In mid-July 2016, I started focusing on my health and fitness like never before. As a kid, I participated in sports, but past high school, I largely relied on my metabolism and genetics for making me look somehow different than how I should, considering the food I was eating and my lack of exercise.

My day job is as a freelance attorney, and, while working remotely in Medellin, Colombia, I met a client who was forming a private personal training gym right next to my apartment in San Francisco. When I got back to California, I decided to stop in, and I was convinced to sign up for 3 free sessions; since then, I’ve been hooked.

Whenever I’m in San Francisco, I work out with my trainer 2-3 times per week. But when I’m traveling, which can be over 2 weeks per month, my workout schedule suffers. Unfortunately, I am not very self-motivated when it comes to working out. That said, to help stay on my game, I take my measurements once per month, looking at my muscle growth, body fat percentage loss, and other metrics. This gives me motivation to make sure that when I travel, I , at the very least, will not lose the progress I have made.

Another fitness issue I’m finding when traveling is food. At home, I can guarantee that I will eat 150 grams of protein and 2,800 calories, and still stay under my carbohydrates goals. I can also make protein shakes every day if it looks like I might not make my protein goal. It’s much harder to do this abroad, especially when you aren’t sure what’s in the food, when you don’t have protein powder or a blender, when you’re in a rush, or when you’re drinking because you’re stressed (it happens).

I am still trying to find how I can fit my fitness journey in with my travel obsession, and to maximize my results.  If you have any suggestions, let me know in the comments!