Believe it or not, people are still traveling for work. Now more than ever, it is important to stay healthy while you are away from home. Busy professionals have so much to do that they often think, “I’ll work out later.” Usually later never comes.
When you’re traveling, workouts are often the last item to get accomplished on your to do list, if it gets done at all. Meetings, reports, after hours networking and such crowd your schedule, leaving little time for exercise. But in this COVID world, exercise provides two important benefits for road warriors.
First, exercise relieves stress. Studies have shown that exercise releases endorphins in your brain. These chemicals in the brain act as natural painkillers, improving your ability to sleep, which in turn further reduces stress.
Second, regular exercise boosts your immune system. Typically, people only have a small number of immune cells circulating around the body. Those cells prefer to hang out in lymphoid tissues and organs like the spleen, where your body kills viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms that cause disease. When you exercise, your muscles and blood circulate those cells, making them more available to attack pathogens in your system. Unfortunately, this phenomenon only lasts a few hours, but when you go for a 45 min walk the next day, you circulate those disease fighting cells in your body again. Exercise is important for your health when you are away from home.
Now that we’ve established the importance of exercise for road warriors, here are a few tips to help you find the time to squeeze a workout into your busy schedule.
Tips for Freeing Up More Time in the Morning
- Sleep well. If you wake up tired every morning, you probably need to get more good quality sleep. Stick to a consistent bedtime and turn off the TV and computer at least an hour before you retire. You’ll do everything faster when you feel fully alert.
- Take a single shower. Skip the shower until after you exercise rather than washing up twice. As a bonus, you’ll waste less water and help avoid dry skin.
- Simplify your look. Talk with your hairdresser about getting a hairstyle that requires little daily maintenance. Limit the number of beauty products you use.
- Store workout gear in one place. You’ll always know where your bicycle helmet is if you keep it by the front door. Keep your gym bag packed and in your car trunk so you’re always ready to go.
- Lay out your clothes the night before. Stop wondering what to wear in the morning. Get your outfit ready before you go to bed.
- Eat at work. It’s nice if you can sit down for breakfast but sometimes you need to eat on the go. Try a yogurt drink or a protein shake you can consume quickly at the office or during your commute.
Working out can be tough to make happen, but with a little planning, you can make it part of your routine.
Having your own apartment can make a big difference in having space to manage a workout routine. If you’re heading to work away from home for an extended period of time, check into what Capri can do for you.