How Claire P. Thomas Stays Fit and Healthy on the Road
Outside+
It sounds romantic: Park somewhere overnight, and wake up with the sunrise to a new view and new places to explore. But in truth, van life took some getting used to. “I was a very routine-oriented person, waking up and going to bed at a certain time,” Thomas says. “So having no structure was a huge challenge for me in the beginning. But now, the uncertainty is my favorite thing about van life. Every day is a new challenge, and I am trying to live in the moment.”
Her current mission is to showcase how to stay fit and healthy on the road. “My niche is that I’m nicheless,” Thomas says. “Because of my athletic background, I train more functionally and do a little bit of everything — bodybuilding, running, CrossFit. The workouts I post are the ones I actually do, and even though I don’t have a set schedule, my training is always balanced.”
Thomas also avails herself of her location to stay active, and a scroll through her IG feed shows her doing push-ups in a snowy Sequoia National Park, planking on the rim of the Grand Canyon, doing pull-ups in the doorway of her van (she had a pull-up bar custom-built) and, most recently, trail running along the Maui coastline.
“We’ve also gone snorkeling, surfing, hiking and stand-up paddleboarding,” she adds. “We love it here so much! Maui has stolen our hearts. We found our people and our community.”
Still, the open road awaits, and by the time this issue hits the stands, Penny and passengers will be back on the mainland and headed east.
“We have no definite plan — we just know we don’t want to be rushed,” Thomas says. “This time in my life — it will be something I can look back on and be proud of. I’ll have so many amazing stories to tell — all the wrong turns that turned out to be right turns — and so many moments to look back on and laugh — or cringe!”
Find out how Thomas makes it work »
