sports Archives - Fit When Traveling

Archive for sports

3 ways to stay fit in Dominican republic

August 22, 2016 / Alex / 2 comments

I found online a very informative article about the best beaches in the Dominican republic which gave me an idea to write the following post. If you are visiting the second largest Caribbean country, then the below tips might be helpful for you.

We all know how it goes on holidays, especially if we tend to stay at all-inclusive resorts with abundant food 24/7. We spend days tasting many local meals and alcoholic drinks (in Dominican republic we are talking of for example interesting mamajuana – a mixture of red wine, rum, honey and herbs).

But you don’t want to put on weight while on holidays, do you? If not, keep reading.

3 ways to stay fit in Dominican republic:

1.Water sports

All-inclusive resorts might be awesome, but there more than anywhere else is staying very active the key to not returning home heavier than before. Dominican republic offers a bunch of various activities, mostly water sports. I can only recommend snorkeling, swimming, scuba/snuba diving and surfing, kitesurfing, windsurfing or practicing yoga on one of the white sand beaches. Just make your way along the coast and find the right sports for you.

2. Coconuts

My favorite drink on the planet is no wonder young coconut water. And in the Dominican republic you are able to get many coconuts, especially on the beach. Coconut water is rich in nutrients and electrolytes, it keeps you hydrated on hot days (more effective than energy drinks), reduces blood pressure, facilitates digestion and it’s very low in calories.

If you do any of the above mentioned sports, then drinking coconut water is a necessity for you to regain the minerals lost when sweating. When I am in the tropics, I cannot go a day without coconut water and trust me, I could even drink up to 5 coconuts per day and not get bored of the refreshing taste.

3. Fruit

Being located in the Caribbean, Dominican republic gives you an opportunity to fully explore all the tropical tastes. There’s so many different exotic fruits to munch on all day long. Do not settle for those you can get back home or you’ve tried in the countries you’ve visited before, but definitely give the unknown a try, too.

Go to a local market or to street vendors and ask for guanabana, guava, limoncillo, sea grape, noni, sapote, tamarindo, starfruit, bread of fruit, pineapple, avocado, mango, papaya (lechosa), cacao, passion fruit, acerolas, chayote or cashews. I am sure you will find a new favorite taste. Personally, I am a huge fan of papaya, pineapple, guanabana and mango but occassionally enjoy more of a sour taste, too.

Fruit might be high in natural sugar, but it’s the one your body can easily burn. So just swap heavy cooked meals for tasty fruit and you will be surprised at how much your weight might change. I am mainly eating just fruits and coconuts in tropical destinations to stay hydrated and have loads of energy and to be honest I’ve never felt better than on mostly raw vegan diet.

Add a lot of walking around the hotel and beach, hiking in the mountains/jungle, and a sport massage to tone up your muscles and you might even go back home in a better shape than when you left.

If you are visiting the Dominican republic, get some time if you can to hop on the surrounding islands for more adventure in the Caribbean. Highly recommended!

Category: food and drinks, inspiration, sports, tips, yoga / Tags: Dominican republic, fit

How to stay fit on Mauritius

March 30, 2015 / Alex / No comments

Maybe you remember my older post which I published 2 months ago on my other blog where I talked about things to do on Mauritius. Mauritius is one of the beach destinations highest on my bucket list and I cannot wait to get there one day.

Similarly as for many, the island would be the best fit for honeymooners and high-end travelers. You don’t have to worry when looking for a Mauritius honeymoon resort. There’s so many great ones on the island! Does it mean I should find a boyfriend finally and take him to our honeymoon to this tropical island? What do you think? 🙂

Anyway, thinking of a paradise beach holidays on Mauritius sounds more than good to me…

But how about staying fit when traveling there?

Below, I suggest a few things so you don’t come back home with a few kilograms more (not baggage full of souvenirs, but I am talking about fat kilograms 😉

If you happen to travel with your partner, a new or an old love, then for sure you should remember that even simple kissing burns calories. The rest of the activities you can do with your loved one I will leave up to you. Hint: Just think of the famous picture book written way long ago in India 😉

Besides tender loving care burning calories, there are a few adventure activities you can do on Mauritius in order to maintain fit. I recommend things like paragliding, ziplining, hiking to get a perfect view of the island and the sea … Kitesurfing and canyoning are becoming very famous among young visitors, too. Swimming and snorkelling are not even necessary to mention as many people do both of them when spending time at the beach.

