It’s hard to imagine a better person to advise on fitness while traveling than the 12-Minute Athlete, Krista Stryker. 

Krista is a certified personal trainer, a published author, and a speaker on the topics of fitness and mindset. In 2013, she founded a high-intensity interval training app, website, and business geared at solving the challenge of staying fit when time and space are limited.  So she built a "system of workouts that could be done in little space, with few pieces of equipment, and in the shortest time possible."

What could be more useful for flight crew and travelers? 

More important than her accolades, strength or achievements, Krista is a great person. One of us (Justin) had the honor of being trained by her for a summer, and she does not mess around. She expects the best out of her clients and gives them the confidence to succeed. 

One reason behind Krista's effectiveness and success is her passion for all things fitness, and that passion rubs off.

“I love working out," Krista said. "I love how strong it makes me feel, how much more confident I am than before, how it makes me feel like I can conquer the universe. And more than anything in the world, I want to help others feel this way as well.” 

And she did help. In just 60 days, Justin added more than five pounds of muscle on a plant-based diet using only bodyweight exercises. Pretty cool. 

A few other fun and random facts about Krista:

• She can hold a handstand for basically as long as most people can stand normally
• She couldn’t do a single push up in college
• She hates running
• She doesn’t love cooking but does it to be healthy
• She loves animals and has a dog named Rocket (who is adorable) 

In addition to all her resources, like a great Instagram account with free workouts published weekly, Krista agreed to answer some of our specific questions. 

So read up, because she knows what she’s talking about. Trust us.  

-Geremy, Justin and the airfare team

You are in a hotel room. You have 30 minutes to work out. You have no equipment. What do you do? 

Krista: Start by scanning the room to see if there's anything you can use for makeshift equipment. For example, a chair can be used for exercises like step-ups, tricep dips, or even box jumps if it's sturdy enough. The underside of a table can sometimes be used for bodyweight rows, a great replacement for pullups. Get creative. 

Start with a five- to ten-minute warm up. Try a blend of dynamic stretching and easy jogging in place or jumping jacks. No need to spend too much time here, just enough to get your heart rate up and your muscles feeling warm.

Put together a full-body circuit. I like to alternate body parts for maximum efficiency and minimum rest. For example, you could start with a lower body exercise like bodyweight squats, then go immediately into pushups to give your legs a rest, then follow with lunges to give your upper body a rest.

Put together anywhere from five to ten different exercises and do three to five rounds, and you've got yourself a time-efficient bodyweight workout.

Here's an example hotel room workout you can try. This should take you no longer than 20 minutes to complete.

Complete three to five rounds, resting as little as possible between reps

1. 20 bodyweight squats
2. 15 push ups, adding "knee touches" if you can
3. 10 backwards lunges per leg
4. 10 half handstand pushups (1 minute mark of video)
5. 10 side lunges
6. 10 superman raises to W hold
7. 15 situps 

What are your favorite one or two not-so-expensive exercise gadgets you bring when you travel? 

Krista: A jump rope and a couple of bands! You really don't need much more than that.

airfare comment: We like these bands 

What are the destinations (hotels, cities, or gyms) that make exercise considerably easier? 

Krista: I prefer outdoor workouts whenever possible and like to look for outdoor calisthenics parks when I travel. Calisthenics-parks.com lists most of these around the world. Even a single pullup bar can help add a challenge to any workout. 

What is the biggest problem or frustration you face when trying to maintain your exercise regimen on the road?

Krista: Since I do mostly outdoor workouts anyway, there's almost always a park nearby that works great. The biggest problem I come up against when traveling is inclement weather. If it's too rainy or cold to work out outdoors, I then just end up working out in my hotel room or the hotel gym, which is fine, but not near as fun.

Is there an app you like to use to help you exercise while on the go? 

Krista: I'm a big fan of the 12 Minute Athlete HIIT workouts app 😉 

airfare comment: We have used this app and love it. It's full of useful, simple workouts. In fact, using the app paired with some in-person training from Krista, is what whipped Justin into shape. 

Tell us about a time you failed to maintain your “wellness” while traveling.

Krista: It took a lot of experimenting and practice, but I'm now able to keep up my workout routine even while traveling. Eating well is another story. 😞 

I do my best to seek out healthy restaurants and get in as many vegetables as possible, but depending on the country or location, it can be hard. I'm also a vegetarian, which means sometimes I'll find myself surviving mostly on cheese, bread and tomatoes. Not ideal.

What type of workout makes you feel best after a day of air travel?

Krista: Outdoor workouts where I get my heart rate up. After being in airports and in an airplane, being outside is great. I feel so much more human afterwards!
 

What part of your body takes the biggest beating from spending hours in the air? How do you work it out before or after?

Krista: I tend to get sciatica after sitting for prolonged periods of time, so just getting moving after a long flight is helpful. Light cardio activity or even just walking helps a lot. I also do my best to stretch my hips, glutes, and hamstrings, since those all tend to get pretty tight from sitting.