By Ivo Benz Melo · Client Manager at moveWise · Last updated: 11 November 2026

💡 The short answer: Digital nomad fitness means keeping a training routine that travels with you. The World Health Organization's baseline for adults is 150 to 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity, plus muscle-strengthening on at least two days. Bodyweight training, stretching, running and swimming need almost no kit; gyms, CrossFit boxes and Pilates studios add structure. For stays beyond 90 days, check your health cover: residence visas need more than travel insurance.

Key facts for 2027 (checked October 2026)

• Weekly activity for adults: at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, with more benefit at about 300 minutes of moderate activity (World Health Organization).
• Strength: activities that work the major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week; yoga, Pilates and bodyweight exercises count (WHO and NHS).
• Visitors' limit: most non-EU visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area, now recorded digitally by the Entry/Exit System.
• Spain, residence visa insurance: for the Digital Nomad Visa, travel insurance and reimbursement-only policies are not accepted; you need cover from an insurer authorised in Spain with no co-payments or waiting periods, unless you are covered by Spanish Social Security.
• Italy and Portugal: consulates commonly ask for health insurance of at least €30,000, including hospitalisation, for the digital nomad visas.

This guide is for remote workers who move between cities and want a routine that survives the move, in a small flat, a coliving room or a park. You will get a weekly plan, a short routine for each popular workout style and the paperwork for joining a gym or club abroad.

It was prepared by MoveWise, an immigration consultancy that prepares remote-worker visa files for Spain, Italy and Portugal every week. We are not doctors or trainers: the health guidance comes from the WHO and the NHS, and what we add is what we know best, namely health cover, residence and local paperwork.

The pitfall it helps you avoid: relying on travel insurance and a hotel gym for a year abroad, then finding that neither works once you settle.

👉 Book a free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — planning months in Spain rather than weeks? We will tell you honestly whether the Digital Nomad Visa fits your income and what health cover it needs.

In this guide:

• Before you start: a short safety note
• How much exercise you need: the WHO baseline
• A weekly training plan that travels
• Stretching and mobility for digital nomads
• Calisthenics and bodyweight training
• HIIT for digital nomads
• CrossFit for digital nomads
• Pilates for digital nomads
• Yoga for digital nomads
• Running for digital nomads
• Swimming for digital nomads
• Gyms, spinning and group classes
• Outdoor training: hiking, cycling and beaches
• Beyond the workout: sleep, food, screens and loneliness
• Health cover while you travel
• Joining a gym or club abroad: the paperwork
• Most common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
• Frequently asked questions
• How MoveWise can help

Before you start: a short safety note

⚠️ This guide is general information, not medical advice. The routines below are examples for healthy adults, not a programme designed for you.

• ✅ See a doctor first if you have a medical condition, are pregnant or have not exercised for a long time, as the NHS guidance advises.
• ✅ Start below your limit in a new place: heat, altitude, jet lag and poor sleep all make the same workout feel harder.
• ✅ Stop and seek medical advice if you feel chest pain, dizziness, unusual breathlessness or sharp joint pain.
• ✅ Learn technical lifts from a coach, not from a video in a hotel room.
• ✅ Know the emergency number: 112 across the European Union.

How much exercise you need: the WHO baseline

The World Health Organization's physical activity recommendations give adults a simple target that travels with you.

• Aerobic activity: at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week (brisk walking, easy cycling, steady swimming), or 75 minutes of vigorous activity (running, HIIT), or a mix.
• More benefit: about 300 minutes of moderate activity a week, or the equivalent.
• Muscle strengthening: activities involving the major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
• Adults over 65 with poor mobility: activities that improve balance and help prevent falls on 3 or more days a week.

The NHS adds a point that matters for anyone who works at a laptop all day: reduce the time you spend sitting and break up long periods of not moving.

💡 Pro tip: do the maths in weeks, not days. A week with two 20-minute strength circuits, three 30-minute brisk walks or swims and one longer weekend hike already reaches the baseline. A travel day with zero minutes does not ruin the week.

