During your VanLife journey, it’s no doubt that you’ll be driving and sitting a lot more that you normally do. With that being said, it’s really important that you take care of your body and do what you can to stay healthy and fit. One of the first challenges I had after moving inside the van was figuring out how I was going to take care of my overall fitness. Here are tips for staying fit with VanLife
Many people advocate spending time outside, hiking, jogging, or exercising, and swimming. Where do you go for a shower if you’re trapped in a city with no outdoor showers and don’t want to spend the money on camping?
It is not possible to go for a run or a trek since they will make you sweat and require you to use the bathroom. However, you just can’t do that.
The benefits of having a gym membership in this case can be reaped.
If you’re a van dweller or a traveler who doesn’t have access to showers in your camper, then gym subscriptions are the answer.
If you live in a van or travel frequently, it’s necessary to figure out the best solutions to stay fit.
While living on the road may not always be convenient, having the option to get up in the morning and go for a swim in the lake before heading to the gym at night for a workout is a great way to keep your spirits up in this constant moving lifestyle.
Staying Fit With VanLife: Which gym is best for me? What should I look for?
Listed below are five great gym membership options that can help you to stay fit while living in a van full-time. To start, figure out how much money you can spend. A subscription to Planet Fitness might be a good idea if you have a very small budget. It is cheap and cheery.
Look into whether there are a lot of gyms in the places you want to go on vacation. Also, figure out what things you want from your gym. Do you prefer to work out with weights or run? The free classes are a good deal for you to take. The gym might also have a pool, sauna, and shower for you to use.
Planet Fitness.
There are many people who choose to live in a van with Planet Fitness because it’s cheap. For $22.99 per month, if you choose the Black Card membership, you will be able to use any of the more than 2000 gyms in the United States. This includes your “home gym” (the one where you first signed up). You can go for any of the other gyms for up to 10 times a month. After that, you’ll have to pay $5 for each visit.
This membership is great for a couple who is living on the road together because you can bring a partner with you every time you visit. Basically, you are paying for only one membership. The only thing that could be bad is that you have to be there when your partner comes over.
Anytime Fitness.
Because of their high-quality showers, Anytime Fitness is one of the best gyms. For many people, having a great shower when you’re living on the road is worth paying a little more money than you would at a gym like Planet Fitness. It costs an average of $36.50 to join a gym in the United States. If you look around, I am sure you can find a branch that costs less while still letting you use all of the other gyms in the country.
It is also possible to use Anytime Fitness’ 7-day free trial to see for yourself how great these showers are. A towel service is available, which would be a good way to cut down on some laundry. If you’re in a small van, hanging wet towels could be a real pain.
The Anytime Fitness subscriptions are not cancelled even if you need to take a break while you are on the road. You can take a break of three months, if you have a subscription of one year.
Lifetime Fitness.
The reason this gym is more expensive than the other two is because of a lot of things. Lifetime Fitness has the best fitness equipment. They have a lot of free classes, swimming pools, and saunas. It has everything you could ever want.
There are also private locker rooms that are very well-equipped. Towel service, beautiful amenities, and hair dryers are just some of the things they have. There is no extra charge for them. It will quickly pay for itself if you already go to the gym every day and take many classes. A single person will have to pay $77 a month for their subscription.
As of right now, there is a fee of $79.00 to sign up, but there is usually a deal on groupon and other sites.
24 Hour Fitness.
People who live in the Western United States have a lot of 24 Hour Fitness clubs, so this would be a great place to go to work out. However, they are a bit more expensive. They have great gyms in a lot of different places. They’re open 24 hours a day, every day of the week.
When you join, you’ll get a free personalised fitness plan and access to a wide range of studio classes to choose from, so you can work out at home. Most gyms also let you use their swimming pool and sauna for free. The fact that this gym has a free kids club separates it from the other gyms. As a parent, you might not be close to relatives or anyone who can babysit for you at the moment, so this break will be even more important.
Snap Fitness.
