Guest Post: Tips for fitness while traveling on an RV for 3 weeks!

July 31, 2012 -
10 comments, add yours

hi all! Today I wanted to share an awesome Guest Post from
a #FitFluential lady named Monica who was traveling on an RV for 3 weeks;
and still found ways to work out & eat clean!

She is so inspirational and constantly tweeting pics of her
workouts and creative ways to exercise while traveling!

I couldn’t wait to share!

So I’ll let her story tell the rest…

“So, how about three weeks in an RV?”

IMG_6121

My husband’s summer vacation suggestion should have brought up some questions.
We have three boys, did he mean all five of us?
Won’t we want to kill each other by the end of the trip?

But to be honest, my first thought was, how will I stay lean without a gym?
And how will I keep my eating clean?

I was always a skinny/fat girl. I wasn’t overweight, but I had too much body fat.
I was soft everywhere and I didn’t know how to change it.
The scale said I was fine, but the mirror doesn’t lie.

I knew I wasn’t in shape, but I couldn’t seem to get myself together for a number of reasons.

I hated cardio.

Weight lifting by itself only made me a bit bigger.
Eating small meals worked to keep me small, but not lean.
To say the least, I was frustrated.

When I discovered Zumba, my life began to change. I loved it!
I had finally found my cardio and attacked it with gusto.

I dropped a jean size and felt great. But I still wasn’t lean.
And at my age, well into my forties, I figured I was doing the best I could.

That’s when I took a good hard look at a friend of mine who competes in figure competitions at 43.

I thought to myself, “I may not be able to look quite like that, but I sure can look better than I do now.”

I decided to hire her nutritionist, join a gym, and see what I could do.

To make a long story short, I have lost 14% body fat since our last RV trip.
I did it through sound eating principles, consistent training, and lots and lots of Zumba.

It took me a long time and a lot of dedication.

After all those months of hard work, there was no way I wanted to let it go on this trip.
And if there’s one thing I know about traveling, it’s easy to let it go!

The feeling of entitlement and the ever present phrase, “I’m on vacation,”
make it simple to overeat, skip meals and workouts, and eat things I would never put into my mouth at home.

Doing that for a weekend away is one thing, but three weeks?
Might as well just pick up the fat and glue it to my body.

I had to be prepared for snack bars, ice cream counters, candy stores,
soda in the fridge, cafes, coffee breaks, restaurants, limited menus, bread on the table,
wine lists, cocktail parties, dinner at friends’ houses, unpredictable schedules, hours and hours between meals.

I had to be prepared for the fact that my schedule wasn’t my own,
that eating every three hours might not always happen,
that there were four other other people to consider, all day, every day.

Especially since those four people are all male, with big appetites, who are all “on vacation.”

I knew eating clean would be a challenge, but it was completely doable.
I could cook ahead, put family and individual meals in the freezer, and stock the fridge with healthy snacks.

I prepared turkey meatloaf, lean chili, marinated chicken, Chilean sea bass, and lean burger patties ahead of time.

I doubled up all the recipes to give us extra meals and leftovers.
I packed Greek yogurt, fruit, veggies, salad, high protein cereal, and skim milk.

I made batches of chocolate protein pudding and lean chicken salad.
I packed my protein powder, frozen fruit and trusty Magic Bullet for smoothies on the road.

I brought my sugar free French Vanilla Coffeemate and stevia.
I planned and planned, preparing ahead for emergencies, even buying protein bars, which I only eat in the tightest pinches.
I bought individual packets of fat free mayo and fat free ranch for last ditch efforts at meals out.

Once I had my nutritional plan as solid as possible, I turned my mind to training.
How on earth would I ever stay in shape cooped up for three weeks in an RV?

I knew I could find ways to get cardio in, anyone can strap on shoes and go for a walk or run
, but how to keep my muscles strong baffled me.

No gym, no weights, no space!

I found a resistance band with handles attached and figured it was better than nothing.
But what to attach it to? I knew I could do squats, bicep curls, side steps, shoulder raises, and a few others using my feet,

but what about for chest and back? What on the RV would be sturdy enough?

Finally I figured out that the refrigerator was the strongest thing in the RV,
IMG_6120
so I looped it around the top. It worked!

I was able to get a great chest and back workout.
A few other tricks I discovered:
IMG_6122
Using the bed as a stability ball for my back leg on Bulgarian split squats,
IMG_6124
using the steps of the RV for calf raises,

using the picnic table found at every campsite for step ups,
inverted pushups, and an inventive lat row,
IMG_6123

and using the roll bar of our Jeep we were towing for working on my pull ups.

You’ve gotta want it.

You’ve gotta need it.

Determination, dedication,
& a little creativity go a loooooong way!

Thank you Monica for this awesome guest post
& being so #FitFluential ! you rock lady! Red heart

Her twitter is @mgauntt1 !!

Category: Blog, FitFluential

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10 responses to “Guest Post: Tips for fitness while traveling on an RV for 3 weeks!”

  1. Love it!!! Love this:

    You’ve gotta want it.
    You’ve gotta need it.
    Determination, dedication,
    & a little creativity go a loooooong way!

    SOOOOOOO TRUE!!!!

  2. Melissa H says:

    I Love it. I am leaving for 2 weeks in my RV and I have been so stressed about undoing all the hard work I have put into the gym! This has just motivatedme to change the idea of this annual trip from rest and relaxation to adventure and activity!

    PS, I love the the calf raises on the steps I have a perfect 40lbs 3 year old for that!

  3. makeuplover510 says:

    wow! What a great story. I’m going on vacation soon and I want to eat clean. I hope I’m as strong to not give into temptation.

  4. Anonymous says:

    Monica shows you even without a whole lot of equipment
    And a little imagination you still can get your workouts in
    and be able too still eat clean! No excuses getting it done no
    matter what way too go Girl!!!

  5. Kate says:

    Love this post – well done Monica!

    My boyfriend calls me obsessive when I do this on holiday. I suppose it all comes down to your mentality. If you do it as something you love, and don’t freak out about a day where you don’t have much time to get in a good workout, it’s fine.

    I know I’m in the wrong head-space when I refuse dessert, get upset about not being able to do a proper workout, and scan the menu for the lowest calorie thing I can find. Monica, it sounds as though you have it sorted, though I’m curious to know if you ever feel that you get those obsessive tendencies too? (Not that I’m implying you have them – you seem super happy and thoughtful).

  6. Laura says:

    Way to get things done, Monica!
    This is an awesome shot of motivation for anyone who thinks you can’t make healthy decisions in certain surroundings. You made your surroundings work for you!
    Thanks for sharing your inspiring story and here’s to a great rest of the summer!

  7. Lauren Marks says:

    Wow what a great post! Love this!

  8. […] hi all! hope you had a good week! If you missed Monica’s guest post on how she ate clean & worked out while on an RV for 3 weeks; check it out here! […]

  9. Anonymous says:

    I am all for being healthy, but her mindset seems obsessive, fearful and extremely disordered. Not sure that that should be promoted as healthy.

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