How can you stay in shape on the road when you won’t have regular access to a gym, bicycle, pool, even a jogging trail?

Once, after returning on a transpacific flight from a Christmas vacation, I planned to stay in Tokyo for two days.

I arrived on December 30th and stayed out all night for New Year’s, checked out of the hotel after stumbling back in the morning, and then continued to be awake all day until an express 8-hour midnight train to Kyoto to look at some temples.

Unfortunately, I was so exhausted after that train ride that I slept for the duration of my stay in a youth hostel near the train station, slurping ramen and watching DVDs in my few waking hours.

The moral of the story? Don’t travel too hard.

This is advisable for any number of reasons, including the danger of getting drained and unable to function at an optimum physical level.

By forcing myself through all-nights and an unreasonable travel schedule, I not only ensured I would be unable to complete my itinerary, I also drained myself of the ability to do anything spontaneous along the way.

But how to stay in shape on the road when you won’t have regular access to a gym, bicycle, pool, even a jogging trail? Here are 5 tips for keeping fit on the road.
1. Run

Although there may not be a trail, there’s always some place to run if you know where to look. Large lakes are your best bet for a paved, level path, but feel free to speed through the countryside at 5 mpm (minutes per mile, you rookies) and startle those just leaving the house.

A useful website (better than Google maps, I think) can help you chart as-the-crow-flies distances across the globe: Gmaps Pedometer.

Incidentally, if you don’t have room to pack a pair of running shoes and live near open fields, barefoot running is better for your bones and form. Just watch out for sharp objects.
2. Play Ultimate Frisbee

For some reason, ultimate clubs seem to be a global standard for expats. Naturally, there are other choices available to you, but none quite as widespread (probably because it’s a simple team sport requiring the least massive equipment).

Reach out to your local expat community to inquire about meeting times.
3. Find Fitness Centers

Gyms can be expensive no matter where you are, and chances are you don’t want to be tied to a six-or twelve-month membership.

See if your area has a YMCA. If you’re in a small town, try to negotiate a decent per diem rate; better yet, make friends with the owner.

Otherwise, it’s a better idea to save your money and effort: instead of bench presses, have someone sit on your back while you do pushups; bring a small hand weight with you for arm workouts; take advantage of your environment by rock climbing, kayaking, or doing martial arts…you get the idea.
4. Sample Local Flavor

Cubicle life might be stable and comfortable, but now that you’ve chosen to travel, to break the mold, so should it be with how you decide to keep fit every day. Open your body to new possibilities.

Tai Chi in the parks of Peking. Caber tossing in Scotland. Climbing the steps of Aztec temples and Egyptian pyramids (if you care to bribe the authorities).

No one is saying you can’t return to a regular 90 minutes on the weight, 30 minutes of aquajogging, and 17.5 minutes of stretching – just seize what is available to you on the road.
5. Stay Away From McDonalds

Just before I arrived in Japan, I weighed 200 lbs (in a good way… and yeah, a little fat too) and went to the gym regularly. Within a few months, I dropped down to 180 lbs and developed more lean muscle.

Why? The Japanese diet is one of the healthiest in the world. If you’re passing through Narita Airport at some point during your Asian travels, take a moment to just look around. Notice anything unusual?

There are hardly any obese people in Japan. This is in sharp contrast in many American airports. I believe the healthy Japanese diet is due to two differences in cuisine: smaller portion size and less butter and grease.

With fewer familiar western-style dishes in Japan, I experimented with a variety of healthier foods and came to love the local cuisine.

Bottom line

Keep track of your pace while on the road. For anyone who lives an active lifestyle, traveling for long periods of time isn’t always ideal.

Once you’ve had a taste of what it means to be in shape and reach your physical peak – strength, high metabolism, stamina, speed, agility - you start to wonder how you could have lived any other way.

What are your ideas for staying in shape while traveling? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Turner Wright is a marathon runner first, an adventurer second, and a writer through it all. He has a BS in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, and currently lives in Kagoshima, Japan. Check out his blog, Keeping Pace in Japan.

