{"id":5650,"date":"2023-07-14T21:13:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-14T14:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5650"},"modified":"2023-07-14T21:13:45","modified_gmt":"2023-07-14T14:13:45","slug":"doing-workouts-when-traveling-offers-a-unique-joy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=5650","title":{"rendered":"Doing Workouts When Traveling Offers a Unique Joy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">H<\/span>iding in the only place appropriate for a class newbie, I attempted to salsa, shimmy, and shake at the back of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.zumba.com\/en-US\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.zumba.com\/en-US\/\">Zumba<\/a> class. While I\u2019d previously considered myself a decent dancer, I quickly realized my skills didn\u2019t compare to the class regulars at a city center gym in Kampala, Uganda, who could bust out professional-level twerking moves. My subpar technique became further evident when the freestyle segment came into play and I had to take my dancing into the center of the circle.<\/div>\n<p>This was 2019, and it was just one of the many unique gym experiences I\u2019ve had while traveling abroad. While the clanging of weights and panting of patrons, the moist faces and smell of sweat are the universal hallmarks of nearly any gym session all around the world, over the years, I\u2019ve learned that an exercise experience can vary massively depending on the country you\u2019re in. As a result, I never pack my bags without sneakers in tow.<\/p>\n<p>That wasn\u2019t always the case though; I used to be one of those people who\u2019d roll their eyes at anyone who worked out while away. Surely the calories didn\u2019t count when you\u2019re out of the country?<\/p>\n<p>But then, my own travel ramped up. Prior to COVID-19, working as a journalist had me going somewhere new almost every two weeks. This meant that if I wasn\u2019t heading to the gym during that time, my sessions would be cut in half. How could I expect to build any fitness with a two-week-on, two-week-off workout schedule? It soon became clear that the only way for exercise to be sustainable in my life was to take it on the road.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/workouts-when-traveling\/\" current-title=\"There\u2019s a Special Joy in Going to a Gym When You\u2019re Traveling\u2014And It\u2019s Got Nothing To Do With Getting Fit\" current-image=\"GettyImages-workouts-while-traveling-425x285.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2023-01-14\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/workouts-when-traveling\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/workouts-when-traveling\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/workouts-when-traveling\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>And so the lycra and lace-ups became essentials on the packing list, and I began booking hotels based on whether they had a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hotel-in-room-fitness-trend\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/hotel-in-room-fitness-trend\/\">decent gym<\/a> or at least one nearby.<\/p>\n<p>I quickly discovered that while a squat, deadlift, or push press feels equally grim wherever you exercise, the setting in which you do it can be a way of tapping into the local environment and experiencing what it means to work out in that country. From different post-workout drinks (hello, pineapple smoothies) and fitness fashion (not sure I\u2019ll ever be able to pull off the barefoot and bikini top look of the Thai islands) to new music choices and meeting locals, spending time in a gym while abroad is a cultural experience in itself.<\/p>\n<p>In San Francisco, I discovered (thanks to jet lag) that 4:30 a.m. is the time to meet the Silicon Valley types and learn about the latest in tech. In Seoul, the closest gym Google guided me to was all about retro bodybuilder memorabilia, granting me an education on the Korean greats. And in Alicante, Spain, I got to work out with a rooftop view of the city I\u2019d otherwise never have seen.<\/p>\n<p>For me, there\u2019s now a joy that comes with gyming while away. I don\u2019t see it as a chore, but as something to get excited about. I can squeeze in my sweat session and simultaneously see what fitness looks like locally. It\u2019s also helped me shed a little of my \u2018gymtimidation.\u2019 Walking into different facilities, not knowing what the situation might be and whether you\u2019ll fit in can be daunting, but generally being met with friendly faces, regardless of the culture, means it\u2019s gotten easier over the years.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, not every session is going to add value to your trip. If you\u2019re confined to the hotel, the equipment might be subpar and the air conditioning temperamental. The same type of people you\u2019d find posing in the mirror at your home gym might be doing the same in Senegal. And I\u2019ve found that \u201c80s dance classics\u201d may be the mandatory global gym playlist. But there\u2019s a chance you might learn something new, meet someone different, discover a new class, or just rediscover your gym mojo.<\/p>\n<p>For instance, my Viking-esque classmates at a New Year\u2019s Day class in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bambufitnessbali.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.bambufitnessbali.com\/\">Bali\u2019s Bambu gym<\/a> had me recommit to fitness goals for the year ahead. Attending a different <a href=\"https:\/\/f45training.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/f45training.com\/\">F45<\/a> gym to the one in my own city made me notice the progress I\u2019d made without realizing it, and the walk to find a gym in Geneva meant discovering an entirely new part of the city.<\/p>\n<p>I get that going into any new gym can be a little anxiety-inducing, the effort of finding one in an unfamiliar location can be extra work, and the room your sneakers take up in a suitcase can be annoying. But I no longer see exercising as taking time away from a trip. It\u2019s a form of tourism in itself. And I fully believe it&#8217;s worth embracing the worldwide workout.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Hiding in the only place appropriate for a class newbie, I attempted to salsa, shimmy, and shake at the back of the Zumba class. While I\u2019d previously considered myself a decent dancer, I quickly realized my skills didn\u2019t compare to the class regulars at a city center gym in Kampala, Uganda, who could bust out &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}