Working Out While on Vacation
It’s Vacation
season, and we can all agree that we should take a break from work. But that
does not include working out. Working out is a great habit that once broken can
be hard to pick back up.
So, here are
some tips on how to fit a workout into your vacation:
- Reset Your Expectations: It’s not unlikely that you’ll be able to keep up your full workout regimen while vacationing. So, do not set unrealistic expectations for yourself. Accomplishing just 40 to 50% of what you normally do is better than nothing.
- Do Your Homework: Investigate the workout facilities in and around your hotel. Some hotels offer fitness classes, gyms, and even walking programs. Also, check for nearby parks with jogging trails or local gyms with day passes.
- Pack it Up: Your suitcase will easily allow room for a resistance band a jump rope.
- Carry a Load: Instead of packing one large suitcase with rollers, try distributing your luggage between two similar suitcases. Then, balance the weight of the two cases on each side of your body as you carry your bags throughout the airport.
- Take Some Steps: Strap on a pedometer and count your steps each day. Aim for 10,000 steps per day as trek your way through your destination’s tourist sites.
- Take a Detour: If your vacation involves a long road trip, plan a day for a hike along the way. Check with parks or forestry service in the areas along your route to find a trail that fits your fitness level.
- Get Adventurous: Rent a bike, kayak or surfboard. Try something new on vacation and burn calories while you’re at it.
- Make a Splash: The simple act of moving against the water’s resistance will provide a moderate, aerobic workout.
Here is a sample workout that you can do in your hotel room with nothing but a Towel:
Towel
Shake:
Targets:
cardiovascular system, shoulders, core
Take a hand
towel and grasp the corners of one of the short ends in each hand. Stand up
straight with your feet hip-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Keeping
your core tight and your belly button squeezed in towards your spine,
repeatedly move both of your hands up and down rapidly, as if you’re fanning
someone or trying to put a fire out as fast as you can.
Lateral
Slides:
Targets:
inner and outer thigh, pelvis floor, glutes
Stand
up straight with your feet hip-width apart and hands on your hips (or touching
a wall or counter for support). Step on a folded hand towel with your right
foot. Stabilizing your core and engaging your pelvic-floor muscles (squeeze
same muscles you’d use to stop yourself from urinating), slide your right leg
out to the side and then back to center. That’s one rep.
Hip
Bridges:
Targets: hamstrings, glutes, transverse core
Get
into a crunch position with a hand towel under your feet and both palms flat
against the floor. Squeezing your core, lift your hips—but not your shoulders—off
the ground so you’re in a bridge position. Pressing into your heels, slide your
feet away from your body and then drag them back in. That’s one rep.
Pike
Press:
Targets:
core, shoulders
Get on your
hands and knees, placing your hands directly beneath your shoulders. With a
hand towel under your toes, slide your feet back until you’re in a high plank
with your legs straight behind you. Shifting your weight into your hands
and engaging your abs, push your hips toward the ceiling as high as you can
while simultaneously dragging your feet forward. Your head should be facing the
floor, almost like you’re going into a handstand. Trying to keep as much
control as possible, push your feet back, returning to a straight, steady
plank. Make sure you don’t arch your lower back or let your hips sag. That’s
one rep.
25 Minute Towel Workout:
4x:
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
3x:
15 lateral slides on each leg
15 lateral slides on each leg
4x:
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
3x:
15 Hip bridges
15 Hip bridges
4x:
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
20 second towel shake
10 second recovery between sets
3x:
5-15 pike press
5-15 pike press
Sources:
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