Fitness Essentials: 5 Best Travel Fitness Items for the Holidays
It’s become a yearly tradition of sorts to stuff ourselves during the Holidays, only to feel bad about it until New Years… but this year’s different! OK, ok — we’re not going to act like we’ve got it all figured out, but we’ve also learned that beating ourselves up over it isn’t the answer either. We’re approaching this year a bit differently; rather than overly-optimistic weight loss goals, our focus is to maintain the results we’ve made throughout the year without sacrificing the joys of the holiday season.
This list is for the holiday traveler who will be away from their normal fitness equipment but still wants to stay active. Each item on this list is lightweight and can be fit into your suitcase to be taken with you without issue. With that said, let’s get into it!
Top 5 Fitness Tools to Pack for Holiday Travel
Loop Resistance Bands Set
Little known fact: You can make comparable strength gains using band-training as you can through free weights. Loop Resistance Bands weigh next to nothing, but when stretched, they offer 10-30 lbs of resistance depending on the band. When you’re away from home, you need equipment that can serve multiple purposes. Resistance bands keep your strength up, help joints and muscles stay loose, and offer a challenge; not bad for something that takes up almost zero space.
Tao Yoga Mat
There’s something to be said for having a comfortable, relaxing mat to do yoga on. The moment you unroll your OWN personal yoga mat, things just FEEL right - and that’s true whether you’re at home or on vacation. Our Tao Yoga Mat takes inspiration from Taoist stretching & breathing exercises, with its design aligning your mind to focus on the deep stretches of pilates or yoga. Let go of all of your worries and focus on the moment - let this mat be your way of channeling home away from home.
Jump Ropes
If you think you’re too old for jump ropes, might we suggest doing a quick search of boxers and MMA fighters doing warm-ups? Now that we have your attention — jump ropes are the perfect, portable fitness items to shred fat during your free time. Jumping for just a few minutes will have your heart racing, shoulders burning, and your mind questioning why you didn’t start sooner!
Ki Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set
As a former athlete, the hardest ask was to “take a break.” It wasn’t until I took it, however, that I realized how much I needed it. We get used to working through our aches & pains so often that we don’t realize that overtraining can lead to injury, muscle deficiency, and subpar performance. Use your holiday vacation to relax your muscles and get back to peak performance with the Ki Acupressure Mat and Pillow Set. Acupressure mats have been tied to lowering stress levels, treating minor aches and pains, and providing muscle relief.
Core Slider & Ab Wheel
Two products, one mission. The core sliders and ab wheel target your abs in unique ways by allowing you to stretch beyond your regular range of motion. While core sliders start you at a lower level of ab tension, ab wheels turn up the intensity with a fat-burning core workout. Your core is the foundation of so much that you do in the gym. Deadlifts, bench press, squats - each of these major workouts engage your core. Use these tools to increase your range of motion and build a more durable core so that you can perform even better when you’re back home.
We wish you a very happy holiday!