In his second of three guest posts on the site, Peter Brown – Transformation Specialist has some practical tips on the how of getting in good shape for your big trip. As I prepare to head to China and Africa, I’m certainly appreciating his advice and support as I look to shed a few more pounds and get in hiking shape for my Great Wall adventure.

But enough from me, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Pete.

How to Get Fit for your Next Trip

In last week’s article, “10 Reasons to be in Good Shape before Traveling”, Chris and I collaborated to give you our insights and opinions from our travels experiences as to why fitness should be considered before traveling.

In this article I intend to simplify the sheer amount of conflicting information available about getting fit and summarise ‘how to get fit for travel’ into three easy steps.

1. Set the End Date and Determine the Goal

Knowing how much time you have is important; this one is easy because your travel date will be your end date. This end date now gives you one half of the destination for your health and fitness journey.

The other half of that destination is the goal; by the end date you will have achieved what?

For example: by the 12/09/2015 I will have lost 5kg

Make the goal realistic and preferably ease to achieve, the easier it is to achieve for you, the more likely you will be to achieve it.

An easy way to know if your goal is achievable is to look at the time-frame you have.

For a weight loss goal you would aim to only lose between .1 and .5 kg of body weight per week.

Any more than that and you will have to deprive yourself and work pretty hard, Let’s be realistic: chances are as soon as you go away you’ll binge and put it all back on.

2. Make the Decision and ask yourself “Why?”

This might sound a little obvious to you but this is probably the most important step, more important than knowing what to eat and how much exercise to do.

When trying to lose weight or get fit the majority of people go in halfheartedly and don’t have a strong grasp on why they are even trying to achieve their goal in the first place.

Typically these people might set a goal because they think it will make them feel better by achieving it.

However, the process of achieving that result tends to become more overwhelming and uncomfortable than how they felt before setting out to achieve their goal; resulting in the person settling for less than they set out to achieve.

To avoid this you need to create a strong emotional reason behind ‘why’ you want to achieve that goal.

It might be because you know by losing that weight you will be able to go sky diving, climb the Eiffel Tower, feel more comfortable sight-seeing and get around easier, or feel more confident in your favourite outfit.

There is no right or wrong reasons for wanting to achieve your goal and there can never be too many reasons ‘why’.

3. Don’t go Crazy, be realistic!

The last step to take toward getting fit for your next trip is creating a realistic plan for success.

Most people will embark on a crazy 6-7 day per week exercise schedule and drastically cut calories, carbs, and other food groups in an attempt to lose weight or get fit.

The others won’t even try to lose weight or get fit because they think the aforementioned measures are what it takes to get into shape.

You can see how both scenarios are rather extreme, that is our nature as humans. We either throw ourselves completely into something or we don’t do it at all.

The key to long term success is to find the middle ground.

To find that middle ground you need to apply what I spoke about earlier in point number one about setting an achievable goal to the changes you make.

By making small changes you will achieve those small changes which will make you feel good about yourself and every time you make another small change you will feel even better about yourself and those small changes will add up into larger changes.

For example, you might already know your whole diet can do with a make-over but instead of trying to change everything at once you just focus on eating a better breakfast for a whole week.

The following week you might turn your attention to your mid-morning snack. Then lunch the week after so on and so forth. It will take less time to achieve those small changes and you will have created a massive change to your entire diet.

The same can be applied to exercise. Week one you might only complete one 15 minute workout, week two you might do two. As the weeks go by you turn your focus to increasing the length of time you spend working out or the intensity of the workout and before you know it you have yourself another well-formed habit of regularly exercising.

Small changes are key to permanent success; achieving small goals successfully turn into bigger and better goals.

In Conclusion

The truth is most people will achieve remarkable changes in body shape, energy levels, and health by employing a moderate approach.

For more on how to structure a moderate approach to your health and fitness you can sign up to my Free Fat Loss eCourse.

Over six days you will receive an email each day outlining the areas that influence fat loss and practical tips on how to start achieving results for yourself.

To sign up simply click here.

Your Say

Do you have some helpful tips on how to get fit before you hit the road?

Obviously I’m not considering moving to Australia. In fact, I’m on the verge of making a very exciting announcement about which country other than Australia will be my home next. When the PSS Removals team reached out about sharing this post, however, I was impressed by the fact they’d shared a few tidbits about Australia I didn’t even know myself. There’s a few really fascinating little factoids to be found within.

Read on…

What You Need to Know About Moving to Australia

Have you ever considered a move ‘down under’ or as some like to call it, ‘the land of wonder’? More than 85% of Australians live within fifty kilometers of the coast and should anyone ever decide to visit one new beach in the country every day, it would take them over twenty seven years to see them all – with facts like that it’s not hard to understand why expats are flocking to Australia.

Editor’s Note: Truth be told, I have never found beaches anywhere else on earth that compare to my favourite beaches in Australia. The perfect combination of climate, white sand, clear waters, and surf.

