Life in the live events industry is difficult for a number of reasons. But one topic that comes up over and over again is our health. Whether that’s the catering on a job site, lifting and loading heavy equipment, or the long shifts late into the night – this industry takes a toll on our bodies.
Nothing is more important than your health. We need to steal a few moments a day – at least! – to dedicate to exercise. Road life doesn’t always lend itself to the best conditions for working out.
As a fitness enthusiast and certified CrossFit instructor, I want to share some tips and tricks with you on how to stay fit and healthy no matter where you are.
Let’s start with a warm up
Start by loosening up with the “couch stretch” – a series of static stretches you can do against a couch, a wall, a hotel bed or whatever your space may offer.
Continue with lunge kicks: Start from a standing position. Lunge backward until your back leg’s knee just touches the ground. From there, push your hips towards the ground while driving the knee forward. As you stand back up, kick that foot as high as you can in front of you.
Wrap up your warm up with wall push ups: Just like you would on the floor, position yourself in front of a wall and perform 10-15 wall push ups.
Time for the workout
Keep it simple with the “7 by 7” routine:
Repeat this cycle seven times:
- 7 squats
- 7 push ups
- 7 sit ups
Maintain good form on each repetition. If you can’t maintain good form to complete the exercise, or you can’t complete it with the modified version of the exercise, stop there. You may not be able to complete seven cycles of this loop – and that’s okay! The important thing is that you challenge yourself.
Refer to these tips to check your form on each exercise:
Squat: Make sure the hips pass below the knees on each rep. Your knees should track, or stay over your toes the entire way down.
Push ups: Make sure the chest passes below the elbow and you push up to full extension in your arms. For a modified version, do this motion on your knees instead of on your toes, or go back to the wall as you did in your warm up.
And that’s it! If all else fails, stay moving. You’ll likely get your step count up after a day on a job site, but take every opportunity to take the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator, or steal a quick walk around the block during your break. Your body will thank you for it.
Tired after that workout? Check out this podcast episode
Episode 16: Balancing Family, Travel and a Career in Live Events feat. Nate Nicholson
