Five Fitness Faces Series: Matt Stubblefield
Welcome to part 1 of my blog series entitled, "Five Fitness Faces". It is a collection of answers to questions that I asked of five fitness travelers that I have met all over the world from Germany to Sweden to USA, these five people embody what CarryOnTravelFitness is all about! For part 1 of the series, meet Matt Stubblefield. Matt and I met at university and quickly became friends. He took some of my advice on intermittent fasting and now swears by it! (Future blog post). He is currently back home in Oregon, always on the look out for his next adventure after traveling around Southeast Asia last summer. Take it away Matt:
- How do you stay fit? Any sports, lifting, Crossfit...etc?
Being active every day and eating right. Whether it is an intense 30 minute gym session, hike, hill sprint or even just a walk in the park, I make an effort to be active each day. Twice a week I’ll go to the gym for an intense session of 30 minutes max and focus on compound movements with heavy weight. Then I’ll throw in two days of light jogs per week (75% heart rate max), a sprint day, and an active rest day of playing sports like basketball. You have to let your body recover, so when I’m not doing short, intense sessions in the gym or sprinting, my workouts are lazy and enjoyable. Eating wise I stick to low carbs, high fat and a decent amount of protein. I only shoot for eating right about 80% of my week because you have to leave room to actually live life. Sometimes you just have to grab a beer and pizza with friends.
2. How do you stay fit while traveling?
Getting out and exploring. Check out the cities, adventure the landscapes and cover some ground. You’d be surprised how fit you can get from just walking around. Also, don’t be afraid to check out local gyms or parks. I went to a local gym in Siem Reap, Cambodia that was literally built from splintered wood posts, chain-link fence and rusted tin. Everyone there was so welcoming and while the equipment was exactly what you would expect from a tin gym, I got a great workout in. It was cheap to use and I got one hell of an experience out of it.
3. What is your favorite place that you have traveled to? Why?
I’m going to cheat and choose three places. It’s a toss up between Koh Tao, Thailand; Koh Phangan, Thailand; and Hoi An, Vietnam. All were extremely beautiful in their own ways and everyone I met while I was there was so friendly. I loved Koh Tao for the diving, Koh Phangan for the night life, and Hoi An for the memories I made there. Southeast Asia is incredible, you NEED to get out there at least once in your life.
4. How do you balance healthy eating while sampling the local cuisine while on the road?
Stick to proteins, veggies and lots of water. It’s inevitable that you won’t stick to a completely healthy diet while traveling, so have fun! Stay active to counter the carbs and junk food, and try to eat as healthy as possible when you can manage. Health is a broad scope of things, including mental wellness, so go out and have fun! Don’t get too down on yourself for eating junk and be aware of opportunities to eat healthy when they come around.
5. 3 words to describe your fitness regime.
Intense, flexible, lazy.
6. What is your most embarrassing travel story?
One night after having a few too many Changs (Thai beers), I dumped a whole jar of Thai chillis on some street food I ordered and proceeded to eat it. After about 30 seconds I realized the terrible thing I had done and proceeded to cry, drip snot and almost throw up in front of what seemingly felt like the entire local population of Koh Phangan. I thought I could keep shoveling the lava-hot food into my face, but the gagging started and I had to run to the side of the building for a quick ditch effort. Needless to say, the tourist couldn't hang that night.
7. Solo Travel or Partner/ Group Travel?
Solo. You meet so many people along the way anyways, learn so much about yourself and can make your own agenda without having to try and convince a travel group what to do or where to go. You experience freedom and get pushed out of your comfort zone.
8. Any advice for someone that wants to stay in shape while they travel
Check out local gyms and walk everywhere you can. Skip taxis, tuk tuks, and any other ride service unless you absolutely need it. Go out and actually see the places you visit, get to know the cities and the area. Don’t just focus on the destinations. Experience the world in-between your hostel and your destination. Not only will you stay in better shape, you will also actually experience life happening in a foreign place.