Episode 81Jun 24, 2026· 5:25

Your Body Wants Movement All Day, Not All at Once: Travel Fitness Tips from a Physical Therapist

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About this episode

Physical therapist Jen Uschold explains how to incorporate movement during travel and road trips through specific micro-exercise strategies: taking hotel stairs instead of elevators, carrying your own luggage, doing a 10-15 minute morning mental fitness walk to explore new surroundings, and using gas station stops for squats and high knees. She explains that the nervous system benefits more from frequent small…

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Who this episode is for

This episode may resonate with you if:

You travel frequently for work and your exercise routine completely falls apart the moment you're in a hotel or on a road trip.

You have a desk job and spend most of your workday sitting, and you're looking for small things you can actually do without leaving your workspace for long.

You're on a long road trip or family vacation and want practical ways to sneak movement in without stopping everything to find a gym.

You're a physical therapist, trainer, or wellness professional looking for simple movement cues you can pass along to clients who say they don't have time to exercise.

You rely on caffeine to stay alert through the afternoon and haven't connected that to how much you've been sitting all day.

What you’ll learn

Take the stairs instead of the elevator, even just two or three flights

Carry your own bags and make multiple stair trips to turn check-in into a workout

Do a 10-15 minute 'mental fitness walk' each morning to combine movement with exploring

Use gas station fill-up stops on road trips for squats and high knees

Questions this episode helps answer

How do I stay active while traveling if I can't get to a gym?

answered

Jen suggests taking the stairs instead of the elevator, carrying your own bags, and going for a 10-15 minute morning walk to explore your surroundings — none of which require equipment or dedicated workout time.

"to bring you a couple of ideas for staying fit and on the go and moving even while you are on vacation. The first one is many of us stay in hotels and opt for the elevator. Well, how cool would it be if you chose to take the stairs?"

How do I get any movement in on a long road trip?

answered

Jen points to gas station stops as a built-in movement opportunity — doing squats, high knees, or just walking around while the tank fills, because your nervous system likes small bits of movement often rather than a lot all at once.

"Well, this can be done. Most of us sit at our gas tank while it is filling. An option is to maybe do a few squats right then and there. Walk around the gas station. Maybe do some high knees."

Is it better to work out once or move a little bit throughout the day?

answered

Jen's position is that your nervous system prefers frequent small doses of movement over one big session — "your nervous system likes a little bit of movement often rather than a lot all at once."

"your nervous system likes a little bit of movement often rather than a lot all at once."

What can I do to move more when I have a desk job?

answered

Ashley shares what she actually does at home with a desk job: getting up throughout the day to do squats, a Zumba dance to one song, wall sits, or wall pushups — and says moving throughout the day keeps her alert and reduces her need for caffeine.

"up and I do some squats or I'll do a Zumba dance to one song or I'll do some wall sits or some wall pushups or things like that. Because I recognize now that if I'm moving throughout the day, I"

How do I stop feeling so sluggish from sitting at my desk all day?

answered

Ashley describes how breaking up sitting with small movements throughout the day makes her feel more alert and keeps her from reaching for caffeine just to stay awake.

"me feel more alert. It keeps me awake and it helps keep me from reaching for caffeine just so that I can stay alert throughout the day."

Setting expectations: This episode is not a structured workout plan for travelers or a deep-dive interview with a physical therapist on injury prevention. It's a five-minute voice note from a PT sharing small, opportunistic movement ideas — taking stairs, carrying your own bags, doing squats at a gas station — followed by Ashley reflecting on her own desk-job habit of breaking up sitting with Zumba to one song or wall pushups.

Tone & style

A physical therapist sharing practical movement suggestions, plus the host's personal experience applying similar habits at her desk job. Not a clinical consultation or structured fitness program.

toneUpbeat & practical

focusJen Uschold, a physical therapist, shares specific ways to sneak movement into travel — stairs, carrying your own bags, morning walks, squats at gas stations — and Ashley connects it to her own desk-job habit of moving in small bursts throughout the day.

styleinterview

energymedium

complexitybeginner

pressure Levellow

emotional Textureupbeat, casual, encouraging

Notable quotes

"your nervous system likes a little bit of movement often rather than a lot all at once."

— Jen Uschold

"We like to say motion is lotion. The other beauty"

— Jen Uschold

"up and I do some squats or I'll do a Zumba dance to one song or I'll do some wall sits or some wall pushups or things like that. Because I recognize"

— Famous Ashley Grant

"me feel more alert. It keeps me awake and it helps keep me from reaching for caffeine just so that I can stay alert throughout the day."

— Famous Ashley Grant

Episode transcript

Organized into 4 chapters — open any part to read the full text.

0:001. Intro and Guest IntroductionAshley Grant introduces the episode and frames it around her own summer travel, then sets up Jen Uschold's voice note on travel fitness tips.0:322. Jen's Travel Movement Tips: Stairs, Bags, and Morning WalksJen Uschold shares tips for sneaking movement into hotel stays — taking stairs instead of the elevator, carrying your own bags, and doing a 10-15 minute 'mental fitness walk' each morning to explore new surroundings.2:523. Moving During Long DrivesJen suggests using gas station stops as micro-movement opportunities — squats, high knees, walking around — and explains that the nervous system prefers small amounts of movement spread throughout the day rather than one big session.3:314. Ashley's Reflection and ClosingAshley connects Jen's tips to her own desk-job reality, describing how she breaks up sitting with squats, Zumba to one song, and wall pushups, noting it keeps her alert and reduces her caffeine reliance. She closes with an invitation for listeners to send voice notes.

Open full transcript

Mentioned in this episode

personJen Uschold

Physical therapist and guest contributor who sent a voice note sharing travel fitness tips — she calls herself 'the pain less for life physical therapist' and 'the pain shifter'.

websitefamousashleygrant.com/fitness

The URL Ashley directs listeners to if they want to send a voice note to be featured on the podcast.

Key themes

movement spread throughout the day

Both Jen and Ashley argue that small bursts of movement scattered across the day serve the body better than one concentrated session, with Jen citing the nervous system and Ashley describing her own desk-job habit of squats and Zumba between tasks.

sneaking movement into hotel stays

Jen offers specific hotel-based substitutions — taking stairs instead of the elevator and carrying your own bags — as ways to add physical effort when regular exercise is likely to be skipped on vacation.

the mental fitness walk

Jen describes her personal habit of a 10-15 minute morning walk in any new location, framing it as simultaneously a physical and mental workout and a way to discover local activities she might otherwise miss.

gas station stops as micro-movement opportunities

Jen suggests that the dead time while a gas tank fills — time most people sit through — can be used for squats, high knees, or walking around the station during road trips.

desk job sedentary reality

Ashley connects Jen's travel tips to her own everyday situation, describing how sitting all day at a desk job prompted her to start breaking up her workday with squats, wall sits, and single-song Zumba sessions.

movement as an alertness tool

Ashley notes that spreading movement through her day makes her feel more alert and has reduced her need to reach for caffeine, framing physical movement as a substitute for stimulants.

turning travel inconveniences into family movement

Jen reframes hotel stair-climbing as a family race with a small reward, suggesting that movement during travel can be made into a shared activity rather than a solo chore.

motion is lotion

Jen drops the phrase 'motion is lotion' as a shorthand for why regular movement matters physically, without elaborating further.