Worried You'll Lose Fitness Progress on Vacation?

Hello Reader,​
✉️ Monday Momentum #39
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Heya Fit Travel Tribe,​
Today’s Monday Momentum is brought to you by…feeling stuck not making progress and...

ACCEPTING MAINTENANCE MODE

One of the hardest parts of staying fit while traveling isn't finding a gym or squeezing in a workout.
👉It's re-working your expectations.

At home, it's easy (easier) to be in growth mode. ​
You have your routine, your equipment, your favorite grocery store, your meal prep containers, and a schedule that supports progress. You're building toward something.

Travel is different.

Sometimes the goal isn't getting stronger, faster, or leaner.
​Sometimes the goal is simply maintaining what you've already built.

That's not failure. That's strategy.

When you're dealing with long travel days, unfamiliar gyms, poor sleep, changing schedules, and a constant stream of decisions, maintenance can be a huge win!

A shorter workout. A long walk. A simple, balanced meal. A few sets of compound lifts instead of chasing personal records.

Progress happens in seasons. Honestly, usually NOT while we're traveling and away from all things stable and routine. It's just not conducive for exponential growth.

Maintenance has its season too. We just discount it.

And often, maintaining during challenging periods is exactly what allows you to keep progressing when life settles down again. (Obviously besides travel...this applies to many challenging periods in life!)

(A mildly fake upbeat) Hello from Serbia

I had to check back to the last edition to ask myself "how much did I complain about being stuck in Serbia still with no visa?"

Every day feels a little bit like Groundhog Day right now. I'll have moments where I feel completely fine, followed by moments where I'm bored, frustrated, crying, or wondering why this process has to take so long. Then an hour later, I'm fine again. It's been a bit of a roller coaster.

The good news is that I get 2 weeks of Schengen time back that I'll be cashing in on this Thursday. I'll be heading home to Sofia on Thursday (at the latest....I reallyyyy hope I get my visa before then so I don't have to come back AGAIN later on for it).

In the meantime, I've been focusing on maintenance rather than perfection. ​
Lots of walks. A few gym sessions. Some productive work days mixed with some less productive ones (petting the cats at the hostel).

Focusing on basic movement has been my theme this last week. Stuck here in Nis, sometimes it's just going on long walks when I struggle to get to the gym. Check out the full post HERE.

I'll scoop this cutie up and bring him up to my room. He loves laying on the duvet. It's a great therapy session haha

Super proud of myself for creating a template for promoting my tours. Now I just plug in the photos and content. Check out more on my OHRID TOUR HERE​

Plus this gives me solid time to focus on my VoiceMap audio walking tours. I'm working hard to do some self-promotion in Sofia and setting up templates for future Instagram posts.

As much as I'm excited to be home in Sofia, I know I'll be traveling more this year for work (Plovdiv, some Greek islands, and multiple cities in Romania).

Check out my newest tour below!

MARRAKECH TOUR IS FINALLY PUBLISHED Super excited to put Morocco on the map and have my 6th tour published. Explore the medina on your own from Koutoubia Mosque, through the souks, and finishing at Jemaa el-Fna main square. ​Grab the tour here or save it for later​

When Maintenance Is the Goal (over progression)

We talk a lot about physical progress in the fitness world, but not enough about maintenance.
​(And I'm not talking about nutrition like when to work in a caloric deficit or maintenance block.)

When you’re traveling, STRENGTH MAINTENANCE is often the smarter target.

Instead of trying to set personal records, focus on preserving the habits and abilities you’ve already worked hard to build.

This is especially difficult if you follow a very athletic plan that truly builds month to month. You realistically might need to hit a "pause" on this progressive plan and tell your ego to calm down.

