Living out of a bus Ed. 5 Staying #Fit on the Road
Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this subject and have no official training or accreditation, so take it for what you will! BUT health and fitness is a big part of my life and always has been. I’m a long-time subscriber to many podcasts and weekly newsletters & have been in competitive athletics all my life - I experiment with suggestions from trusted sources and assess if they work for me - learn, trial, tweak, repeat.
My health history -
I come from a very active lifestyle, all throughout my childhood really and into my adult years. I grew up on a farm where manual labor was rewarded and also grew up in a large sports community. Sports were a big part of my life throughout college & beyond; I’m a competitive spirit, what can I say! Of course being on sports teams, I had programmed workouts that I would follow, but after college, I started doing a bunch of my own research and trying my own things - I have dabbled in everything from yoga to boxing to indoor cycling - you name it, I’ve likely tried it! And the thing is, I like most all of the things I try. I just like being active; I’m a busy-bee! So, over the years, I have created routines that combine many different “styles” of workouts into something that keeps me excited about working out and challenges my body in different ways.
I think it’s worth noting I have never really had any major health issues, as I know that is a major health driver for many - no broken bones, no major skin or gut issues, etc. - I feel very fortunate to have a very capable body that has stuck with me thus far! I try to treat it as nicely as I can (sometimes accidentally flipping over my bike) while always making it stronger than yesterday. I’m often asked what I’m training for, but mostly I just want to keep my body healthy and capable for all of the days I’m on this earth! #yourbodyisyourtemple
My current workout style…
As I mentioned, I do a little bit of everything as I enjoy a bit of everything, but my most consistent routine involves a healthy mix of interval cardio mixed with strength training and yoga. Sports are tougher to integrate when living on the road, but Jake’s & I still fit in some tennis matches; volleyball tourneys have mostly halted while on the road unfortunately! (btw, sports have been a great connection point for Jake & I and I highly recommend doing active things with your partner as an outlet if you’re into that kinda thing)
The Strength training barrier
Since high school, I have been into cardio (running & biking mostly), so that comes pretty natural to me. As much as I like to run and bike, my body definitely gets bored with it. For me, there are only so many days/week I could go on a run and feel like I was enjoying myself rather than just dragging my body about without a purpose. So I started searching for things to mix it up!
Strength training and lifting has been something I dabbled in here and there, mostly due to my involvement in sports, but hadn’t practice much since college (minus some 5lb bicep curls now & again). This is where I think a lot of people get stuck - where to start with strength training…it’s not super natural to pick up a bar and just do a deadlift and it can be intimidating; it’s also not that safe for your body if you have no idea what you are doing. So I started finding resources that could help me get back into it, create a routine, and reteach me moves safely.
This is sort of a tangent, but here are some steps I took to learn how to strength train safely! First off, you can Youtube pretty much any weight lifting move and find 20s of videos that will “teach you” how to do the move. But I suggest finding a source you think is credible and get to know their intention and philosophy. Aside from your own research, I think finding a gym or trainer can also be a really powerful way to get started! I have never had a trainer, but find group fitnesses classes great ways to learn moves & learn sequences of moves that cumulatively make a BOMB workout. Almost all gyms have trial classes! Pay attention to the posted workouts at your gym, maybe snipe a picture of the whiteboard and try it out sometime. ;) Find friends that are also interested in learning! Always easier to tackle with a buddy!
Anyways, I started combining sources, watching youtube vids of people I found credible, and attempting to do the move myself. Sometimes, I would even video myself doing a move like dead lifts and compare my vid to the Youtube vid. I pay extra attention to the moves that I feel could hurt my body if done wrong (i.e. dead lifts). For move sequences, I did much of the same.
After all of this educating myself, I felt pretty confident programming my own workouts. I actually created a “workout jar” (ridiculous, I know) where I wrote down different workout circuits (from subscribing to newsletters, online challenges, my own creation, etc), put each one on a notecard, and threw them in the jar. I use this “workout jar” as inspiration - I often pick a workout & then modify it for what I want to do that day. :)
Working out on the road -
I have definitely had to adjust my workouts while being on the road (& throughout COVID, in general), but for the most part, my routine of cardio, yoga, and strength training has remained consistent.
CARDIO: really simple to keep up with this being stationed anywhere. I have always believed that the best way to learn a new city or area is to lace up or hop on your bike, so this philosophy holds strong on the road and traveling in general. I actually find doing cardio on the move more enjoyable than cardio back home. If you want some added inspiration and pre-programmed workouts, I highly recommend the Peleton app (just $12/month!). The running and cycling classes are by far my fave! Some of my cardio has also been replaced with hiking and summiting mountains which I also enjoy.
YOGA/STRETCHING: also pretty simple to keep up with on the road, but likely just cheaper as you aren’t dishing $20/sesh at Core Power :) I do think it’s most helpful to have a bit of a background and practice, so you know how to create your own flows. There are also many apps, or even Youtube, with free flow sequences - the Peleton app also has a yoga section, although not my favorite yoga style.