A weekly training plan that travels

The plan below needs no equipment and fits around a full working week. Swap any session for a local class when you find a good one.

• Monday: strength circuit, 20 minutes (calisthenics routine below).
• Tuesday: run, swim or brisk walk, 30 minutes.
• Wednesday: mobility plus mat Pilates or yoga, 20 minutes.
• Thursday: strength circuit, 20 minutes.
• Friday: a group session: CrossFit, spinning, yoga or a running club.
• Saturday: outdoor day: hike, cycle, beach or a long walk around your new city.
• Sunday: rest or an easy walk.
• Every working day: two or three 5-minute movement breaks between calls (stretching or mobility drills).

💡 Pro tip: book your sessions in the same calendar as your client calls. A workout with a time slot survives a busy week; a workout "when I have time" does not.

Stretching and mobility for digital nomads

Stretching keeps you moving well after long hours at a desk and in transit. Use two kinds, plus daily mobility drills.

Dynamic stretching (before training, 5 to 8 minutes)

Dynamic stretches move your joints through their range without holding positions.

• Arm circles, 10 forwards and 10 backwards.
• Leg swings, front to back and side to side, 10 per leg (hold a wall).
• Walking lunges with a gentle twist, 8 per side.
• Hip circles, 8 each direction.
• Inchworms (walk your hands out to a plank and back), 5.
• Cat-cow on hands and knees, 8 slow repetitions.

Static stretching (after training or a long work block)

Static stretches are held positions. Hold each gently for about 20 to 30 seconds, without bouncing or pain.

• Hamstrings: heel on a low step, hinge forward.
• Hip flexors: half-kneeling lunge.
• Chest: forearm on a doorframe, turn away.
• Glutes: lying figure-four stretch.
• Calves: hands on a wall, back heel down.

Mobility drills for laptop workers (10 minutes, most days)

Controlled movements for the stiffness a laptop builds: upper back, hips and wrists.

• Open book for the upper back: lying on your side, rotate your top arm open, 8 per side.
• Wall angels: back and arms against a wall, slide your arms up and down, 10.
• 90/90 hip switches: sitting, rotate both knees from side to side, 8 per side.
• Deep squat hold: hold a comfortable squat, using a door frame for support if needed, 30 to 60 seconds.
• Chin tucks: 10 slow repetitions.
• Wrist circles and gentle wrist stretches: 30 seconds each way.

Calisthenics and bodyweight training

Calisthenics means training with your own body weight: no kit, no membership, no packing space.

A 20-minute calisthenics routine for a small room

Do 3 or 4 rounds, resting about a minute between rounds. Numbers are examples; adjust them to your level.

1. Squats: 15. Feet shoulder-width apart, sit back and down, knees following your toes.
2. Push-ups: 8 to 12. Hands on a sturdy desk or bed frame if floor push-ups are too hard.
3. Reverse lunges: 10 per leg.
4. Plank: 30 to 45 seconds, body in a straight line.
5. Glute bridges: 15, squeezing at the top.
6. Wall sit: 30 to 45 seconds.
7. Back extensions ("superman"): 12, lying face down.

Squats, push-ups and planks: how to progress without equipment

When the routine feels easy, make each exercise harder instead of simply adding repetitions.

• Squats: bodyweight squat → split squat → rear-foot-elevated split squat on a sturdy chair → slow tempo (three seconds down).
• Push-ups: incline → floor → feet raised → close-grip or archer push-ups.
• Planks: plank → side plank → plank with shoulder taps → long-lever plank (elbows further forward).

Muscle-ups, pull-ups and gymnastics skills on the road

Pulling exercises need a bar. Many European cities have free outdoor calisthenics or fitness areas in parks and along seafront promenades; ask locals or check a maps app for "street workout" or "outdoor gym" near you.

