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A look at Emma Lovewell’s Instagram account and it’s clear that the Peloton instructor travels almost as much as she trains. Hiking in Saint Lucia, motorcycling in Nicaragua, canoeing in Patagonia, wielding a samurai sword in Japan (yes, a sword) – the 35-year-old has apparently been everywhere and done it all. But for her, traveling the world and having these experiences is much more than just a photo shoot. “I didn’t travel overseas until I was 18, but once I started I was hooked. My mother is an immigrant, and there is something about traveling that has helped me understand her and myself better,” she says. “Growing up in a multicultural environment and comparing myself to my other friends, I always felt ‘other’. But once I started seeing the world and realizing there were so many different ways to live, I felt more determination within myself.
Lovewell’s social media posts also make it very clear that her travels almost always involve some type of physical activity. Snowboarding, surfing, horseback riding – you name it, she did it. Yet despite his career as a fitness instructor (if you haven’t done one of his Intervals & Arms rides yet, you’re missing out), Lovewell’s attitude to staying in shape while traveling is surprisingly relaxed for someone with a killer six pack. The goal: to do things that allow him to move his body, without having to spend time in a hotel gym.
Here, Lovewell talks to STYLECASTER about some of her all-time favorite vacation destinations, how she stays active while traveling, and how to do a 10-minute workout anytime, anywhere. .
SC: From your Instagram, it looks like you’ve been all over the world. What have been some of your favorite travel destinations and experiences?
EL: I recently went to Japan and it was the trip of a lifetime. It was amazing. The culture there is so strong and the people are so nice. We were there for 11 days and spent a few days in Tokyo and then the rest in northern Japan which isn’t really a common place for people. We went to Niigata where they are known for their knives and went to these Japanese knife factories and saw amazing craftsmanship and metal work. We saw a Maiko performance of an apprentice geisha. We stayed at a Buddhist temple and took a cooking class.
Looks like you really immersed yourself in the local culture. Is it something you prefer when you travel?
I feel like it’s so important for people to travel and get away from home in order to get a better outlook on life. When we can experience another environment and another culture, it really helps us to better understand ourselves and the world. It is therefore extremely important to seek out authentic cultural experiences when traveling abroad. I’m from Martha’s Vineyard, a very popular tourist destination, so I know the locals always know what’s best. Whenever I travel somewhere, I always like to talk to locals and ask them what they suggest we do, so I can really get that local perspective.
Let’s talk about how you stay in shape during all those trips. Do you make it a conscious priority to set aside time for exercise?
My boyfriend Dave, with whom I travel a lot, and I are generally active people. We like to move our bodies. So when we travel, I’m all for adding that movement, physical activity, and fitness to the things we do and the experiences we can have. I’d rather do that than spend an hour in a basement hotel gym. Like in Japan, we did this samurai class, where we learned martial arts moves and held a samurai sword. When something like this is part of my vacation, I consider it my workout. I am standing and moving.
What kinds of physical experiences have you had in other places you have traveled to?
We recently traveled to San Sebastian, Spain, and there we rented e-bikes. Everyone made fun of me being a spin instructor and riding an e-bike, but it’s an amazing way to see a city. I would also run there. I was stopping every five minutes to take pictures so it wasn’t my most intense workout, but I was moving my body and seeing the city at the same time.
On beach vacations, I’m always swimming or wake surfing and staying active that way. We have been to Galapagos twice, Dave’s sister lived there so we really got the local experience. The scuba diving there is incredible, I was able to dive with hammerhead sharks all around me. We have also done surf trips to Nicaragua and Mexico. These were trips planned specifically around destinations being good surf spots, and surfing is the hardest workout ever.
Alaska was one of my favorite trips to the United States. I went in the middle of winter and had pretty low expectations, but was completely blown away. It completely exceeded my expectations. You see mountains rising straight out of the ocean into the sky and the most incredible sunsets. There I hiked and snowboarded every day.
So what happens when you’re on a trip and there’s not a lot of physical activity built in? Are you still working?
There were definitely vacations when I didn’t move much. And I’m starting to feel a little stuck and like I need to do something. That’s when I’ll literally take 10 minutes to do something in the hotel room that will get my body moving. Even a few planks, squats or lunges and push-ups, i.e. abs, legs and upper body. I have to plug in the Peloton app, because there are some great 10-minute basic classes there. I will make them, even if it is mine. All of the Peloton bodyweight categories, even the five, 10, or 15 minute ones, are great. You can also put on some music and have a dance party in your room. Most songs are around three minutes long, so choose three of your favorite songs, and it totally counts as a 10-minute workout.
Photo: Weston Wells. Design: Sasha Purdy/STYLECASTER.
