If you’ve worked hard to build up your fitness, the last thing you want to do is undo your hard work with a long vacation lying on a sun lounger and drinking cocktails. On the flip side, you also want to enjoy your vacation, and not spend the whole trip in the hotel gym or calorie counting at the buffet. Just make smart choices to maintain fitness on vacation, without spoiling your trip.
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- Pursue athletic adventure at your vacation destination. If you build physical activity into your fun, you won’t be really “working” at all, now will you?
- Make the most of the hotel or resort gym. While you shouldn’t waste your whole trip on the treadmill, if the hotel has a gym, this is an easy way to keep fit while you’re away. Get up early and get your workout in before breakfast. After that, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy.
- If there’s no gym at the hotel, find some workouts you can do in your hotel room or at a nearby park. Find some videos that you can save from YouTube so you can follow them even if you don’t have any internet. Yoga and bodyweight strength training exercises are an easy choice as you don’t need any equipment. Lay down a towel as a yoga mat, and you don’t need anything else.
- Don’t forget about walking and hiking. If you’ve chosen a vacation spot with cool stuff to see, you can get tons of steps in that way. Aim to walk as much as you can, whether you’re exploring local tourist attractions or taking an evening walk along the beach. Walks on the beach are good for fitness too, as walking on sand is harder on the legs than the pavement.
- Swim. Staying somewhere tropical or with a pool? Get down to the pool early before it gets busy and
swim a few laps. A morning swim is not only refreshing but great exercise. If you’re lucky enough to be near the ocean or a lake, take full advantage of it. Swimming is awesome, but splashing, snorkeling and boogie boarding are fun workouts in the water. Swimming is a whole-body workout but is still gentle, as the water will support your joints. - Try
fresh local food. Many of us are guilty of just heading to a fast food joint that we recognise when we’re abroad. If you eat healthily at home, there’s no reason you can’t keep this up on vacation. Challenge yourself to try new foods that are local to where you’re staying. You can experience new dishes and flavors while getting the nutrition you need. Local fruit, vegetablesand fish are a great way to do this.
