Pilates: The Ultimate Travel Workout to Balance Fitness and Fun

A great travel workout is helpful for staying connected to your body when you’re not at home. While more than 50 percent of Americans reporting scheduling fitness time into their vacations or business trips, the hard part is often making time for this much-needed movement. It can feel like it gets in the way of family activities, exploring your destination, or enjoying yourself.

At Lindywell, however, we believe you can always create balance, and in this case, Pilates makes that possible. 

Staying consistent with Pilates while traveling helps you show up even stronger for your family, keeps you energized for busy sightseeing, eases the aches and pains of travel, and gives your mental clarity a boost.

Whether you’re new to this style of movement or already love it, here’s why you shouldn’t overlook Pilates for your travel workouts. Be sure to check out the standing Pilates workout below for you to try on your next trip too.

Why Pilates and Travel Go Hand-in-Hand

If you want to make time for intentional movement during travel, Pilates is a great option—and here are a few of the many reasons why:

• Pilates rejuvenates your body and mind. With a focus on the mind-body connection, this type of movement works your body while giving you a chance to nourish your mental health, which we often need most during travel. 
  

• You don’t need to find a local Pilates studio or re-arrange your day around a studio schedule to enjoy this form of movement for your travel workouts. Instead, do Pilates in your hotel room or rental! You’ll still get a great workout and energize your mind for a full day of fun.
  

• No equipment is needed to strengthen and stretch your entire body, from arms and legs to neck and core. (Or to support that stiff neck after a night of sleeping on a lumpy hotel pillow!) You can even use a hotel towel for your mat if it’s all you have available.
  

• It’s easy to access hundreds of workouts that can be done nearly anywhere right within the Lindywell app. Our Travel Day Workout and Quick Energizing Travel Workout are member favorites and all of our standing workouts are perfect for on-the-go movement. Start your free trial or log into your account to get access to them! 
  

• Workouts can be done for as few as 10 minutes while still being effective. You don’t need to spend an hour doing Pilates to give your mind and body what it needs.
  

A Standing Pilates Travel Workout for Any Destination 

Standing workouts are perfect for travel because you don’t need a lot of space—or any equipment—to do them. Use this Pilates workout to connect with your mind and energize your body in just 10 minutes so you can spend the rest of your day exploring, relaxing, and having fun.

Start With the Breath

Take a few beats to deeply inhale and exhale, find your balance, and root your feet on the ground. Use this time to activate your core muscles, straighten your posture, and focus on the present moment. These few moments of intentional mindfulness help you connect to yourself and the practice which, in turn, makes it more enjoyable and effective. 

From this standing position, you’ll ease into 4 to 5 Roll Downs to warm up the body. To do so, bend your torso forward as far as you can, allowing the arms to stretch toward your feet, then return to standing with your spine tall, shoulders back, core tight, and pelvis lifted. 

Once completed, transition into 6 to 7 calf raises, or what we call in Pilates, prancing. Shift your weight from your heels up onto the balls of your feet while still maintaining that firm core and straight posture. 

Now, Move Your Body

In Pilates, we bring strength, balance, and flexibility together into one. This travel workout will incorporate movements that destabilize the body, forcing the muscles to work harder, so you remain upright. Feel free to grab a chair for extra balance or make any other modifications to feel comfortable and safe in each movement. Remember, this is your practice and I want it to feel good for you. 

Marching

Draw your belly button toward your spine to stabilize your core. Flex at the hip crease raise your left knee up in front of you, lower back to the ground and repeat on the other side maintaining your balance as you slowly march the legs up and down.

Standing Hip Circles

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Draw your belly button toward your spine to stabilize your core. Flex at the hip crease raise your left knee up in front of you, rotate it out to the side, circle down, across mid-line, and back up to center. Draw 10 circles and repeat on the other side.

Cross it in front of the body again to complete one rotation. Repeat this motion with the same leg for three more rotations, then lower it down. Repeat this series of motions with the other leg. 

Standing Leg Work + Swimming

Stand with your feet about hip-width apart. Bend the knees to lower yourself into a deep squat as if you’re about to sit down in a chair. In the squat position, tilt your torso forward, raise your arms up by your ears, draw your shoulders down your back and activate the core by drawing your belly button toward your spine. 

Hold this position for a few seconds, then pulse the thighs downward for a count of 10. Return to a standing position, then lower back down to repeat this motion three more times.  On the last one, hold the squat position with your arms raised up by your ears and pulse the arms in a swimming motion for 10 repetitions. Keep your core strong, your shoulders down and back, and remember to breathe!

Plié Squat with Side Bends

Stand with your legs a little bit wider than your shoulders, with a slight external rotation in the hips, knees and feet. Bend your knees coming into a deep plié. Lengthen your spine, draw your belly button in toward your spine, and place both hands behind your head with fingers interlaced for support. Relax your shoulders down the back. 

As you inhale, tilt your torso over to one side, imagining that you’re moving between two panes of glass. As you exhale, use the obliques to return to an upright position. Repeat for a total of 10 repetitions. 

Plie Squat with Spine Twist

Stand with your legs a little bit wider than your shoulders, with a slight external rotation in the hips, knees and feet. Bend your knees coming into a deep plié. Lengthen your spine, draw your belly button in toward your spine, and place both hands behind your head with fingers interlaced for support. Relax your shoulders down the back. 

As you inhale, rotate the rib cage to the left, while keeping your hip bones facing forward. Exhale return to center. Repeat on the other side for a total of 10 repetitions. 

Find Balance During Travel With Pilates

No more waking up extra early to hit the gym or spending an hour away from family or friends to move your body. This Pilates travel workout, and many others in the Lindywell app, give you an opportunity to move, connect, and strengthen in less than 10 minutes so you can get back to having fun on your trip! Even better, you’ll finish the workout feeling more connected and rejuvenated than before, making your time away that much more enjoyable.