If you've been following my Instagram, you'll know that I have spent the last few months travelling. California, Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Colombia, and I am currently
in Peru. During this time, I have lost 6-7kg of body fat, gained strength, and improved my fitness. This is how I did it.
Firstly, some important context. Before this trip, I was in my final year
of medical school. I was extremely busy, and definitely not training as much as I'd like. While I trained relatively consistently, it was a bit scattered and under more time pressure. Therefore, it was quite easy to make improvements when I suddenly had more time.
With that said, travel presents a number of novel challenges:
1.) Gym access
2.) Variability among gyms
3.) Quality & macro-friendly food options
4.) Lack of routine
5.) Motivation
Training
With respect to training, gym access has been an occasional barrier. There have been a few places where I haven't had a gym, and what I have done in such cases is train harder in the days prior, do more cardio on those non-gym days, or perform some
bodyweight exercises. I'm then fresh and ready to go once I am back in the gym.
Gym variability doesn't tend to cause me too many problems. As I always tell my clients, it's okay to be flexible
with your training. So, you don't have a smith machine this week? No problem, perform your close grip presses with a barbell or dumbbells instead. Simple swaps go a long way, and while chopping and changing every week isn't the best option, it's fine every now and then.
How I set up my training split really helps. For the most part, I have been running a Push/Pull/Legs split, with 2 variations of each workout. I don't hold myself to the standard "7-Day Week", and this allows for flexibility if I am doing other activities.
For example, if I am hiking Tuesday and Thursday, and let's say I have access to a BJJ gym on Friday (rare), I may just get 4 days of my split complete, which would look like: Push / Pull / Legs / Push. Then, the next week will start with the next Pull workout, and so on. If I get 6 days, all will be complete in one week. If I get 3, it will take 2 weeks. Few
people use this approach, as they are unable to look past the arbitrary 7-days as being the timespan over which training is planned.
Nutrition
To cut to the real meat and potatoes (pun intended), I have been tracking my nutrition most of the time. This is obviously a skill, and if you've never tracked before, then travelling probably isn't the best time to start. But, as a
professional, I am pretty well able to eyeball meals and track in the absence of a food scales and reliable food labels. Therefore, whether I am in Munster or Medellin, my ability to track and keep my nutrition on track [from a quantitative perspective] doesn't change.
The qualitative side of things can be a little more challenging. Getting sufficient protein and fibre has been a challenge, and to combat this, I use protein powder that I bring with me, along with psyllium husk for fibre. And, of course, making smart choices, such as meals with more meat, and buying high-protein drinks or bars where possible (rare). My diet quality has been suboptimal for the most part, but this hasn't
stopped me from being able to achieve excellent progress.
Psychology & Mindset
The final component that I alluded to at the beginning is motivation. Many have reported to me that they just aren't in the right mindset to train while travelling, or they feel like they should be doing something else. I am biased here. I am a fitness fanatic, personally and professionally, and
thus it remains a non-negotiable for me wherever I am. Training fulfils me, and so it would only make me feel worse if I was to avoid training.
Some of you may not be quite as obsessed with the process,
which is fine. But, I would ask you to be honest with yourself and reflect on why it is you go to the gym at home? Does it make you feel good? Why wouldn't it do so while abroad? Of course is would. Skipping it for a week or two on holiday is fine, but if you plan to travel for an extended period of time, I'd recommend treating it like you do at home (maybe a little less). Your body and mind will likely thank you for it.
Anyway, that's about everything. As usual, there are no hacks or shortcuts. It's just commitment to the process, even if circumstances are suboptimal. While I can't train jiu jitsu right now (rarely), I can focus on other areas of fitness, and that's what it's all about.
Make the most of what you can do, rather than feeling down about what you can't.
Yours in health,
Dr Gary McGowan
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