Travel Tips Fitness Edition
Going on vacation is not an excuse for stopping your fitness regime. If you want to, there are still ways that you can stick to your goals and incorporate your routine into your travels. Keeping these aims in mind can also help you to eat healthier, and it could even be the perfect time to take up a new sport to make the break more interesting.
Whatever the type of exercise you usually do, you should be able to fit this into your vacation. Depending on your destination and the time of year you are traveling, there are a variety of exercise activities you could choose. For instance, the beach is a great place to go for an early morning walk or run. If your hotel has a pool, you can do a few laps each day – before breakfast or later in the afternoon are usually quieter periods. Often resorts will have cycle hire facilities, so you could fit some exercise in and admire the beautiful scenery at the same time.
Stick to Your Diet
One of the greatest temptations when you’re on vacation is to completely disregard your diet. However, sticking to it on some level will help to maintain your fitness levels and prevent you from feeling sluggish. On a vacation, you should try to keep to your eating routine as much as possible, such as having a good breakfast and trying to avoid high calorie meals. In hot weather, salads are the perfect accompaniment to a meal, rather than fried chips, and you can ask for the dressing on the side if you’re being extra good. It’s also important to drink as much water as you can, as this will help you to avoid more calorific soft and alcoholic beverages.
Have the Right Fitness Equipment
You might not have a great deal of space in your luggage, but it is useful to take some essential fitness equipment with you. Pack your favorite fitness clothing and footwear, as this might encourage you more, and if you regularly do a workout DVD this would be ideal to fit in. During abdominal exercises it might be beneficial to use a compression core band, which is small enough to pack. This can be useful following exercise, helping to reduce soreness and speeding up recovery.
Try Something New
Being away from home is the perfect time to try out a new sport or activity. Vacations are all about having fun and enjoying yourself with family and friends and you can easily do this while keeping fit. There is a range of beach and water sports that you could enjoy, including surfing, water skiing and beach volleyball. You should make use of all the fitness facilities within your resort, such as trying out tennis or participating in a new aerobics class.
Vacations don’t have to mean sitting around and doing nothing. Exercising in the sun in a new location can make all the difference to boosting your willpower and giving you a reason to stick with it. If you can get a good mindset and focus on your end game, you can spare a little time each day to stay active. Plus, you will feel great for doing it.
Photo by Rafael Peñaloza under the creative commons license.