Top 5: Fitness equipment travel essentials (UPDATED)

Cramming your whole life into a rucksack is hard enough, so it's usually out of the question to add in some fitness equipment to a rucksack that is already bursting at the seams. 

However, you will be happy to know that dumbbells, medicine balls and other bulky fitness gear is just not necessary when you're trying to keep fit on your travels. 

When I travel, I try to find the smallest and lightest pieces of kit which are still going to be the most effective and accessible for use virtually anywhere in the world. 

I also think of exactly what aspects of health and fitness I want to maintain/improve and then match up suitable equipment. For example; on this current trip I've been travelling the Great Ocean road, Singapore and I'm currently in the Philippines. We're travelling a lot so this involves a lot of sitting and therefore mobility and flexibility will be compromised massively. 
To ensure I don't get too tight and immobile, I'll take a tennis ball or set of massage balls. These will be of great use when I try to un-glue soft tissue which will inevitably stiffen up due to hours of driving. 

This is just one example so below I've listed my top 5 essential pieces of kit I use when travelling:

1. Resistance band

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - yes

Effective - yes

The resistance band ticks all of the boxes as you can see. This type of band is absolutely perfect for travelling. One thing I like the most about including this is the versatility. You can simply stand on it and perform many exercises, hook it around something sturdy or even just hold it in two hands. The exercise choices are only limited by your imagination. Be sure to keep checking this blog as I'll be giving you many ideas of different exercises using the resistance band.
Find a wide range of bands here at a very affordable price.

2. Skipping rope

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - no

Broad exercise choice - no

Effective - yes

The skipping rope is a classic piece of fitness equipment. It meets the majority of the criteria in being small, light and easy to pack but is limited by versatility as you can really only do one thing with it - skip! The real reason for including the rope into this list is the fact that it does offer an alternative to running. During my trip in expecting to be staying where running will not be the best option and so the skipping rope will prove very useful in getting in a good cardio workout. Be mindful of your personal fitness level before using the skipping rope. Just like running, it requires good endurance and good technique if you are going to avoid some sort of injury due to the inevitable impact on the joints. If running causes you problems, then leave out the skipping. 
Check out this awesome speed skipping rope

3. Looped band 

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - no

Effective - yes

This is another resistance band I have chosen to bring along. It is a lot smaller and forms a complete elastic loop. I will be using this band mainly for hip abduction and hip extension - in other words, working the glutes. Hours of sitting on the plane or in the camper van (or on the beach) will be of no benefit to my glutes whatsoever. So I need to counteract that by ensuring I train these two movements at the hip regularly. 

Provided you maintain good technique during these movements, use of this particular band can be extremely effective in maintaining good Glute conditioning, something most people need to help avoid injury.
You can one right here 

4. Tennis/massage ball

Light - yes

Small - yes

Easy to pack - yes 

Versatile - yes

Broad exercise choice - yes

Effective - yes

As briefly mentioned previously, I have brought along a tennis ball to help with keeping my muscles and other soft tissues supple. It's basically a form of self massage. It proved difficult to pack a foam roller so I decided on a tennis ball. 

There are many different ways to mobilise your body using a tennis ball and I'll be offering help and advice on how to do it properly during this blog. 
Here is a link to a few awesome massage balls with differing pressure, hardness and surface.

5. Body weight

Ok, not really a piece of fitness equipment but use of your own body weight is always a good way to keep fit and healthy when on your travels. Squats, lunges, press ups even running, walking and swimming will all help you maintain fitness levels when you're away. The choices are endless and are once again limited by your imagination. 

I'll be including many different body weight only workouts so keep checking back to find out more.

So there are my top 5 pieces of fitness equipment suitable to take travelling with you. All relatively cheap and all meeting the criteria of light, small, easy to pack, versatile and effective.

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