*photo credit

Photographers could keep themselves fit just running around and trying to snap a lovely photo of many wild animals around the island.

If you are not that much into sports and prefer lazy holidays over active one, you can still munch on fresh tropical fruits found at hotels and restaurants around Mauritius, get fresh juices an choose a veggie salad instead of a very heavy unhealthy dinner you can have back home. For sure, try fruits and vegetables that you’ve never seen and you will find many of them very tasty.

Good news for all the ladies – even being a shopaholic you could burn a lot of calories, especially in such a heat on Mauritius. Trying a lot of clothes and walking from one shop to another counts as exercise, too, doesn’t it?

PS: Don’t forget to buy travel insurance and stay safe when traveling to this paradise island.

Category: sports, tips / Tags: Mauritius

How to be fit in Bocas del Toro – Bocas Yoga tips

August 6, 2014 / Alex / One comment

My love for yoga started back in 2012 when I took 2 sexy yoga classes at Bocas Yoga with Laura Kay. For some reason, like many of us think, I also thought yoga is boring and not a proper workout.

Boy, was I wrong!

At Bocas Yoga Laura kicked my ass at every single class and I fell in love with yoga so much, I revisited Bocas Yoga in 2014 twice. I even stayed at Laura’s room for rent at the back of the yoga studio so I could practice yoga sometimes even twice a day.

I learned tons of things from Bocas Yoga classes:

spread the toes – it makes our muscles to work harder and we are more stable, also it prevents the external rotation of the knee so if you have any knee injuries, open your toes to activate your leg muscles
my first wheel since I was a kid
my first wheel with one arm and also with one leg only
my first head stand without a wall (even though Laura does not like to practice them in here as she hurt her neck once I was practicing them on my own as I was on a mission of learning how to do them)

Crazy sexy fun traveler with Bocas Yoga Laura Kay

Yoga lesson 1: You deserve gratitude and abundance.

Yoga lesson 2: Being a child feels awesome. Be playful.

Yoga lesson 3: You have light in you. Bring it with you all the time, even when you travel. Shine it out. Show light you have inside the whole day wherever you go.

Yoga lesson 4: It’s good to live in abundance and be able to select. Yoga teaches us also how to be selective, to know our value. You do have a right to say no. It’s good to say no sometimes if we recognize we are worth more than what we are getting offered.

Yoga lesson 5: Passion is the key. Do everything with passion. Practice each yoga pose with passion.

Yoga lesson 6: Yoga is a creative process. Be creative. We create yoga poses, it’s art, too.

Yoga lesson 7: Through yoga you overcome your fear. Some poses seem fearful but you become fearless slowly. The same applies to your life. Do what you are afraid of and after a certain time you will learn how to deal with fear.

Yoga lesson 8: We are perfect inside where it matters. Choose to witness our inner beauty.

Yoga lesson 9: Cultivate gratitude. Look for the things you take for granted and be grateful for them. There’s so much to be grateful for. You have many things that others do not.

Yoga lesson 10: I am glad to see my friends at this yoga class. Celebrate the friendships and relationships you have.

Yoga lesson 11: Remember, you always have a choice. Choose your perception, choose to see the positive.

Yoga lesson 12: Karma does pay back. It’s worth it. Give more and you will get more.

Category: inspiration, sports, tips, yoga / Tags: Bocas Yoga, yoga tips

FLYUP Fitness Launches Travel Inspired Fitness Product Through Kickstarter

December 18, 2013 / Alex / No comments

Most people reading this blog can relate to the struggle between wanting to exercise more often, but not being able to get to a gym regularly. There aren’t many products on the market that are travel friendly and can deliver an effective total body workout at an affordable price.

Brent Kruithof was a Certified Public Accountant who spent late nights doing audits in his cubicle and traveled frequently for both work and pleasure. He also had a young family and social commits that kept him from getting to the gym regularly. Brent faced the common problem of trying to stay fit and living a busy life that often took him on the road. Not being able to find a solution on the market, Brent took matters into his own hands by developing a product called the FLYUP.

The FLYUP is a set of two pushup handles that slide easily across surfaces like carpet, wood floors, tile floors, gymnasium floors, rugs, laminate, and more. The idea is based on body weight resistance and slide training to do both functional movements (multiple muscles contracting at once) and isometric movements (single muscle contraction). The result is a total body workout device that is about the size of a book, and can be used for dozens of exercises for people of most ages and fitness levels.

flyup pair

Brent developed the product for his own personal use, but after positive feedback from friends and family, he decided to leave public accounting and turn the FLYUP into a full-time business. After assembling a team, he has launched his sales through Kickstarter (http://kck.st/1gHDofb) and has experienced more great feedback. The Kickstarter campaign reached the funding goal in about 10 days and still has 3 and half weeks to sell the FLYUP.