• Muscle-ups come after solid strict pull-ups and dips. Build towards them with explosive pull-ups and straight-bar dips, ideally with a coach checking your form.
• Gymnastics skills (handstands, tumbling) are best learned in an adult class with mats and spotting; a wall-facing handstand hold is a safe solo start.
• Animal flow and similar ground-movement styles need only floor space.

⚠️ Common mistake: hanging from door frames, shower rails or furniture in rented flats. They are not built for body weight, and the damage comes out of your deposit.

HIIT for digital nomads

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) alternates short, hard efforts with rest. It packs vigorous activity into a short session, which helps on busy weeks: in the WHO baseline, 75 vigorous minutes count as much as 150 moderate ones.

A 20-minute HIIT session:

1. Warm up for 5 minutes with the dynamic routine above.
2. Do 8 rounds of 20 seconds hard and 10 seconds rest, alternating squats or jump squats, mountain climbers, high knees and burpees (or step-back burpees).
3. Walk for 2 minutes, then repeat the block once more if you feel good.
4. Finish with 3 minutes of static stretches.

💡 Pro tip: in a flat with neighbours below, choose low-impact versions: fast step-backs instead of jumps, squat-to-calf-raise instead of jump squats. Same effort, no complaints to your landlord.

Keep HIIT to a couple of sessions a week. If you are new to exercise, build a base of walking and strength first.

CrossFit for digital nomads

CrossFit gyms, called boxes, are the closest thing to an international training club: the class format is similar everywhere, and many affiliated boxes welcome visitors.

• ✅ Book the drop-in in advance through the box's website or booking app; many classes have limited places.
• ✅ Arrive 10 to 15 minutes early, sign the waiver and pay the drop-in fee.
• ✅ Tell the coach your experience and any injuries. Some boxes ask newcomers without experience to do an introductory session first.
• ✅ Staying a month or more? A class pack or monthly plan is usually better value.

A no-equipment travel workout in the CrossFit style: set a timer for 15 minutes and complete as many rounds as you can of 10 burpees, 15 air squats, 20 sit-ups and 10 push-ups. Note your score and repeat it in the next city.

Power cleans and Olympic lifts on the road

The power clean and other Olympic lifts are technical. Practise them only in a box or gym with a coach, a bumper-plate platform and enough space. On the road, keep the explosive pattern with broad jumps or squat jumps, and with kettlebell swings or dumbbell hang power cleans when a gym has the equipment.

Pilates for digital nomads

Pilates builds core strength and control, useful for anyone who sits for hours. Mat Pilates is fully portable; reformer Pilates needs a studio.

A 15-minute mat Pilates routine (towel or light travel mat):

1. The hundred (modified): knees bent, pump your arms for 100 counts with steady breathing.
2. Half roll-backs: 8 slow repetitions.
3. Single-leg circles: 5 each direction, per leg.
4. Single-leg stretch: 10 per side.
5. Swimming (lying face down): 30 seconds.
6. Side-lying leg series: lifts and small circles, 10 each, per side.
7. Spine stretch forward: 5 slow repetitions.

💡 Pro tip: reformer studios usually sell class packs and many ask newcomers to take an introductory class first. Book it in your first week.

Yoga for digital nomads

Yoga combines strength, flexibility and breathing, and needs only a mat or a towel. Larger cities often have classes in English and trial offers for newcomers.

A 15-minute morning flow:

1. Child's pose, 1 minute.
2. Cat-cow, 8 repetitions.
3. Downward-facing dog, 5 breaths.
4. Low lunge, 5 breaths per side.
5. Warrior II and triangle, 5 breaths each, per side.
6. Seated forward fold, 1 minute.
7. Lying twist, 30 seconds per side, then 2 minutes of relaxation.

Running for digital nomads

Running is the quickest way to learn a new city, and shoes are all you need.

• ✅ Run your neighbourhood on day one, slowly. You find the supermarket, the pharmacy and the park on the way.
• ✅ Use traffic-free routes: seafront promenades, river paths and parks.
• ✅ Train early or late in summer, slow down and carry water.
• ✅ Be visible and share your route when you run early, late or alone.
• ✅ Join a running club or a free group run. It is one of the easiest ways to meet locals and other newcomers.

