First, for those of you who maintain a perfect body weight and appropriate tone and muscle mass without even trying, congratulations!!! You can read the rest of the article for laughs if you want to.

For those of us who need or want to do something besides dietary changes, traveling fulltime in an RV presents a few obstacles. That treadmill, stationary bicycle or home gym you used to have in your house? Good luck fitting it in your RV and storing it whenever you move. Same goes for the free weights and those contraptions you attach to a door jamb. As RVers, our options decrease but we do still have options for a physical exercise routine.

Going back to basics, you can always go old school. That’s right. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks. Most of these can be done inside your RV although you might need to take the jumping jacks outside. While you’re out there, you can also do tricep dips at the picnic table or pull-ups on a nearby tree limb or piece of playground equipment. If you need a strenuous workout, try washing and waxing the RV on a sunny day 🙂

There are other exercises you can do inside with minimal equipment, something lightweight and easy to store. Instead of dragging heavy free weights across the country, you could try a set of resistance bands for weight training. Need to work on your balance and burn a few calories at the same time? Try a Simply Fit Board. For those who prefer a structured routine, there are numerous workout videos available, including yoga. A yoga mat takes up very little space and can also serve other purposes.

Some of us prefer the great outdoors, either primarily or as an addition to our workout routine.  Running or walking is free. So is swimming in the local lake, river or ocean. If your campground or RV park has a swimming pool, that’s a bonus, especially if they have hours set aside for adult lap swimming or water aerobic classes. Many of us carry bicycles and that’s a great way to explore the local area. Hiking trails exist all across the country.

Sometimes, for any number of reasons, none of these options quite fit. A stationary homeowner has the option of joining a local gym. As a traveling RVer, you still have that option. Check out some of the national fitness center franchises and see if they have options that fit your lifestyle and budget. I recently checked out a local YMCA and decided to join, mainly because they have a large swimming pool, which helps me take a load off my feet while working out. After leaving my current location, I’ll probably keep the membership since I can visit any YMCA in the country and the amenities they offer are more compatible with my exercise routine than a traditional gym.

If you have other ideas for exercising on the road, feel free to leave a comment!