Training while on the road

I just came back from a south-north tour that took me to 4 states in 4 days. I went to Johor on Saturday, Melaka on Sunday, back to KL on Monday & off to Penang on Tuesday. Bcoz I was on a working trip & bcoz I had to pay for the hotels myself, I had no choice but to stay in budget hotels. & in that 4 days, I only managed to workout once, an easy run in Melaka. 

Back in 2013-2014 when I was constantly on the road, I made sure the hotels I'm staying have either a swimming pool or a gym. If the hotels have none of those facilities, using Google Maps I'd search for running routes close to the hotel. If I was just there for an overnighter, I'd proly just do simple bodyweight exercises in my hotel room, with my TRX Suspension Trainer. 

In short, I've never really give any excuse for skipping training. People often say they can't find the time to workout. Me, I make time. Sometimes I make adjustments to my usual routine to accomodate the amount of time I have. I can squeeze in a treadmill run in as little as 30 mins. I can do weight training circuits in 45 mins. I've come to a stage where I can adjust my workouts accordingly & still get the most out of it. 

Throughout my service in the government I've had the opportunity to stay in great hotels that provides great exercise facilities. Here are some of my favorites.

The Westin Langkawi

I was here when I served as Liaison Officer during the 2015 Asean Summit. The hotel provides running gear at a reasonable price. For RM50 you can get a New Balance technical tee & shorts, NB shoes & socks. Or you can get just the shoes & socks for RM15. Turned out to be they provide the same shoe model I was using at the time, NB890, albeit the older version, V2. 

Fresh shoes & socks!

The gym was new & complete with the latest equipment from Technogym. The house headset was Beats! Although I didn't really like Beats bcoz it's heavy, but what the heck!

Horizon Spa Kota Kinabalu

The hotel's gym was one of the most complete I've seen & the infinity pool was just right next to the gym. They have a high/low pulley station, something very rare to find in a hotel gym.

Honorable mentions:

Mandarin Oriental KL

The gym was at a temporary location the last time I stayed there. But with KLCC park just nearby, running inside was out of the question. Unfortunately part of the park was closed due to some construction work, so you'd have to do more laps than usual. 

Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu

The gym was well-equipped, they have a fitness floor with the spa, gym & swimming pool facilities. 

With facilities like these, it's hard to find any excuse not to workout, even on a road trip.

Livestrong, run stronger.