paws all over them, and children sneezing the way children do. My immune system is not up to the task. The gym in whatever hotel I'm staying at always sounds like an easy, readily available way to get in a workout, but when I wear my body down even further indoors (working out is basically wearing down my body, only to recover stronger) I invite all the germs to burrow in and make a nice home in my sinuses. I figure if I can avoid the gym and go outside, my odds of staying healthy are improved.
The greatest part is, after accomplishing the feat of exercising in an unfamiliar outdoor setting, I feel like I have a magic secret. I see something new, and even when I tell other people about it, the truth is it's just for me. It feeds into and bolsters the rest of the day, the fact that I invested a little bit in this new place and feel that tiny, fluttering sense of escape.
Plus, my forearms have never been in better shape.
Alii Harvey lives, works and plays in Anchorage.