A simple routine: three runs a week: one easy run of 30 minutes, one session of 6 × 2 minutes at a faster pace with 2 minutes of walking between them, and one longer, easy run at the weekend.

Swimming for digital nomads

Swimming is low-impact, a good choice after long journeys.

• ✅ Municipal pools are common in Spain, Italy and Portugal. Many indoor pools ask you to wear a swimming cap and pool sandals; bring both.
• ✅ Sea swimming: use beaches with lifeguards, follow the flag colours, swim parallel to the shore and use a bright tow float.
• ✅ Never swim alone in open water you do not know, and ask locals about currents.

A 30-minute pool session: 200 metres easy, 4 × 50 metres of technique drills, 6 × 100 metres at a steady pace with 20 seconds' rest, then 100 metres easy. Shorten the distances if you are building up.

Gyms, spinning and group classes

A gym makes sense when you stay several weeks in one place; group classes add people.

• ✅ Start with a day pass or a one-week pass before you sign anything longer.
• ✅ Multi-venue memberships covering gyms in several cities or countries exist in parts of Europe; check which venues your plan covers before you pay.
• ✅ Read the contract: sign-up fee, minimum term, notice period and how to cancel.
• ✅ Spinning (indoor cycling): book your bike in advance, arrive early to adjust it and bring a towel and water.
• ✅ Step aerobics, Zumba and dance classes are social, and they are excellent practice for the local language.
• ✅ Martial arts and tai chi: many clubs welcome visitors at open sessions, and tai chi groups often meet in parks.

💡 Pro tip: coworking spaces and colivings sometimes have gym agreements or their own classes. Ask before you buy a membership; our guide to coliving and coworking in Europe explains what to ask an operator.

Outdoor training: hiking, cycling and beaches

Many large cities in southern Europe have hills, trails or coast within reach: the Collserola hills behind Barcelona, the Sierra de Guadarrama north of Madrid, Sintra near Lisbon.

• ✅ Hiking: check the weather forecast and the daylight hours, tell someone your route, carry water and a charged phone, and know that 112 is the emergency number.
• ✅ Cycling: start with city bike-share; for road cycling, rent a fitted bike and wear a helmet.
• ✅ Beach workouts: sand makes squats, lunges and sprints harder; train early to avoid the heat and the crowds.
• ✅ Outdoor fitness areas: many parks have free equipment for pull-ups, dips and step-ups.

⚠️ Common mistake: assuming travel insurance covers every outdoor activity. Many policies exclude mountaineering above a set altitude or extreme sports; read the exclusions first.

Beyond the workout: sleep, food, screens and loneliness

• Sleep: change time zones gradually when you can, get daylight in the morning and keep a regular bedtime on working days.
• Food: local markets make it easy to cook fresh, simple meals a few times a week.
• Your desk: a laptop stand, an external keyboard and a chair you can adjust protect your neck and back more than any stretch.
• Loneliness: classes, clubs and community groups help; our guide to digital nomad events and communities lists where to start. If you feel low for a long time, speak to a doctor.

More on the lifestyle: what a digital nomad really is and our step-by-step guide to becoming a digital nomad.

Health cover while you travel

Your health cover depends on how you stay in a country, not only on where you are. This is where most fitness guides stop.

Short trips: travel insurance

As a visitor, travel insurance covers emergencies and repatriation. Visa-free nationals can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area, and since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System records short-stay entries and exits digitally instead of stamping passports.

• ✅ Check the sports exclusions and keep the insurer's emergency number on your phone.
• ❌ Do not plan a year in Europe on visitor stays: the 90/180 limit applies across the whole Schengen area.