Here are some tips to make that easier:

• #1 - Lower the bar, not the habit. ​
  A 20-minute workout still counts. A long walk still counts. Five push-ups still count. Protect the routine even when you can’t protect the intensity.​
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• #2 - Prioritize compound movements.
  Strength training in foreign gyms is a mixed bag. Save the box jumps and coordinated landmine movements for your home gym where you already know you have the equipment and space. Decrease the decision fatigue on constantly adjusting and focus your energy on the basics (squats, presses, rows, and deadlift variations).
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• #3 - Chase intensity on 1 or 2 exercises.​
  Itching to increase some weight to feel the high of getting the gains? Pick 1 exercise. Go heavier with a bench press. You don't need to chase PR's for everything.
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Currently working on #3 from the list I've really struggled recently with some of these pieces above and I've had to remind myself that this is just a long travel period to focus on maintenance. The rest of my life and future strength gains are waiting for me on the other side. So for now... Besides doing a heavy bench press and prioritizing lighter lifting with squats and deadlifts (for muscle memory and proper technique), I tried going heavy for my overhead barbell press. Just last night I did 40kg/88lbs for 3 reps on my last set. Super stoked!

• #4 - Focus on the day, not the month.​
  Traveling for a bit longer? It's hard to keep up with a month-long workout. Similar to the above, you might need to downsize your expectation. You don't need to focus on the perfect month of workouts; you just need a good enough day. One day at a time.
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• #5 - Use general movement as a travel tool. Walking to attractions, taking stairs, carrying your luggage, and exploring neighborhoods on foot all add up.
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• #6 - Measure consistency instead of results. Ask yourself, “Did I show up?” instead of “Did I improve?” Some weeks, consistency is the victory.
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Remember that maintenance preserves future progress. You aren’t starting over when you get home. Every workout, every walk, and every healthy meal helps keep the foundation intact so you can accelerate again later.
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ALSO HOT OFF THE PRESS! NEW BLOG POST!

🏝️Walking the Old Town of Rhodes, Greece

I'll die on a hill saying "walking is underrated."

So, in the spirit of maintenance and general movement, I present to you a beautiful new location to consider.

Rhodes is famous for its massive medieval Old Town, one of the largest and best-preserved in Europe. The old town is full of beautiful streets, fascinating architecture, and views of turquoise waters.

Sometimes staying active means spending three hours exploring an old city, climbing stone staircases, and getting completely lost.

Don't discount walking. ​
It's one of the easiest ways to maintain your fitness while traveling, and it often leads to the best discoveries too.

I'll be heading to Rhodes next month to develop a VoiceMap audio walking tour. I've researched and found currently there are only really expensive guided tours of the Old Town.

Excited to research and publish a tour here! In the meantime, check out this nice blog post on a self-guided walking route with a dash of history.

💪Slow Travel Saves More Than You Think

One of the biggest money-saving lessons I've learned is that sometimes the cheapest way to travel is actually to travel less.

When you're constantly moving, expenses pile up quickly!
Transportation costs, accommodation changes, gym day passes, luggage fees, and all the little purchases that happen when you're constantly figuring out a new place.

​
​The longer you stay somewhere, the more opportunities you have to save.

👉Accommodation: Many apartments offer monthly discounts. Some hosts are willing to negotiate even further if you ask.

👉Transportation: When you're staying put, you're often walking or using local transit instead of paying for transportation every few days.

👉Gym pass: Monthly gym memberships can be cheaper than multiple day passes.
I'd offer you also "save your fitness gains" by reducing decision fatigue in multiple gyms with various equipment.

Fast travel gives you variety. Slow travel often gives you value.

Sometimes staying put for a while is the most budget-friendly adventure of all.

Always on my mind: More money for more travel! It's often worth a little homework for those savings 💸

“ Goals are for people who care about winning once. ​ Systems are for people who care about winning repeatedly. ​ ​​ ​ — James Clear

A friendly favor (tiny ask): If this helped, share with one friend and use my links when you buy gear/cards. It costs you nothing - it just keeps my content free. Thank you ❤️

Feel free to always respond back to this email with any thoughts and questions you might have or content you'd love to see in the future.

Happy travels & healthy living,

Heidi​
​Heidirunsabroad.com ✈️💪

Note: Some images and GIFs sourced from Unsplash and Giphy.