Winter Vacation!
Baby, it’s cold outside! Or is it?
When you’ve had enough of those bone-chilling, indoor-living, blizzard-warning days, it might just be time for a hot vacation! I, for one, love breaking up my winter with a warm trip. Going on a tropical vacation during the winter months is a great way to get outside again, enjoy some rays of sunshine and discover new places.
Of course, we need to consider our physical activity when thinking of a trip (this is a fitness blog after all!). Warmer weather does offer many opportunities for sports like golf, snorkelling and running on the beach. I also find I do A LOT of walking when I travel. Everything is new and needs to be checked out thoroughly from museums and beaches, to shops and jungles. Those steps add up! Not to mention all the walking in the airport.
Speaking of air travel, that can be a challenge for our physical activity goals. Sitting on an airplane for hours on end can be tedious and does not burn much energy. A few ways we can combat this include:
Making time for activity prior to getting to the airport. The night before, or the morning of your flight, getting in a workout or movement will increase your metabolism and help stop you from getting stir crazy later.
Walking around while waiting for boarding. Maybe you can throw in a few stretches too!
While being mindful of your seat mates, doing some calf raises, shoulder shrugs and taking trips to the bathroom (even if it is just to stretch your legs!).
Planning an activity like a walking tour or a swim in the pool for when you arrive to help loosen up.
While you may need to adapt your exercise program while on vacation, you can still work towards your goals, maintain progress and keep up your consistency if desired. I recommend lining up recovery weeks with vacation time, or ensuring there is a back up plan, but giving unstructured activities priority. For example, instead of doing your resistance training one day, you might go on paddle boarding tour. Awesome! Remember, we exercise so that we have the ability to have fun and play.
If you do want to continue your program while travelling there are many ways to do so. Walking and running are the most easily transferable activities, however keep in mind the drastic climate differences. Heat and humidity in many tropical places means it is best to run early in the day. Also, close to the equator it gets dark EARLY. If you plan on walking alone or in unknown areas, take that into consideration when planning your schedule. If you’re travelling with others, a trip might be a great chance to run together!
For those with weight lifting programs, consider adding gyms to your search criteria when looking for accommodation. Many hotels and resorts have small gyms, and some condos even come with access to nearby clubs. Even without a formal gym, by adapting your program to include exercises that utilize body weight, resistance bands, common household items, and maybe even a TRX (seen in the middle photo above), you will be able to exercise every part of your body. It just takes some creative thinking! You can even use the principles from the Summer Scenic Workout I shared.
I would love to hear how you adapt your activity for vacation!
Simply leave a comment or send me an email at kbeakhouse@gmail.com.
Want help creating a vacation exercise plan?