STAYING FIT ABROAD

We are excited to welcome Tanya Blake to the Harmony Village family! Not only is she passionate about her community, but Tanya finds her inspiration through maintaining an active lifestyle.  At Harmony Village, we believe in fostering a community inspired environment that engages residents and community members.  Whether it is a walk through the park or joining a fitness class in the community centre, we want all residents to truly live in Harmony! Tanya’s blog, Bonjour Chérie (http://bonjourcherie.ca/), coincides perfectly within that vision, so make sure you read her newest post on how to stay fit while on the move!

STAYING FIT ABROAD
By Tanya Blake, Bonjour Chérie

I’ve been on the road for two weeks traveling for work and the hours have been rather long, leaving me tired and with little time to exercise. It’s a scenario many of us encounter when traveling for work, and sadly, it’s both our bodies and state of mind that pay the price.

Before I left, I sought out help from my favourite Pilates teacher Tiffany (you can find her at Core Studio in Toronto) who dished out tips on how to stay healthy during my 5-week work trip abroad. She suggested I do two things: HIIT and Pilates. HIIT stands for High Intensity Interval Training and is a form of cardiovascular exercise. It improves your metabolism and burns fat by alternating short intense cardio with longer rest periods. Tiffany suggests you warm up with a brisk 5-minute walk, and then you alternate between walking for 60 seconds and running as hard as you can manage for 20 seconds. The trick here is to listen to your body; you may only manage 5 minutes of HIIT on your first try, or even your first week, and that’s perfectly okay. Like most things, the more you do it the more stamina you’ll have! You want to keep your HIIT anywhere between 5 and 10 minutes, with a 5-minute cool down period afterwards – this brings your total cardio workout time to 20 minutes maximum… Not bad at all!

Now that your metabolism is high it’s time to work your core. Your core is sort of like a short wet suit; it starts from your hips and goes all the way up to your shoulders. Strengthening your core is essential if you want a strong body, and it takes more then just sit-ups and ab crunches – abdominal muscles actually make up a very small part of the core. Tiffany turned me on to Pilates Anytime, a great website with hundreds of virtual Pilates classes for everyone from beginners to advanced. Classes range from 5 minutes to over an hour, which helps you take advantage of any free moment. Most classes simply require access to a laptop and wifi, but I also invested in a flex-band and Pilates ball that fits nicely in my suitcase.

If logging gym time and virtual classes aren’t your style, don’t sweat it. Staying fit can be as simple as taking the hotel stairs instead of the elevator, or going for a walk after dinner.  Take advantage of your hotel’s swimming pool – a leisure swim can burn 350+ calories per hour! And why not pace the room while catching up with loved ones, or stretch as you unwind in front of the television. Anyone who travels for work knows how hard it can be to fit exercise in your busy schedule, but a little here and there goes a long way.

See you on the road!
Tanya

Tanya’s Bio:
Based in Toronto, Tanya Blake is a proud French Canadian, blogger, TV director and bonafide paper enthusiast. She created Bonjour Chérie in 2009 to cover topics such as home design, food, travel, women, and lifestyle. You can follow Tanya via Twitter and Instagram!