If you’ve been looking for a training device that gives you a great workout when you are traveling, the FLYUP is the answer. This compact piece of equipment will deliver a great workout wherever you take it.

good for girls too

Check out the video too FUF Kickstarter.

Category: inspiration, sports / Tags: Flyup Fitness

Yoga around the world

November 4, 2013 / Alex / 4 comments

In May 2012 when visiting Costa Rica and Panama, I realized that probably the easiest sports to do while traveling around the world is yoga. I first practiced yoga on Bocas del Toro islands in Bocas Yoga studio with beautiful yoga teacher Laura.

Ever since I’ve had periods of time when I practiced yoga every day but unfortunately also weeks that passed without any yoga. It took me time but finally I am sure that practicing yoga is one of the best things to do on the road.

I don’t carry a yoga mat when traveling but you can easily do it without it, trust me. I got used to practice on the ground, on the grass or even in my hotel rooms on the floor or carpets. It is not that tough at all.

Sometimes, I even take a few minutes to just do a yoga position or two, or relax my mind doing meditation whenever possible, especially in the nature, gardens or even my hotel balconies.

Here are some of the photos I took of myself practicing yoga around the world:

When visiting Costa Brava in March 2013, we took a boat trip to Cap de Creus and pulled over at Cala Guilolla beach. I found a pretty amazing old boat there and practiced some basic yoga positions on top of it when my travel buddies were getting ready for lunch.

* Thanks to Richard from Charming Villas for taking these photos of me 🙂

A few days after every morning I froze my ass off doing some yoga positions at the balcony of Hotel Terraza in Roses, Spain.

Back in May 2013, early morning when it was not too hot, I enjoyed the views from my balcony at Marina Fiesta hotel in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico.

Oh, and after kayaking I took a second for a tree pose on Balandra beach close to La Paz in Mexico too. Look at the beauty beach!

On top of my favorite pyramids ever – Teotihuacan, one of the many archaeological sites in Mexico I visited – I practiced some yoga for a bit too. The photos were taken by my tour guide on top of the Pyramid of the Moon overlooking the Pyramid of the Sun.

Then, in June, when I expected warm weather in Canada, it was pretty cold and rained a lot. I even had to use my fireplace at L’Auberge des Falaises in Charlevoix, tuck myself up in bed and drink warm tea. That was obviously after the morning yoga at the balcony.

I know my head is missing on the photo, sorry. I still have it so no worries 😀

Spending a few days exploring the multicultural Montreal in Canada, I also took a few hours to practice SUP yoga on the river with KSF. It was my first SUP experience and also SUP yoga in general, so took me a while to stand up and learn something, especially when kind of scared of falling into the cold river with my sinus infection. And, it was raining. But Josie, our instructor from O’Yoga was amazingly patient so in the end we all enjoyed our time.

When visiting Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia in summer 2013, we took a canoeing trip along the Danube and when stopped to take photos of the Devin castle, I tried yoga … tried in the river. By the way, check out more sexy photos from the Danube 🙂

With a bunch of Slovak friends we took a road trip to Portoroz in Slovenia and stayed at Majda apartments for 5 days. There, before breakfast, I stretched my bones at the balcony too.

With my friend Lukas practicing early morning yoga in the cold weather in Slovenska Ves, Slovakia.

Waiting for 2 hours at the train station in Krivan, a small village in Slovakia, I decided to strech a little bit when there was no one.

And last but not least, meditation in my home town Snina, Slovakia.

Do you practice yoga around the world on your trips too?

Category: inspiration, sports / Tags: yoga

How to stay fit on board a cruise

April 9, 2013 / Alex / No comments

a lot of fruit on board MSC Preziosaa lot of fruit on board MSC Preziosa

I spent a week on board beautifully decorated MSC Preziosa flagship cruising around the Mediterranean sea and I had to experience myself if one of the preconceived notions of getting fat on board a cruise is true.

But it is not that difficult not to gain weight on a cruise. It all depends on you.