STRENGTH training: this is the toughest one to keep up with, without a gym and with minimal gear. With the gyms being closed for months prior to our departure due to COVID, I had to get creative in our backyard. I had purchased a weight training bag piror (the Empack) and had dabbled with my own strength workouts, but now it was less of a choice & more of the only option if I wanted to continue doing strength work as I do not own dumbbells or a rack (nor were we going to pack this in the bus). I have been able to modify this bag for most of my lifts - since it’s a single weight, you are a little strapped & may need to adjust reps for certain lifts (ex. it’s much lighter than what I typically back or front squat, so I’ll add jumps or do more reps. But for single arm bicep curls, it’s very heavy for me, so I will do fewer reps or modify to make it a 2-armed lift instead of single arm curls - you get it). This bag is quite versatile and really has done the job, more or less for me! You can fill the reservoir with sand or water depending on how heavy you want it, you can also buy multiple reservoirs. If you don’t want to invest in a weight bag, you can either stick to body weight exercised OR fill some bags or bottles with water or sand. Be resourceful!
Really, aside from my workout shoes, the only workout accessories I brought with me are 1) a yoga mat and 2) my weight bag. You don’t need much to get and stay strong!!! See the appendix of this post if you are interested in a sample 7-day workout routine.
Tips & practices that work for me:
Combining beautiful scenery to your workout routine - trust me, running through the red canyons or to a summit is much more enjoyable than running on a city sidewalk. You become fueled by excitement and seeing what’s around the corner rather than waiting for the crosswalk to turn green.
5-10 mins of morning stretching - this one is huge; if you do yoga, start with a simple “warm-up” routine - I have a very basic sequence I do most mornings that focus on waking up my spine. It’s very simple & I can feel the benefits immediately!
Your body is also a weight - push-ups, burpees, tricep dips off the picnic table, step ups, etc. These are all strength moves that work just as well weightless as they do with weights.
Mixing up the routine - I love my cardio and feel the best, both mentally & physically, when I get my heart rate rocking. However, I don’t feel like I necessarily build strength doing long cardio sessions everyday. I save my “tough” cardio days for 2-3 times / week and then really, really look forward to them!!
Be motivated by someone other than YOU - Peleton: I’m clearly on the band-wagon. I got into the Peloton app when the gyms were still open actually - my gm had pretty nice cycle bikes that I would hop on & stream a Pele workout! Truth is: I LOVE the Pele classes. They test my limits & are extremely motivating when I don’t have the NRG to make my own workout plan. If you love interval work, but sometimes struggle to push yourself to do them, these ARE for you. You don’t need the $2,000 tread or the $1,500 bike and $30/month subscription - all you need is a pair of running shoes or a yoga mat or arms for push-ups :D Even without equipment, I go to church with their running classes or even kick it with a bootcamp sesh every once in a while.
Listen to your body - so cliche, but also very true. If your body hurts or feels x10 sluggish, slow it down or switch to a good stretch instead of an interval run that day. Especially if you are just getting into a new type of workout, your body will probably need more time to recover as those muscles aren’t used to being worked! The best way to BURNOUT is to skip this step - no bueno.
MCT Oil in my coffee - this gives me a quick (& tasty!) dose of fat in the AM to get my system started. What I love about this is it curbs my morning hunger! So if I have my MCT coffee, I have enough NRG to do a workout and then make breakfast vs working out completely fasted.
Fish oil for recovery - I started this one about 6-12 months ago; it doesn’t need to be right after your workout, but usually mid-afternoon or close to dinner time, I will take a low-dose of fish oil, especially helpful on strength days. Beware of the quality.
All of the above things are practices I started long before bus life, but I have taken them on the road with me and feel great! My body feels strong and capable and I thank it everyday for its abilities. And if you need some outside motivation, don’t forget your pals Ally Love and Cody Rigsby are waiting for you to tune in and CRANK.IT.OUT. ;)
“Plant a thought and reap a word;
plant a word and reap an action;
plant an action and reap a habit;
plant a habit and reap a character;
plant a character and reap a destiny”
Peace, love, and get jacked,
yo’ girl Jen
Appendix: a 7-day workout routine example:
Day 1: 7-10 mile hike outside, typically with 1,000 ft of gain or more
Day 2: 20 min strength circuit (12 steps ups, 12 curl to press, 12 single leg deadlifts) + 20 min yoga sesh, hips-focused
Day 3: 30 min Pele run (intervals, likely, church with my girl Robin - highly suggested)
Day 4: R&R day OR 20-30 mile bike or hiking, depending on how the bod feels
Day 5: 20 min strength circuit (15 bent over rows, 10 jump squats, 5 thrusters, 200m sprint) + 20 min yoga sesh, chest opening focused
Day 6: 3-6 mile trail run
Day 7: R&R day - some light hiking / walking
PS) sometimes that #namaste even runs a little bit off on this one 😋