Another options for gyms is Snap Fitness. Snap fitness seems to be everywhere, even in the most remote places.
It all comes down to where you live in the world. This is a great place to work out, but a con would be that it costs more than other options. The advantage is the amount of locations that they have.
Because Planet Fitness doesn’t have as many locations as they do on the east and south coasts, this would be a great alternative.
For a month-to-month subscription, the fee is $59.95. For a six-month subscription, the fee is $299.75, and for a 12-month subscription, the fee is $599.50. Also, there are paid memberships that can be bought in advance. A 12-month membership costs $599.50.
YMCA.
If you go to the YMCA, you might get more out of your workout than “just a gym.” Many of their locations have saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs, pools, and other things you can use. There is a lot of good news for people who don’t do a lot of exercise and just want to take a shower.
Even though a YMCA membership is available all over the country, one of the drawbacks is that you must use your home gym at least 50% of the time each month to keep your membership. This would be ideal for part-time van lifers who do short weekend trips.
Related: Campervan Conversions: Which one is right for you?
How to stay healthy while doing VanLife even without gyms?: Staying Fit With VanLife
Use free gym equipment: Staying Fit With VanLife
When living in a van, many individuals ask how they can maintain and improve their physical fitness when they are continuously on the go. Due to the fact that they cannot join a gym or have gym equipment, such as a home gym setup, they are unable to participate. – INACCURATE
There are many fitness experts out there who will try to sell you training plans that include the words ‘NO EQUIPMENT.’ I believe this has always been deceptive since they typically imply “using common everyday objects as gym equipment instead.”
Whenever I’ve been training, I’ve always employed some sort of ‘equipment. Comfortable shoes for lengthy walks or a lamp post to stretch against are all examples of what you should look for (be resourceful). You may not have much space to take about when you live in a van, but the essentials I keep with me are as follows:
- Skipping Rope – excellent for increasing cardiovascular fitness.
- Mobility is improved by using a foam roller.
- Resistance Band — for building strength as well as stretching and mobility
- Good running shoes — they should be comfortable for both walking and jogging.
When it comes to weights, I rely on my own body weight. For example, I perform pull-ups on sturdy tree branches or anything else that is capable of supporting my weight securely. If you know what you’re doing, you can always push yourself and make progress by just utilizing your own body weight. Calisthenics are pure magic for travelers who are interested in staying fit while on the road.
Swim.
An underrated form of exercise that many people don’t consider is swimming! For this reason, if you are unable to swim, I strongly advise you to enroll in swimming classes. Being able to swim may very well save your life one day! Regions with a lot of water, such as rivers, waterfall lagoons, and other bodies of water usually draw a lot of travelers. Therefore knowing how to swim is a must!
It’s great for keeping your muscles toned and increasing your stamina without having to worry about the negative impact on your joints!
There are so many different exercises you can do in the water! From swimming laps, aqua-aerobics, etc.
One of the advantages of swimming is that it is very affordable! You will not require anything other than your swimsuit. Since van-lifers frequent local swimming pools and recreation centers on a regular basis, this is a fun way to incorporate exercise.
Meditate: Staying Fit With VanLife
Meditation may be a contentious issue for some, as it is perceived to be rather mysterious by many. However, based on my own personal experience, it has shown to be really beneficial! Some of you may be wondering, what does this have to do with physical fitness.
Fitness, in my perspective, includes both physical and mental well-being. Anyone who is serious about their fitness will tell you that meditation and maintaining a healthy mind are extremely beneficial.
Correct breathing will provide benefits such as improved posture and overall better bodily functioning.
While being a van-lifer, it is simple to practice meditation so long as you park in a peaceful area (which may be difficult), but the easy part is that you always have a comfortable/private spot. If the environment is too loud, I always use good headphones. Eventually, as your skill level increases, you will be able to shut out the majority of background noise.
I’ve talked about everything you need to know about getting a gym membership while you’re on vacation. You have the ball now! Good luck.
Related: A VanLife Guide To Free Camping and Overnight Parking
