5 ways to help you fit in exercise while you vacation.

Even though summer (and traveling) has maybe? wound down for you, I thought it would be a great time to share some insights that I had for a New York Times article I was featured in this past summer. (<—yea, I totally just did that so I could name drop the NYT 😉)

I often speak about how difficult it is to fit in exercise in your day to day life, so fitting in exercise while traveling comes with a lot of different difficulties. In this post, I will give you 5 ideas that will help you next time you are away from home and would like to get some movement in.

Before I get started, I want to clarify some nuance. Since I have lived in Germany for a few years, I have found that there is a distinction between traveling and vacationing. One is meant to immerse yourself in the culture and see as many things you can during the day. Doing this often leaves me coming home more tired I started (or is it just me?). I fit vacationing into a different box. I think vacationing is meant for relaxation and rejuvenation, so in this blog, I’ll be referring to the latter.
Now, here are 5 tips to keep in mind when you want to fit in exercise during a vacation.

1. PLAN (but be flexible in your plan):
   Even though there is hardly any room left of your to-do list prior to a vacation, I want to add just ONE MORE THING, Try to plan out your workouts. Having an idea of how you’re going to fit in your workouts (if that’s what you’re opting in for—foreshadowing for tip #5) will help immensely when the plane is late and the kid pukes in the taxi (#truestory) Maybe you want to fit in 10 minutes of focused exercise per day? or maybe you want to hit up the hotel gym 3x for 30 minutes? Having flexible expectations of what you want to do during vacation helps. Remember, you are out of your normal routine, so having a plan can save you some stress.

2. EXPLORE BY FOOT:
   I love exploring a new place by going out on my Chevra-LEGS. 🦵 (<- kuddos to my older brother for giving me that phrase when I was younger) 😂 You can get some great daily movement by walking (or jogging/running) while also getting to know your surroundings more. If you’re a super planner, you can map out some routes prior to going too. Happenstance needs to have a shout out here too. Googling a nearby “favorite of the locals” restaurant is great, but randomly walking into a cafe can also bring about some fun unexpected stories. Let your legs lead the way. Also, if you’re comfortable with biking, a lot of cities now have rentable e-bikes to make your way around too!

3. THINK OUTSIDE THE HOTEL:
   The hotel gym might be just what your body needs, but if you want to get a little adventurous (or your hotel doesn’t have a gym?) consider a movement activity outside the hotel. Growing up, my brother used to love playing frisbee golf. So when our family would take a trip, he would always bring his discs and one of the first thing he would look up when we got there was “nearby frisbee golf courses” Maybe you want to try out a new pickle ball or tennis court? Maybe you look up a speciality hike (or follow a #find a trail app online) If you’re more into guided workouts, I recommend taking a group class. This is a great time to try a new one (slim chances you’ll be running into your annoying co-worker) but lots of fitness studios offer discounted (or free) classes for your first one. Hop around studios enough and you may try out multiple classes for Free. Hot Yoga with Goats anyone? 🐐

4. PACK LIGHT & KEEP IT SIMPLE: Smaller Loop Bands and Long Resistance Pulleys are two pieces of equipment that are light and extremely versatile. You can get a total body workout with both of these items without leaving your hotel room. Also, these are great b/c they won’t annoy your downstairs neighbor (I’m looking at you jump rope) 👀 Another great thing about them is that they don’t take up too much space when you do indeed need to use them and there are so many exercises that you can do with them.
   But if you’re not wanting to spend the extra cash for these specialty items, a simple body weight workout will work wonders for your mental health while on vacation. Here a sample one I love to do when I’m away from home:

   1. WARM UP: 10 Jumping (or tap) Jacks // 10 Arm Circles // 30” of a light jog (3 times) WORKOUT: 10 Body Weight Squats to Heel lifts, 10 Push Ups (these can be done on the edge of a hotel bed or desk if getting down on the ground isn’t an option) 10 DOWN DOG DOGS to CHEST OPENER (the down dogs can also be done on the edge of the bed or a wall) I will do this round 3 times and then do some stretches for a cool down. COOL DOWN: R/L Hip Flexor Stretch, Neck Rotations & some Side Body Stretches. See what I mean by simple? Feel free to pick ONE of these movements, or do only one round- the simpler the better.

5. REST: I wanted to save this one for last (and I know it’s in opposition to the title of the blog post) but I don’t think it gets said often enough. You can go on a vacation and have no intention of working out. So often, folks think that I ‘push’ people as a personal trainer- but I often do the opposite. I teach folks how to rest. How to take breaks during a workout or take breaks when life throws you the lemon factory when you’re already drowning in paper cuts. The thing that folks (and sometimes me) have a difficult time with- is how we speak to ourselves during this time of rest. Do we berate ourselves and feel like we should be doing more? or do we truly allow ourselves to ‘just be’ and taking the freakin’ break.
   
   I hope you found some nugget of wisdom in this post, something that you can pack (in your brain) with you on your next vacation.
   My hope is that you develop a relationship with exercise where you want to keep coming back to it, that it becomes something you look forward to because you want to FEEL the benefits from it, you know that you DESERVE the benefits from it all 💙