Ziggy Marley: My 5 Tried & True Travel Fitness Tips

ZM337_PhotoCredit_Tim_CadientePhoto Credit: Tim Cadiente

After a long day on his tour bus or flying from gig to gig, the last thing Haute Living ambassador Ziggy Marley wants to do is to be stuck in his hotel. But because of his lengthy travel times and a reluctance to rely on his hotel gym, the eight-time Grammy winner and reggae icon has had to be inventive—and flexible—with his fitness practices.

He favors outdoor pursuits after being cooped up inside, especially in “healthy places where I can be one with nature” such as Hawaii, the Pacific Northwest—Oregon and Washington, in particular—and Canada. But Marley can almost always find the good in a city—and find a good place to work out in the city—thanks to his chilled out, go-with-the-flow nature. Here, the Jamaican health and wellness aficionado (who kicks off the North American leg of his tour on August 10th in L.A.) is dispensing some of the tips and tricks he picked up on the road, and sharing five ways he stays in shape while traveling.

By Jade ThaiCatwalkPhoto Credit: Jade ThaiCatwalk/Shutterstock.com

  1. Whenever I stay at a hotel, I try to use the stairs. A lot of times when we travel, we’re sitting down on a plane or on a bus, and I think it’s best not to sit in the hotel room, but move around… so I use the stairs to get to my room. I run up and down stairs.
  2. I walk around the neighborhood, and discover cool and unusual things about [place that I’m in as a result].
  3. I do body weight exercises in the hotel room, like push-ups. Sometimes I even lift the couches and chairs. I improvise. I’m not lifting the couch over my head—I’ll just lift a corner—but if I need to use weights, I’ll make do with what’s in the hotel room.
  4. When I can, I travel with my bicycle, a folding bicycle that I traveled with on my last tour, and I ride around town.
  5. Sometimes I’ll find a park nearby and do some activities: Get my body moving, burn some calories, run around and be outside. I carry a baseball with me. I don’t play baseball but I carry one, so that my friends and I can throw it around.
Marley's "Rebellion Rises" album
Marley’s “Rebellion Rises” album cover

Photo Credit: Tuff Gong Worldwide