6 tips on how to stay fit on board a cruise:

1. ditch lifts, take steps instead – each time I was on my own I climbed the steps, both up and down. Trust me, going up to the 15th deck from the 5th where the reception was, or 6th or 7th where most of the restaurants and entertainment were was a bit challenging, especially after a huge meal. The first day I walked around 1,000 steps and then I stopped counting them but it is the easiest exercise you can do when cruising. I am so happy I listened to my friend Dan who gave me this tip when we spoke about what to expect on board a cruise.

Who wouldn’t like to take these beautiful staircase instead of a boring lift??

take the steps, no lift policy on board a cruise

2. there is a gym, personal trainer or yoga classes in the MSC Aurea spa so no excuses, you can hit them any time during the day, or even more times if you feel like (or if your belly fat shows you should).

3. jogging or fast walking around the decks – I saw a bunch of people jogging around the swimming pools. The ship is 333 m long and 38 m wide so there is enough space for you to go around a few times.

4. healthy food – as a person who LOVES eating and really eat at least 5 times per day, if not 6, healthy food was what I was most excited about. Already every night I was looking forward to the following breakfast where I could choose from cereals, many different berries, fresh fruit, green tea, fresh orange juice, coconut and nuts. Then in my cabin in the Yacht club I had a basket of fresh fruit every day and I did eat my favorite fruit. Buffet lunch offered many healthy options, you could make your own salad with olive oil and then get fresh fruit too (even some exotic varieties).

a lot of fruit on board MSC Preziosa

Alright, pizzas, pasta, sandwiches, soups and all the other delicious meals were there too but it was possible to get a bit of those and still make the salad the biggest part of your lunch. And dinners … well, 3 to 5 course dinners were on the plan every single night for us, it didn’t change the fact you could opt for fish, soup, salad or something light and healthy.

To make sure passengers can get the perfect combination of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, the MSC’s nutritionists created ”Deliciously Healthy” daily meals in the main restaurants of the Golden Lobster and l’Arabesque.

fresh berries for breakfast on board MSC Preziosa

5. excursions – you will walk during many excursions once you disembark in the port. I’ll take that as an extra walking. Sometimes it is possible to do sport activities in the ports. Get on one of them if necessary.

6. swimming – a number of pools allows you to spend hours swimming, even if the weather is not warm enough for a dip, there is always at least one indoor pool on board a cruise where you can spend calories gained from the Italian pasta you had for lunch or a yummy dessert from last night dinner.

Swimming on board a cruise possible any time

MSC Preziosa and other cruises do offer hours of finger-licking cuisine but if you want to stay fit, there is always a way. It all depends on your strong will and how much you really want to stay fit on board a cruise! Remember, no lift policy!

Category: food and drinks, inspiration, sports /

9 steps to burn calories easily

February 25, 2013 / Alex / 2 comments

I can hear you saying you don’t have time to think of how to burn calories when you are busy traveling. But let me tell you, it is so possible to burn more calories just adding a few things into your schedule.

I found these 9 steps to burn calories easily:

1. chew a gum – yes, you will hear it many times. Chewing gum is supposed to burn calories. Every little helps, right? 🙂

2. drink green/white tea – green and white tea belong to those drinks that help your body to burn calories without even doing anything else. Yes, polyphenols in them do wonders. Plus they fight all the free radicals. What else could you ask for when just getting your daily water into body?

green tea to burn calories easily

3. do things standing – you would maybe not believe it but if you stand, you get rid of some calories, not that much when sitting though. So all the things I can do while standing and not sitting down, I will.

4. eat breakfast – I mentioned it already. Not skipping breakfast boosts your metabolism which is exactly what you want. And we all love food, so what’s the reason not to include breakfast into your 5 daily meals?

5. spice up your life – spicy food can also be an easy way to less weight. If you like Mexican or Thai cuisine, go ahead. This is not something I personally do though as spicy food or even a bit spicy salsa makes me sick. Not the biggest fan of it.

6. squeeze your belly – this is the easiest exercise to do whenever you want to … on the train, bus, plane, waiting in a Q etc. Just squeeze your abs for a few seconds when breathing out and relax them with a breathe in. Repeat for a few minutes even a couple of times a day.

7. move your legs/feet when sitting – it will definitely burn at least some calories in case you have to be in a sitting position for too long. Anything is better than nothing.

8. eat the peel – your stomach will use more energy to process the vegetable/fruit peel. Obviously, talking about peel you can eat, I mean apple or carrot one, not the orange peel.

9. add cinnamon to your food – it is said that cinnamon is one of the spices that helps burn calories. I use it with every oatmeal and sometimes with apples too.

