Recently, I was in the Bahamas at North Riding Point.  The club is a bonefish destination and there is certainly no gym on the property. 

We had breakfast at 7 am and fished until 5 or 5:30 pm. Cocktails and appetizers were served at 6:30 and dinner at 7 pm.  Obviously, there are some challenges to making sure that I was able to get some kind of exercise while on this trip. 

When traveling, I find that it is even more important to put exercise as a top priority for the day.  Many times, your choice of meals is limited.  The food may be excellent, but often the portions are out of whack and few leafy green vegetables are available.  Of course you try to eat as well as you do at home, but hey...you are on vacation...and the food is awesome! 

When at home, we can all try to get a steady routine going with exercise and we can return to our own kitchens and eat an optimal diet.  The road can present challenges. I find that if I fail to pay attention to my diet, exercise and hydration all at once, I will then not sleep as well, and then it affects my overall performance.  I came on this trip to catch some fish...If I am drowsy and not capable of paying attention, I miss shots.  Also, if all three of these factors are not addressed daily, it takes 3-4 days when you get back home to fully recover from your trip.

I can usually find enough water, but the diet often slips while on the road.  This is why I make sure that I am exercising every day.

With a tight schedule like I described above, I can still make sure that I get in a pretty good workout with zero equipment and very little time.  The most important thing to do is to make a quick survey of the place when you arrive.  What is available?  Here I saw a nice beach out front...bingo.  That is all I need. 

Second is to know when you are going to get the workout in and know what you are going to do ahead of time.  Have a plan and stick to it the best you can.  Sometimes weather may alter it like it did for me on day 1.  I came back ready to do the workout I will describe below but it was pouring rain.  I did a deck of cards in my room instead.

I created the following workout and was able to get in a nice short but effective workout in a few minutes and still make it to the dinner in time for the lobster appetizer.

Equipment needed: 50 yards of open space

Time required: 15-30 minutes

Mark off 50 yards by drawing a line in the sand with your foot or putting a stick in the sand.  On the other side, do the same. 

Sprint 50 yards

10 burpees

Sprint 50 yards

10 Jumping Jacks

x 10 rounds for time.

This workout can be done on a beach or in the hotel parking lot.  All you need is 50 yards of open space and about 15 minutes. If that is not enough or you have more time, make it 15 rounds...or 20. 

Obviously, the exercises could be changed on this workout to be anything else.  For example, try doing 10 4 count Mountain Climbers on one side and 100 flutter kicks on the other.  How about 20 pushups on one side and 20 air squats on the other?  Maybe a 10 yard walk on your hands on each side?  All great ideas that could easily keep you occupied and in shape while on the road. 

On another day, I simply ran down to the left as far as I could, then turned around and ran back up the beach to the right as far as I could.  It turned out to be about a 4 mile run.  I usually wait to run until I have had tome to survey the place a little and talk to the locals.  It is not smart to be in a foreign country and just take off on a 10 mile run without knowing where you are going.  Grand Bahama is safe and friendly, but 10 miles can lead you into places you don't want to be in any city.  I once got into trouble in Honduras like this...but that is another story.

Let me hear from you if you have great ideas on how we might vary a workout like this.