While six pack abs and bikini season are always around the corner, living on the road might prevent you from reaching to those goals. So, how do you maintain your fitness while living on the road? While traveling in a van you are closer to access the outdoors if you plan your van trips correctly, however you aren’t going to have much space for working out, especially if the weather does not agree with your routine. If you plan on being a weekend warrior in a van, fitness won’t be a point of topic you’ll stress much about. However, if you decide to commit full time and have aspirations of maintaining your gym-centric body, guess again! With that said, below are five tips to maintain your fitness while living on the road.
Dalton Johnson does yoga outside of his van at a trailhead near Bishop, CA
Staying fit while living on the road has been a main focus of mine as a travel photographer. After seven years of living on the road, I have tried I have found the best to stay fit is to be active everyday. Setting aside an intentional 30-60 minutes to be active has kept me healthy while living on the road. Being active can vary, but I have found yoga, running, or going to a gym to be the best.
1) Create a stretch/yoga routine
While stretching in your van can be difficult if you don’t have space, there is almost always a park or beach or parking lot to stretch in. For myself, stretching has been the key ingredient to maintaining a healthy body on the road, because I am driving just so dang much! All that driving means LOTS of sitting. So, to counter this, I have dedicated time daily, to loosen up my body.
Some of the stretching areas are the hips and the shoulders. For the most part, these are my high areas of use and abuse, but that comes with the territory of driving, surfing, hiking, and climbing. Also, tossing in a few core exercises have added significant benefit to my life, so maybe thing about that as well.
The best part about yoga is that you really don’t need much:
-Yoga mat (this one is rad! It is made of recycled wetsuits)
-A strap or belt to be lazy while stretching
I also heavily suggest using a foam roller! These are small, easy to use, and you fell AMAZING afterwards!
Click here to check out my yoga YouTube channel called Yoga for Dad’s
Sherman eats a well balanced diet while on a rock climbing trip through Yosemite National Park.
2) Eat mostly plants, avoid processed sugar
Maybe the influence of Micheal Pollen’s book, Omnivore’s Dilemma, had a greater influence than I thought, but pack your fridge, or cooler, with veggies and leave behind the sugar. At first, the added time of eating vegetables was tedious, then I learned about meal prep and life became just that much easier. Just because you live in a van doesn’t mean you can’t live like you live in a home, the van is just a small home.
The biggest difference was in the snack world. Transitioning from potato chips to no-bake protein balls was a game changer. Yes, I do take a day each week to prep some food, but it is worth the time. Letting go of processed foods has helped settle my stomach as well! Here are couple of ideas for you to whip up:
-Tacos… the easy way out, yet still delicious
Check out these cookbooks designed for healthy ideas while living on the road:
Note: I still love sweets and eat them on the daily. I am a total sucker for Oreos! They make me happy and as long as I don’t eat a whole box, I am going to be okay and happier in life.
Elliot bouldering on a V2 high ball in South Lake Tahoe, CA
3) Do something outdoorsy, like; running, hiking, swimming, surfing, climbing, skiing…
Everyone enters van life for their own reasons, however I have come to realize the majority of those I meet are interested in deepening their relationship with the natural world. Typically moving from one national park to the next, those who travel and seek beautiful places are keen to getting outside. One of the best parts of van life, is the access that is provided. You no longer need to go to a national park to see the beauty, you can explore other places, like BLM, Wilderness areas, and so much more. While you do this, you will find an activity that suits your interests the most. That could be surfing, hiking, photography, climbing… the list goes on and on.
Regardless of your interest, if you are getting outside the chances are you are burning calories. As you move your body more often, you will start to find those uphill hikes to be easier. If you are a surfer, or climber, you’ll find that all of these opportunities to practice, you’ll get better. In many ways, this tip is long winded, but the key here is to find something that lights you up and go do it!
Check out some trip reports from my recent travels:
-Lake Tahoe Sisters Link Up (Mount Freel, Jobs Peak, and Jobs Sister) in a day
-Climbing Mount Langley, a California 14,000 foot peak
-Photographing big wave surf spot, Mavericks, from the water
4) Walk to your errands, save gas along the way
The most expensive part of van life is your gas. Moving your rig takes time and fuel, so why not skip it?! Have a bike, a skateboard, or, heck, just walk to where you are going! Not only will you get your steps in the for the day, you will save money, see the neighborhood a little bit different, and help the environment out.
Now, excuses make it easy to hop in the driver seat and motor you way to the grocery, because you can’t carry those groceries back, but you have options. Here are some easy solutions:
-If you don’t have enough hands, bring a backpack
-If it won’t all fit in a backpack, buy less
-If buying less isn’t an option, make two trips
-If you just don’t want to do it, make it a challenge
I’m not saying do this every time. Just do it a couple of times a week, a month, a year. In the end, these are just ideas to get you out and moving your body instead of locking up those hips while sitting in the drivers seat.
Often the best views take a little extra effort to enjoy, so stay fit and go seek wonderful views while living in a van.
5) Have resistance bands for working out, this can easy be done inside of the van
Resistance band workouts were popular during my time in college for rehab, which made me discount them as a viable workout, but that was my mind trapping me. With the right thickness of band, all exercises with enough reps can become a workout. If you are trying to become Arnold Swartzinigger, the bands are not going to be enough, but if you are trying to avoid muscle fatigue and live a healthy life, they are great.
Bands that I use:
-The Roll… great just in case you break a band
-Circular Bands… you don’t need these but they are nice (just tie yours together)
Upper Body Routine:
Three rounds of:
-Internal Rotation (20 Reps per arm)
-External Rotation (20 Reps per arm)
-Rows (20 Reps)
-Biceps curls (20 Reps per arm)
-Strict Press (20 Reps per arm)
-Wrist wriggles (20 Reps per hand)
-Tricep extensions (20 Reps per arm)
I promise, you’ll feel the burn if you have the correct “weight” to your band.
6) Don’t be afraid to stretch in your bed! This might be your largest area.
Getting out of bed is a key to starting the day, yet, in a van your bed might be the largest area that you have to move your body—queue the middle-school giggles—so make use of the space to stretch. In my van, I don’t have enough space to do the pin-wheel stretch nor supine twists on the floor, but I do on the bed. Often, you’ll find me stretching while journaling before bed. I’ve found once I get out of bed, make the bed, getting back into bed to stretch or work, I don’t have the urge to sleep.
Conclusion:
In the end, enjoy your time in a van and try not to stress about your physicality. As you are closer to nature than you have ever been before, take full advantage of the opportunity. Go for walks, go for hikes, enjoy your time with the access to the outdoors, and find what makes you happy. If you are eating mostly plants and being active, you are probably going to be healthy. On the flip side, if you are training for a goal, get after it and understand you can remain fit and train in a van depending on the type of training you need to do. Either way, go have a blast and enjoy van life!