Residence visas: insurance a visa office accepts

• Spain, Digital Nomad Visa: according to the UGE-CE's FAQ, you need public cover through Spanish Social Security or private insurance from an insurer authorised in Spain; travel insurance, reimbursement-only policies and policies with co-payments or waiting periods are not accepted. In our practice, self-employed applicants filing from Spain usually join the self-employed scheme (RETA) and need no private policy; employees on a home-country certificate of coverage usually do. Our health insurance guide for the Spanish Digital Nomad Visa explains the certificate wording.
• Spain, Non-Lucrative Visa: the Ministry of Inclusion's information sheet asks for health insurance with an insurer authorised in Spain; consulates in practice want no co-payments and no waiting periods. See our Non-Lucrative Visa requirements.
• Italy, Digital Nomad Visa: the rules require health insurance for medical care and hospitalisation, valid in Italy for the whole stay; consulates commonly ask for at least €30,000 of cover. Details in our Italy Digital Nomad Visa requirements.
• Portugal, D8: consulates commonly ask for travel and health insurance of at least €30,000, valid in Portugal and the Schengen area, covering urgent care and repatriation. See our Portugal Digital Nomad Visa checklist.

💡 Pro tip: if sport matters to you, ask each insurer whether physiotherapy after a sports injury is included before you choose between policies that all meet the visa rule.

👉 Want our team to check your insurance and documents before you file? Talk to a MoveWise Client Manager — we will tell you whether your policy meets your consulate's rule and what to fix.

Once you are resident: public healthcare

Residence can open the door to public healthcare, but not automatically.

• Spain: you access the public system when you are covered by Spanish Social Security, for example as a self-employed worker in RETA or as an employee registered in Spain. Residents with no other public cover can ask about the public buy-in, the convenio especial, after at least one year of registered residence; the Ministry of Health lists €60 a month under 65 and €157 from 65. Our guide to healthcare in Spain for expats walks through the steps.
• Italy: once resident, you can register with the National Health Service (Servizio Sanitario Nazionale, SSN); ask your Legal Manager how it applies to your permit.
• Portugal: once resident, you can register with the National Health Service (Serviço Nacional de Saúde, SNS) at your local health centre.

⚠️ Common mistake: cancelling private insurance before your public registration is active. For the Spanish Non-Lucrative Visa, uninterrupted insurance is also part of the renewal.

Joining a gym or club abroad: the paperwork

• Spain: day passes and short packs can often be bought with a passport and a card. Monthly memberships are usually paid by direct debit, so many gyms ask for an identity number such as your NIE and an account with a European IBAN; our guide to opening a bank account in Spain covers the options. Municipal sports centres in many towns charge less to residents registered on the padrón.
• Italy: gyms and especially swimming pools often ask for a medical certificate for non-competitive sport (certificato medico per attività sportiva non agonistica), issued by a doctor; ask which one the facility accepts.
• Portugal: gyms often ask for your tax number (NIF) for the invoice and the contract.

💡 Pro tip: keep one digital folder with your passport, residence document, tax number, IBAN and address registration: the gym, the bank, the doctor and your visa renewal ask for the same documents.

Most common mistakes (and how to avoid them)

1. All-or-nothing training. Fix: keep a 20-minute minimum session you can do anywhere, and count your activity per week.
2. Learning technical lifts alone. Fix: practise power cleans, muscle-ups and gymnastics skills with a coach.
3. Signing a long gym contract on day one. Fix: try a day pass or a week first, and read the cancellation terms.
4. Using travel insurance for a residence visa. Fix: buy cover the visa office accepts, or show that you are covered by Social Security where that applies.
5. Overstaying as a visitor. Fix: count your 90 days across the whole Schengen area, and plan a residence visa if you want to stay longer.

Frequently asked questions

How can digital nomads stay fit while travelling?

Plan a portable minimum: two 20-minute bodyweight strength sessions, two or three runs, swims or brisk walks, and short mobility breaks on working days, booked in your calendar like meetings. In each new city, add one local option such as a gym day pass, a class or a running club.

What is the best stretching routine for digital nomads?

Two short routines work best: 5 to 8 minutes of dynamic stretching before training (leg swings, walking lunges, arm circles), and gentle static stretches held about 20 to 30 seconds each after training or a long work block. Add daily mobility drills for your upper back, hips and wrists.