You also may not know that the Australian Alps even receive more snowfall per year than Switzerland, Tasmania has the cleanest air globally and there are over sixty designated wine regions. Furthermore, Australia is the only country in the world with an original police force consisting of the most well-behaved convicts!

Editor’s Note: I knew about the wine regions. You can even read about my experiences as a wine virgin in wine country.

Australia really is a country with so much to offer; which is why an estimated 40,000 Brits are being attracted by its outdoor lifestyle, sunshine, and sense of space each year.While the UK has a massive 248.25 people per square kilometer, Australia only has 2.66 people per square kilometer.

Editor’s Note: That’s plenty of room for everybody, although that does mean some unlucky bastards are going to be out in Wolf Creek country…

Australians are renowned as a proud, strong, unfailingly friendly, and helpful bunch of people with a laid-back mentality and a ‘work hard, play hard’ ethic.

It’s a country with thriving family values, and the standard mode of entertainment is a barbecue in someone’s back yard, as opposed to the UK where many adults might just visit the pub and leave the children at home to watch TV or play computer games.

Editor’s Note: You definitely shouldn’t let my 10 Reasons I Hate Living in Australia post dissuade you. I’ve also written a 10 Reasons I Love Living in Australia post to counteract the negativity.

Also, as you will no doubt find out should you decide move there, they love sport and regularly celebrate their wins against England when it comes to both the cricket and the rugby.

Editor’s Note: And rugby league and tennis and netball and field hockey and football…

If you are seriously considering a move to Australia then first you really should learn about the history of the country. This nation of pioneers is rich in history and culture and part of becoming an expat in a new country includes embracing your new country’s heritage and traditions.

The Nitty Gritty about Moving to Australia

When it comes to applying for a visa, you will be pleased to know that currently the whole process is a lot quicker than it used to be a few years ago. Depending on which visa you decide to apply for or which professional skills you might have, you could be granted a visa within a few months. Nevertheless, the online application lets you track your progress and upload all of the relevant supporting documentation easily.

Should you be planning on retiring in Australia, the UK state pension is non-transferable, and some personal pensions have special requirements, which must be met to enable a transfer. Pension funds can also sometimes be liable for tax, so check in advance what you can and can’t transfer easily. If you’re likely to need to apply for credit, whether a credit card, loan or mortgage, you should apply for a full credit report before leaving the UK in order to ascertain whether there might be outstanding issues which can be dealt with prior to arriving in Australia. Also make sure you cancel all your direct debits before leaving.

As a UK citizen, you may be temporarily covered by Medicare, Australia’s national health program, but you should check this with the Australian embassy before your departure, particularly if you have pre-existing health issues.

As a visitor to Australia, you’re entitled to drive as a long as you have a valid driver’s license and passport together with you at all times. If you hold a permanent visa however, you can only use your UK license for a maximum of three months. Once your license is all arranged, at least you won’t have to remember to drive on the right-hand-side – Australia drives on the left, just like the UK!

With regards to shipping your goods overseas, it is recommended that you first compare the replacement costs of items of furniture and other effects with your removals company as the replacement costs of some items in Australia can be quite expensive.

PSS International Removals are the UK’s first choice for moving overseas and we have successfully helped thousands of people move to Australia since we began. We are able to offer you a professional service including additional visa, employment, banking, currency, pension transfer, pet shipping, tax rebate, education, flight and property advice through our network of trusted partners.

Visit http://www.pssremovals.com to find out more or contact us for a free quote now!

10 Reasons to be in Good Shape before Traveling

Fresh on the heels of Tuesday’s post about my ongoing battle with body image, Pete from Fisique has reached out with a guest post about the benefits of getting fit before you travel.

While his suggestions were great, I’ve made some edits to better suit the kind of travelers I know, but the heart of his post is still very much in here.

#10 – Stairs

Pete: As if the bike riding and the walking weren’t enough, you have the stairs! Stairs in just about every major tourist attraction! The stairs pictured were nothing compared to the stairs of the Arc de Triomphe but my point is be ready for the stairs.

If you’re not, they might just bite you in the ass.

Chris: I hear that! I climbed St. Paul’s Cathedral last May and was totally unprepared for just how grueling a climb it can be if you’re out of shape. As if the ascent wasn’t tough enough, my legs barely functioned the next day – which made wandering the halls of the British Museum an exercise in self abuse.

#9 – Biking

Pete: Escaping the confines of a bus or a car is essential to really experience the culture of a destination. The quickest, cheapest and most gratifying way to see a city in my experience is the bike.

You can;

• Go at your own pace
• Stop where you like
• And, get to places the roads don’t take you.

Riding a bike might sound like a piece of cake however riding a bike for 8-10 hours and expecting to be ready to go again the next day might be a challenge if you’re not in shape.

Chris: I’ve made use of bikes as a way to get around while traveling a bunch of times: the Everglades, the Route of the Hiawatha, and Hangzhou were all made possible by getting on a bike.

Riding around Hangzhou’s stunning West lake in 40C summer heat was a great workout, but I was so glad I was fit enough to do it. It allowed us to see a large area in a much smaller chunk of our day, which meant we had time to shower before hitting the bars and jazz clubs.

