Friday Five - Things I travel with

Friday Five - hosted by Jessee's spot!

There used to be a time when I would pack my gym clothes in my suiticase, thinking/hoping/believing that I would exercise while traveling ... a lot of times, it didn't happen.

Now, however, my gym gear is the first thing to go into my suitcase. It's not always easy to get a workout in, and there have been many times when I have not been able to do the workout that I planned, but just like at home, you can always do an 'in-hotel room' workout. Even if you don't have a lot of space, you can do squats, lunges, tricep dips, etc.

For today's Friday Five, I'm listing 5 fitness related things I always travel with:

1) My jump rope: Usually a hotel will have a gym with enough space to practice skipping.

 2) My Reebok sneakers: To be honest, these aren't the best sneakers for running, but they are one of my most comfortable and they are very light - something that is important to consider when traveling.

3) My iPod nano and headphones. I can't travel or workout without music, so this is a BIG must have!

4) A workout routine: I've found that having a list of exercises that you can do in your hotel room can help stay on track because you really don't have an excuse. Circuits are definitely the easiest thing to do. I don't always follow the same routine - it depends on how much space I've got as well as what time I'm working out. I really don't want to disturb my hotel neighbors by jumping up and down at 5:00 a.m.! Here's a good list to follow.

5) A small gym bag: This may seem superficial and unnecessary, but there have been quite a few times when I wanted to go down to the gym and I just had too many different things to carry - my water bottle, hotel key, towel (just in case they don't have one at the gym); iPod, phone, jump rope ... you get the picture. So now packing a small bag is a must for me. It's just so convenient and easy now!

I sometimes take my heart rate monitor as well, but it's not a must for each trip.