In September I had an opportunity of a lifetime, a trip to Bangalore India for 2.5 weeks. Little did I know the trip would be longer. I ended up traveling to India and back home, being home for 27 hours and flying out to Florida for a week. My biggest concern was staying well and hopefully keeping my level of fitness up during the time I was traveling.
In June 2017, I started on a journey to lose weight. First by dieting alone and finally in December 2017, I joined Forever Fit Gym and committed to working out 4 days a week, with a target of 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training. And now 70 lbs lighter and eating well I wanted to keep the level of fitness up and keep the lbs off.
The first thing I did in preparing for the trip was to meet with my doctor to discuss the travel implications and ensure I had all the necessary shots I needed. I ended up getting typhoid and flu shots since everything else was current. I also ended up getting medication for Malaria which I had to start 2 days before my trip, take during the trip, and finish during the week after I got home. The good news, I experienced no adverse side effects.
The hotel in Bangalore was an American brand so the food and water were good and I started drinking the water slowly but never drank anything but bottled water while on the streets and no street food at all. We ate at Indianized American brand restaurants such as Chili’s, Subway, and Pizza Hut along with some local chains. I never did eat at McDonald’s or 
Starbucks. As time went on I tried local spicy options and met the chef of the hotel restaurants and learned about some great dishes that were medium India spicy but high on the American scale. I did eat a lot there but worked on light options along with the healthier side of the food, such as chicken and fish.
One key thing I did was wash my hands frequently. Before eating, after going to the bathroom, if I shook a person’s hand I would wash fairly soon after, especially if they were coughing. I think this saved me from getting sick over there the most.
For the workouts, it was a combination of walking to and from the office each day. It was just over 2 kilometers from the hotel to the office, by taxi it could be anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. Walking was a consistent 20 minutes each way, very fast-paced. The challenge was both terrain and traffic. We were walking beside the road on rough sidewalks or on the road with cars, trucks, Tuk tusk, two-wheelers (motorcycles), and people. In India the law of physics applies so pedestrians do not have the right away ever, you have to walk with purpose and have your head on a bobble so you know what is going on around you or you could get hurt or worse. With many close brushes, we remained safe.
The real workouts were either in the gym or the room. Cardio was on the treadmill or elliptical trainer along with weights or using bodyweight exercises, yoga, or Pilates in the room. Heck, I even got a chance to do some meditation which was helpful with all the stress.
In the years that I have traveled, I have found that planning, washing hands, watching what you eat (eat good but eat right), and exercise are key to being well both physically and mentally.
We hope you enjoyed this story. We were so excited to be able to share Mike’s story with you. If you have interesting wellness stories you would like to share with us please Contact Us.
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