當你沒有常規的方法來實現上健身房，騎自行車，游泳，甚至是慢跑時，怎樣做到在乘車旅行時保持健康呢？

我曾經在一次過完圣誕節假期從太平洋彼岸回來之后，又計劃到東京去待了兩天。

我12月30日到后在外面度過了新年之夜，早上才蹣跚著來到旅館登記入住。然后我一直沒睡著，直到乘上了8個小時車程的開往東京參觀寺廟的特快火車。

不幸運的是，下火車之后我已經筋疲力盡了，以至于我呆在那里的時間里都是在青年旅社睡覺，在我少數醒著的時間里我就做做禱告或看一些視頻光盤。

這個事情說明了一個什么道理呢？那就是我們不要在旅行中太過辛苦了。

這個道理在很多時候都是可取的，包括筋疲力盡后不能以最好的身體狀況來旅游帶來的危險。

在迫使我自己徹夜未眠和遵循了一個不合理的行程安排后，我想我不僅完成不了我的旅行了， 而且在途中我也耗光了我自己的精力。

那么當你沒有常規的方法來實現去健身房，騎自行車，游泳，甚至是慢跑時，怎樣做到在乘車旅行時保持健康呢？這里有5點能幫助你做到。

1. 跑步

如果你知道你要去的方向，你就不會因為沒有小路而無處可跑。大型湖泊最好地為你提供了平坦的小路，但是你可能會在穿過鄉間時不自覺地加快速度到5英里每分鐘，同時也會為你離住所很遠而吃驚。

Gmaps Pedometer是一個很有用的網站（我認為比谷歌好），它能幫助你記錄穿過地球的直線距離。

順便說一句，如果你沒有足夠的空間塞進跑鞋，而你又住在空曠的地方的話，赤腳跑會對你的骨骼和形體更加有好處。但是要小心一些尖利的東西。

2. 玩極限飛盤

由于一些原因，極限俱樂部對移居外國的人來說就像是一個全球的標桿。當然，你也可以有其他的選擇，但是并不是很普遍存在的（原因可能是它是一個需要最少裝備的簡單團隊運動）。

著手去打聽你當地移民者社區的運動會時間吧。

3. 尋找一個適當的中心

無論你身處何地去健身房都是價格不菲的，而你也很可能不會愿意讓6個月，甚至12給月的會員資格把自己套牢。

觀察你附近的區域是否有基督教青年會。如果你在一個小城鎮，就試圖協商到一個入會的好價格，如果能和所有人做朋友那就更好了。

除此之外，這里還有一個能為你節約錢和精力的好方法：當你做伏地挺身時，不要用長凳，而是讓一個人坐在你的背上;在做手臂運動時捆上一個重量適中的小物品；利用好你攀巖，皮筏，或練習武術的環境。。。你了解到這個想法了吧。

4. 體驗當地風情

臥室生活是安定而舒適的，但是既然你選擇要去旅游，暫停這樣的生活，那你就應該下決心每天如何做才能保持將康的身體。來開發你身體的新潛能吧。

比如在北京公園里的太極，在蘇格蘭的擲木樁，在阿芝克臺人廟宇上和埃及金字塔上的爬階梯（如果你賄賂當地政府的話）。

沒有人說你不能從常規的90分鐘的負重，30分鐘的慢跑和17.5分鐘的拉伸練習中恢復過來­­——你只要抓住你乘車旅行中可用的機會就好了。

5. 遠離麥當勞

在我到達日本之前，我體重為200英鎊（狀態良好，或者有一點偏胖），也經常到體育館健身。在幾個月的時間里，我體重就減少到180英鎊，也練出了不少肌肉。

這是為什么呢？日本的飲食習慣是世界上最健康之一。如果你在亞洲的旅行中經過成田機場，環顧一下四周，看看有什么不尋常。

在日本很少有非常肥胖的人。這與在美國的很多機場有著鮮明的對比。我相信日本健康的飲食主要歸功于烹飪中的兩點不同，那就是分量小和黃油油脂少。

在日本少量的不正式西方菜肴中，我用很多健康的食物做了個嘗試，也開始喜歡上當地的食物了。

底線

在旅途中保持自己的步伐。對每個有著積極的生活方式的人來說，長時間的旅行并不是很理想。

一旦你嘗試了所謂的保持健康的方法和達到你體力的頂峰——力量，高速新陳代謝，耐力，速度，和敏捷——你就會開始驚嘆你曾經怎么會有過那樣生活方式。

你對在旅途中保持健康有什么樣的想法嗎？請在注釋中和我們分享。

Turner Wright 首先是一個馬拉松運動員，然后是一個探險家和作家。他在Austin的高級艙房大學里有航空和航天工程，目前他居住在日本的鹿兒島.檢查這個博客，讓他在日本并進齊驅。