4 ‘Must Haves’ For Simple Workouts at Home or On The Road!

If you have already seen our post about what is in our camera bag you may now be only wondering about how we manage to stay in shape while constantly moving from one place to the next (we get asked this A LOT). It is no secret that day passes at gyms can be quite expensive and it is impossible for us to actually establish memberships because we may not even be in the same country in the next few days. Luckily, with a little bit of creativity and some lightweight additions to our luggage, we have found simple ways to get great results without having to find a gym every time we change locations. Getting in shape starts with the willingness to commit to legitimately working out, not making excuses and not being lazy about your sessions whether you are at home or on the road. It is important to have a disciplined, healthy diet if you truly want to see progress and we cannot stress that enough. If you are eating fattening, greasy foods all day, snacking on sugars and drinking lots of alcohol you aren’t going to see a difference - pure and simple.

Kelingking Beach, Nusa Penida - May 2019

Don’t be afraid to think outside the box!

Using your own body weight can certainly be effective but to get better, quicker results it is never a bad idea to add even just a little bit of weight. This can be so simple as wearing a backpack stuffed full with clothing or water bottles (reusable preferably). Wear it on your back for pushups or pull-ups if possible, on the front for squats or even as a makeshift dumbbell for curls or overhead tricep exercises. Luckily for us our camera bag weighs a TON and we can use it for a solid weight addition. Utilize anything that you can around you to supplement weight and give yourself that edge. Now, with that being said, we are listing our 4 Must Have’s For Simple Workouts at Home or On The Road below with direct links!

Cebu, Philippines - March, 2019

1. Resistance Bands

These are a game changer! We have a few different kinds and if you use them for arm, back, and leg exercises and you will see serious improvement. With a little creativity you can find things to loop them around and create a little gym out of nothing. They come in different resistance levels so you can work up from low to high. The best part about these is the portability - they fold up and weigh close to nothing. We never travel without them!

Our Bands - Resistance Bands for Legs, Resistance Bands for Upper Body and Booty Bands

2. Ankle Weights

We travel with two 5lb weights and while they may not be as inconspicuous as the resistance bands, they are a serious must have! If you are at home then no worries on portability but if you are on the road a lot like we are, they do add to an already cumbersome amount of luggage. These are great for ab and core routines, legs and glutes. We even put them on our arms for more effective shoulder exercises. We split them up, carrying one each in our primary luggage/backpack, in an attempt to make the days on the move not quite so heavy. However, if you are feeling up to it you can just wear them! No need to pack them up, just strap them on and hit the road - you are trying to get in better shape, right??

Our Weights - Sportneer Adjustable Ankle Weights

3. Speed Jump Rope

Cardio is very important and it is something that neither of us are willing to omit. Almost any hotel room has plenty of headspace for a good speed rope and the inability to go for runs in certain places, due to either weather or lack of space/time, is never an issue now. We have even been the ‘jump rope couple’ in the airport a few times… creativity is key! These are extremely lightweight and easily wrapped up and tied off, reducing them to a small size and therefore backpack friendly.

Our Rope - Speed/Boxing Jump Rope - Ropes can range in price, costing up to 50USD but we have found the 10-30USD range to be reliable and durable enough to withstand consistent use and travel.

4. Supplements

*Disclaimer - Not everyone likes taking supplements/vitamins and some people disagree entirely. If you don’t want to take them it is simple: Eat a healthy, high protein meal after your workout instead.

Traveling with healthy supplements is very easy but the biggest reason we travel with them is because they help you get the healthy protein and vitamins you need in places where it may be difficult. We spent some time in Leyte (Philippines) and there wasn’t a vegetable in sight, just pan seared pork and rice… just one example of why we always travel with multivitamins, B12 vitamins (very important if you are vegan/vegetarian) and vegan/plant protein powder. We have a few that we like so we will link all of them for you to look over. Most come in different flavors so you just have to pick which one you prefer. They will arrive in bulky containers which is no issue if you are just adding them to a kitchen cupboard at home but if you are on the road you can pour it into sealable bags and toss it in your backpack. We both LOVE smoothies and after a good workout we add the protein powder in the blender with all the fruits and vegetables we choose. If you don’t like smoothies or don’t want to make them just add it to some almond, coconut, rice, oat, regular milk or even water - stir or shake well to mix the powder in.

*Read all the ingredients in the products below to ensure that you are not allergic to any of them!

Our Favorite Plant Based Protein - Optimum Nutrition Plant Protein (Vanilla), Liv Body Plant Based Lean Protein, Vega One All-In-One Shake, & Vega One Protein and Greens

Our Favorite Whey Protein - Optimum Nutrition Whey Protein & Liv Body Pure Lean Whey Protein

Vitamins - Daily Multivitamin for Adults & Daily B12 Supplement

BCAAs - XTEND BCAA Powder (Men and Women) & Ideal Lean BCAA (Women)

Spirulina - Raw, Organic Spirulina - Vegan Superfood

*BCAAs are great for quicker muscle recovery, stamina, and overall performance during training. While typically used for real weight training they will still benefit you even if you prefer bodyweight.

If we can do it so can you! No more excuses!