Best Fitness Blog

Vacation workout ... by Karli Taylor

The kids are out of school and vacation season has officially begun! We look forward to our summer trips all winter long- counting down the days until we can lounge in the sun and play in the sand.  A vacation, however, often becomes an excuse to let yourself forget about your fitness goals in favor of one more margarita…

I know, I know- vacation is the time to relax and spend time with your family and friends. Who wants to spend hours in a gym when you could be lying on the beach?  I am a realist- I don't expect you to make gains while on vacation- I just expect you to maintain what you have worked so hard on up to this point- fair enough?

You can walk in the sand in the early morning- just a short 30 minute walk on the sand will be as effective as an hour long walk on the road or the treadmill. Have a whole hour to play? Do some squats and push-ups in the sand before your walk. You will be amazed at how sore you will get from simple exercises when you change the surface!

No beach? Traveling and stuck in a hotel room? No problem- put yourself through a body-weight circuit: do 20 squats, 10 push-ups, 20 lunges and 15 crunches. Rest for 1 minute and repeat 3 or 4 times.

If you want to add exercises to the circuit, do dips off of a chair, jumping jacks, get creative! Just keep yourself moving for 2-3 minutes and take a minute break in between rounds.

Want to do cardio but your hotel is on a main highway so running is out of the question? Find the stairwell. Start on the bottom floor and walk up at a good pace. Slowly walk down and repeat as many times as you can in 15 minutes- you'll be nice and sweaty from that one.

I could go on all day with options, but you get the idea right? Use what's available to you and you'll be surprised at the quality of workout that you can get.