Over the last few years, I’ve worked (relatively) hard to keep in shape. Whether I’ve been living in Todmorden, Sheffield or Leeds, one of the first items on my agenda has always been to find and join a local gym.
In fact; I even used the New Delhi YMCA gym on an almost daily basis for five weeks when I wasn’t busy washing down mutton curry with Kingfisher extra strong.
Despite the fact I’ve been a bit all over the place, I’ve found it quite easy to keep fit purely because I’ve had a permanent location I can call home. This has meant that I have been able sign contracts and pay the extortionate joining fees. Job done.
When I set off on my trip though (which is only a few days away, holy shit), there are a few things that I imagine will make keeping fit a little bit harder.
Budget
Obviously the primary concern is money. As I will be unemployed for the foreseeable future, I’m not in a position to be tying myself down to any set contracts. Similarly, pay as you go gyms aren’t exactly cost-effective either.
My diet for the next few months, courtesy of Funny Pics Plus
Budget also plays a big part in diet too. It seems the healthier the food is – the more it costs. There’s a reason you can pick up four horse burgers from Tesco for a quid but not the ingredients to make a chicken salad. Unfortunately, my budget may dictate that healthy food is a luxury I can ill afford. Looks like I’ll be stocking up on multi-vitamins!
Location
Lets be honest, I have absolutely no idea where I’m going to be and for how long at any point. This makes it near impossible to join a gym. I guess the only way I can commit to anything is if I settle somewhere and get some work; this way I could look for a gym where I can pay a rolling month-by-month contract.
Will
Realistically, do I actually want to fly to the other side of the world to force myself to go to the gym four times a week like I do at home? There’s so much I want to see and do, so why bother holing myself away in the gym when I could be out and about, seeing new places and meeting new people? I can always get back in shape when I come home, can’t I?
For now, I’m happy to play it by ear and see what happens. The tape on my foot seems to be working, so I can always go for a few quick runs a week. I’ve also bought some heavy resistance bands, which are shown in the incredibly cheesy video above. Cheesy videos aside, they seem like a good, lightweight way to at least keep slightly in shape. For four quid, I don’t think I can really complain if they don’t do a job!
How do you keep fit on the road? Do you even bother? Is it possible to keep fit on a budget?
Rambling Northerner 
You can’t, really.. You do a lot of walking around tho, and not a lot of eating since you are always out and about and never just snack out of boredom.
Having a routine where you can exercise after uni/work 5 days a week is one of the best things about coming home after travel, I say 🙂
I suppose, I just hate the idea of the last few years going to waste! I’m going to try my hardest to get a routine going with the resistance bands and running etc!
I suppose one upside to Australia being so expensive is that I won’t be buying snacks all the time!