Are you doing any of these steps to burn calories easily? Would you add any more? Don’t make them your secrets 🙂

Category: food and drinks, sports /

My experience with detox

February 18, 2013 / Alex / No comments

The other day I have explained you a bit why I was going crazy. A few months ago I got skin rash on cleavage, forehead and upper back. I’ve never had anything similar before and wasn’t really sure what it was. Over months, I had to try a lot of different things to get rid of it.

I am trying to eat healthy as much as I can but logically I am no angel.

After years, I decided I needed to go through detox.

I didn’t want to do a fast detox of just a day or two as I knew eating healthy when traveling is not easy at all. No matter how much I try, I still take it as being ”on holidays” so I can get ice cream or strawberry chocolate desserts whenever I can, right? And all those press trips just make it worse as my sponsors want me to have a brilliant time and food helps it very easily.

But it was the right time for a change. If not now, then when?

I had to make it the right time!

I started avoiding chemicals in cosmetics, stopped using the deodorant, shower gel, any make-up and perfume. I bought shampoo with no parabens and made of mostly natural ingredients and also began to apply 100% argan oil on my skin instead of body lotion. hand cream and face cream.

However, this is where my experience with detox only started.

going through detox

I also started eating more raw vegetables and fruit, many seeds and made juicing part of my afternoon/dinner time. I added green tea for breakfast, white tea for lunch, seabuckthorn tea, linden tea, reishi tea and cups of other healthy teas in the afternoon/at night. I was as well taking spiruline and used detox foot paths for 2 weeks.

Dairy, meat and chocolate at minimum. No ice cream. Only rarely I used soy milk instead of cow milk, and if I was craving for some sweets, I got a small bite of 80% chocolate. I tried to avoid pasta and bread too.

I did cheat a few times though – I had chicken breast twice, cheese maybe 5 times, a few cakes and chocolate when I had a really bad day. But it is a lot less than ”normal”.

There’s not much to do in winter when it’s or slippery or full of snow so at least I went for a walk when possible, took 6 floors of steps up to my apartment and down, did some boxing or yoga. No sports where I could burn a lot of energy as it’s been a very long detox and I had days when I felt weak.

I did all this for 2 months and even though I cheated a few times over holidays (at Slovak Christmas and NYE), I have lost 3 kilograms and I feel much better and lighter. I also lost 90% of the rash on my forehead and maybe 80% of it on my back and cleavage. And it’s the first winter ever I have not had to fight with sinusitis yet. Even when everyone else was sick around me, I was healthy.

Long detox is not easy. I guess no detox is. But it was so worth it! I can say it started as a simple detox but I taught myself to be more patient and take better control of my cravings.

Have you ever gone through detox? Tell me about your experience with detox.

Category: food and drinks, inspiration, sports /

Walk, walk and walk – to walk is important

November 19, 2012 / Alex / 5 comments

People often ask me what sports I do when traveling. Honestly? Not so many like I should. But at least I am trying hard.

There is just one simple tip behind it: walk, walk and walk. Yes, each time you can, just walk.

Taxi? No, thank you.

Public transport? No, I’d better walk and also see some new buildings and more ”real” life on the streets.

Do the local people tell you the only way to get where you are headed is to take a bus or tube for those 2 stops? Do not listen to them, ask for the direction instead. You can walk there, trust me.

What is the best way to get to know a city? You guess it right – also here to walk is important. There is always so more to explore in between the most famous attractions than just those. It is a win-win. You find new cool off the beaten track spots and also stay fit.

hiking

Hiking? Yes, please. I do a lot of hiking. I am still not fit as much as I would love to, and my nose operation years ago did not help it as I cannot breathe properly but I still do try. I go hiking in Slovakia in summer and there are always hidden gems to explore in our High Tatras or Sninsky kamen. I also so loved hiking in Patagonia for a few weeks.

There are days when I can walk/hike many kilometers. I remember when visiting Rome with a friend, she counted then that we walked more than 23 km that day. Impressive, right?

Walking will burn calories, shape your legs and get you a hot ass like I have.

Yes, that is the only secret behind my sexy butt. I walk ALWAYS unless it is longer than 30 min walking in super heat or very cold after long hours on the road with no sleep and heavy baggage. Or unless I am late somewhere, or it is dangerous to walk in there. Apart from this nothing can stop me.

Don’t be lazy next time. You got legs to use them. Bring on more walking!

Do you walk or do you usually take the local transport when traveling?

Category: sports / Tags: hiking, walk

Fit When Traveling