#8 – Party Tricks!

I don’t know about you, but learning to do a standing flip or a kip-up is on my bucket list for exactly this reason.

I need a party trick that doesn’t involve me shotgunning beers at a rate of knots.

#7 – Confidence

Chris: One of the biggest casualties when you aren’t in your best shape is that your confidence inevitably takes a bit of a dip.

Conversely, when you’re looking and feeling good, your confidence responds accordingly.

Looking and feeling confident on the road not only means you’ll feel more up for unusual experiences, but should also mean you’re more outgoing and social. Whether you’re traveling alone or with friends. you can never have too many friends.

#6 – Traveling can be hard

Chris: When I asked my readers why they liked to be fit before they hit the road, one of them had this to say:

She’s damn right! Lugging a huge pack around can be tiring, and that’s without factoring in all of the stairs you’ll climb, jungle trails you’ll hike, streets you’ll explore, and beaches you’ll swim at!

Being in better shape means you’ll be less of a sweaty, exhausted mess when you collapse into your bed at night’s end, but it also means you’ll have the energy needed to handle the rigours of being on the road.

#5 – “Score some ass”

Chris: Another reader suggestion, but one that’s very near and dear to my heart.

Like it or not, we live in a society where looks matter. Couple this with the confidence issue I mentioned in point #7, and you can see how looking and feeling your best could be of great help for those looking to make use of the top sheet in their hostel or check of one of their raunchier bucket list items.

I mean, honestly, do you think I’m going to be able to land twins for bucket list item ##181 with witty anecdotes alone?

#4 – Look better on the beach

Chris: It’s another shallow one, but I know for a fact I’m not alone in this being a major motivator when it comes to pre-trip exercising and dieting.

Nobody wants to feel like a beached manatee when they’re catching some rays on the beach, and shedding a couple of extra kilograms or toning what you’ve already got is a great way to feel a little bit better about going shirtless or rocking a bikini.

It’s either that, or drinking enough cocktails that it doesn’t feel so important anymore. We’re all sexy with a few mojitos under the belt.

#3 – The easiest way to get around and see everything too

Pete: I’ve done Paris twice now, once on Contiki in two days and the second time self-guided over five days.

You don’t have to be a genius to know which trip was more enjoyable, however on the self-guided trip there was a tonne more walking. We walked everywhere, and when we weren’t walking around sight-seeing we were walking around shopping. (heads up guys)

There are just some places you go and have to slow things right down, for me I couldn’t imagine doing Paris on a bike.

Just as I mentioned above with the bike, walking around day after day tends to catch up with you if you aren’t prepared.

Chris: I’ve actually written about why walking is both a brilliant budgetary measure and a perfect way to see a place in the past in Save Money, Walk! While I’m guilty of occasionally catching a sightseeing bus or flagging a cab, some of my favourite travel detours have been found while ambling about on foot.

#2 – Have your cake (or beer) and eat (or drink) it

Pete: As they say, when in Rome do as the Romans do. I say when in Paris do as the Parisians do!

It’s not all walking, riding and climbing.

There are the endless delightful culinary advantages that come with traveling, for Aussies and I would imagine many other people across the world travelling is about having a good time and what comes with good time is loads of eating and drinking.

Gaining 5 or 10+ kilos (10-20 pounds) is a generally accepted side effect of any trip longer than a month, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to be this way.

The better shape you are in before you leave, the better your body will be able to handle the traveling lifestyle – food and all.

Chris: And he’s not even mentioning the all-important beer! You’d best believe I’ll be consuming plenty of that while in China. I’ve got to make up for a largely sober August through May!

#1 – Do More. See More.

Chris: This one seems particularly relevant to me as I spend my days editing and rewriting Shadows of Africa’s Kilimanjaro pages. In the process of researching and ‘selling’ the climbing experience, it’s risen greatly on my bucket list.

I’d love to be fit enough to someday tackle Mount Kilimanjaro.

Pete: Getting into shape doesn’t necessarily mean rocking out a bikini body or a set of abs, getting in shape is relative to you.

No matter your body shape right now or the amount of time you have before you leave making a couple of small changes can be hugely rewarding.

In my next article I will talk more about “How to Get into Shape before Traveling” without sacrificing and restricting your life.

Before then why not sign up to my Free Fat Loss eCourse, full of realistic and practical tips to start improving your energy, health and body shape now. To learn more about this eCourse click here.

About the Guest Poster

Peter loves to travel, loves to eat and just like most people leads a busy life running his own business and taking care of his young family. Using his knowledge he keeps himself in shape using a small handful of hours a week for exercise whilst eating loads of healthy delicious food. He also teaches his clients the knowledge and strategies he uses so they can achieve their results. He is passionate about teaching people there is a middle ground where you can enjoy the pleasures of life and still keep in shape

You can like his Facebook Page for updates and tips here.

Your Say

Why do you think it’s important to get into shape before hitting the road?