Fitness and Travel

Recently I traveled to my parents home in Oregon so my boys could spend a fun week with Grandma and Grandpa. Knowing that I had a half marathon coming up just two days after I returned home, I knew I couldn't let my fitness slide while I was out of my normal routine. So, I planned ahead.

First I checked out Facebook to see what some options would be. That search feature in Facebook is pretty great, and with little effort I was able to see that the small town I was going to be in had a Jazzercise Center.  Yahoo! My membership with Jazzercise is good with any center in the country. Right there I was able to see that I'd have access to daily classes that I was familiar with, and wouldn't cost me anything.

I also checked to see if the town had a CrossFit Box. Turns out, yes, they did. Great! Another type of exercise that I am familiar with, and would be able to do a drop-in with little to no problems.

My parents live in a pretty small town (think less than 10,000 people), and it's not a subarb. I wasn't sure if they'd have anything, and at this point I was really excited.

I did a little more searching, this time on Google, and found that there were two gyms in town. There were also a couple of yoga studios listed on Google, but when I tried to look on their websites, they were not updated and I wasn't sure if they were still in business. When I sent in inquiry about class schedules, no response was received.

At this point, I knew I had options, and would wait to see how they played out once I was in town. The key to this was the planning ahead, and spending a little time before the trip to see what options I had. I know I can always just pack my running shoes, but I'm more of a social exerciser.

Once in town, I checked out the Jazzercise place. Jess and her staff couldn't have been more welcoming and friendly. The other classmates were also friendly, and I felt comfortable from the get go. I ended up taking three classes at the center over the week, and would have taken another but class ended up being canceled due to instructor injury.

I also took a class at the local CrossFit box, and again, was welcomed right away. The coach was great, and gave me some good pointers on my form. I had a great partner for part of the workout, and would have gone back had the times lined up with my schedule.

I also spent a lot of time walking. My parents live in the downtown section of this small town, so everything is less than a mile away. It was great to get in some extra steps and window shop. And it burned off energy that my young boys had, so that was certainly a #winning thing.

I'm so glad I spent a few minutes before I left town and my normal routine to make sure I'd be able to maintain my fitness while I was gone. A little planning went a long way. When you travel, do you plan ahead as well? How so?