Is calisthenics good for digital nomads?

Yes. Calisthenics needs no equipment and no membership. Squats, push-ups, lunges, planks, glute bridges and wall sits work the main muscle groups in a small room. For pull-ups, dips and muscle-ups, use the outdoor calisthenics areas that many European cities have in parks and on seafronts.

Can digital nomads do CrossFit while travelling?

Yes. Many affiliated boxes accept drop-ins for a fee, usually booked in advance online. Arrive early, sign the waiver and tell the coach about your experience and any injuries. If you stay a month or more, a class pack or monthly plan is usually better value than repeated drop-ins.

Can you do Pilates while travelling without equipment?

Yes. Mat Pilates needs only a towel or a light travel mat. A 15-minute sequence of the hundred, half roll-backs, single-leg circles, single-leg stretch, swimming and side-lying leg work fits in a hotel room. Reformer Pilates needs a studio; many ask newcomers to book an introductory session first.

Do I need a NIE or a Spanish bank account to join a gym in Spain?

Not always. Day passes and short packs can often be bought with a passport and a card. Monthly memberships are usually paid by direct debit, so many gyms ask for an identity number such as the NIE and a bank account with a European IBAN. Municipal sports centres in many towns charge residents registered on the padrón less.

Is travel insurance enough for a digital nomad visa?

No, not for Spain. The UGE-CE does not accept travel insurance or reimbursement-only policies: you need a policy from an insurer authorised in Spain with no co-payments and no waiting periods, unless you are covered by Spanish Social Security. Italian and Portuguese consulates commonly ask for at least €30,000 of cover including hospitalisation.

Can digital nomads use public healthcare in Spain?

Yes, once they are covered by Spanish Social Security, for example as self-employed workers registered in the RETA scheme or as employees registered in Spain. Visitors and residents on a foreign certificate of coverage or private insurance use their own cover. Residents with at least one year of registered residence and no other public cover can ask about the public buy-in, the convenio especial.

How MoveWise can help

We do not write training plans. We handle what a gym cannot: the visa, the residence and the health cover that comes with them, in Spain, Italy and Portugal.

• Module 1, eligibility assessment: we check your passport, contract or clients, income and family against the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese routes, and tell you which health cover each one needs.
• Module 2, full preparation and submission: your Legal Manager prepares the complete file, checks that your insurance certificate says what the visa office expects, and files it with the UGE-CE or prepares it for your consulate.
• After approval: padrón, residence card, permesso di soggiorno or AIMA appointment.
• Our guarantee: a full refund of our fee if your application is refused, under the conditions of our service agreement.
• What clients say: more than 500 client reviews on Trustpilot.

Our Spain Digital Nomad Visa service, Italy Digital Nomad Visa service and Portugal D8 service pages explain how we work. Still choosing where to base yourself? Compare the best digital nomad cities in Europe and, for Spain, the Spain Digital Nomad Visa requirements.

👉 Book your free consultation with a MoveWise Client Manager — tell us where you want to live and what you earn, and we will tell you honestly which visa fits and what health cover to plan.

Sources and legal references

• World Health Organization, physical activity recommendations
• NHS, physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64
• European Commission, Entry/Exit System
• UGE-CE, Digital Nomad Visa FAQ (Ministry of Inclusion, Spain)
• Ministry of Inclusion, Spain, non-lucrative residence information sheet
• Ministry of Health, Spain, convenio especial

This guide is general information, not legal advice and not medical advice. Immigration rules, consular practice and insurance terms change frequently; the information was verified on 11 November 2026. For advice on your health, speak to a doctor; for advice on your visa, speak to a qualified professional.

Contact Us

While the requirements for obtaining a visa for Spain and Italy are straightforward, preparing the necessary documents and navigating the application process can be challenging. Mistakes or incomplete paperwork could put your application at risk.

If you have any doubts or questions about the process, you can book a free consultation for the following visa types, we’ll be there to help you every step of the way:

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