When we travel it is often easy to ditch the workout regime we maintained for weeks or sometimes months prior to going on vacay. We have all done it before…spend most of our time on the beach, visiting tourist attractions, literally eating our way through a city/town and drinking copious amounts of calorie ridden cocktails. Getting a workout in while traveling is easier than you think and doesn’t even require you to have a gym to do it.  You can avoid that “Vacay Weight” from creeping up  in the comfort of your hotel room, villa or guest house in 45 mins or less with just 5 things. On my recent trip to Mexico City, I was able to workout with just a few key pieces (some featured above):

A Good Skipping Rope: Canadian Nike Masterclass Trainer, Eva Redpath, always says that a skipping rope is the cheapest and most effective piece of cardio equipment you can own. Contrary to popular belief, it’s the perfect full body workout. At home I like to use a weighted rope like this one from Nike, but when traveling a non-weighted rope is always more practical.

*My Suggestion: Try skipping 10-15 minutes prior to working out to get your body warm and heart rate up. If skipping is all you have time for, then skip for 30 minutes.

The Right Shoe: The right shoe for your workout is critical…you need to be comfortable of course but also have the right support. Furthermore, if you are traveling, you also want a shoe that isn’t heavy and will add to the weight of your luggage. Because I like to run and also do functional training in addition to gym workouts, the Nike Free TR4 Women’s Training Shoe is the only shoe I took to Mexico to workout in. It gives me the right amount of support, it’s ultra lightweight (weighs approx 12 ounces) and has a flexible sole to accommodate natural range of motion.

Nike + Training Club App: You may have already read my previous post on the NTC App and trust me, this won’t be the last you hear about it either. Not to sound dramatic but it will change your life. You can choose from over 100 workouts inspired by professional female athletes, create monthly programs and tailor your workouts based on your fitness goals; whether you want to get lean, toned, strong or focused. It provides step-by-step instructions with photos AND video, you can now link it to the Nike Running+ app and the digital trainer chimes in to motivate you just when you feel like giving up. Best part…it’s free and available for download here.

The Do-Anywhere “Hotel Room” Workout by Equinox: Equinox is probably the most luxe and premiere gym in North America, with some of the best trainers in the industry (which includes Eva Redpath at Toronto’s Bay Street location). The brand has a unique lifestyle blog called Q by Equinox in which they discuss nutrition, fitness fashion and even have instructional workout videos. This 16 minute, equipment free session is quick and super effective.

The Perfect Wireless Headphones: Jabra’s Revo Wireless headphones have changed the way I listen to music both when traveling and while working out. It has an extra long battery life (that can conveniently be charged with a laptop) and the freedom from not having a wire dangling down your side while running or working out. These on-ear headphones are perfect to listening to your favourite workout playlist or podcast with maximum Dolby sound. Choosing a playlist with a high BPM (beats per minute), is always the way to go when doing high intensity workouts. The quick tempo of the music is far more likely to push you than slower paced or lower BPM tracks. Right now my go-to podcasts while running and working out is Mad Decent Worldwide Radio and Motion Traxx Fuel For Fitness.  The latter actually allows you to choose your playlist based on BPM. For running and cardio I suggest anywhere between 140-165 BPM, 120-140 BPM for interval or circuit training and 100 BPM for cool down.

For more items like my  Nike C72 Legend 2.0 bag, Nike Pro Magical Kaleidoscope Sports Bra and other Nike products for women, check out www.nike.com