As a nationally ranked athlete, it’s very important that I stay in shape at all times…even on vacation. That can be hard, because like most people, the point of a vacation is to do something different and get away from your everyday routine. But as long as you budget some time into your vacation for workouts, you’ll still have plenty of time to enjoy other things and not get out of shape in the process. These tips are mostly geared for road trips, whether by car or by RV. But many of the tips can be applied to any kind of travel:
WORK OUT FIRST THING IN THE MORNING
This is really important. There is nothing worse than sitting down all day while driving, then trying to get up the energy to work out. Try to work out before you start your drive, or at least within an hour or two of getting in the car.
BRING YOUR BICYCLE
Bring your bike with you. If you don’t have a bike rack, they are fairly inexpensive and a good thing to have. When you have your bike with you, you can fit in little tiny workouts whenever you stop. And you can bike before you start driving, as well as at the end of the day. You can also use your bike instead of your car for transportation when you arrive at your destination.
BRING A SET OF DUMBBELLS
Bring a set of dumbbells whenever you travel. They don’t take up much space, and you can fit in upper and lower body workouts when it’s most convenient for you. When I’m the passenger in the car, I use my dumbbells for upper body exercises that I can do from my car seat. And since I have a small RV, I can go into the back of the RV where I have more room to finish my workout.
BRING YOUR RUNNING SHOES
Running or jogging is great exercise, and it doesn’t require any special equipment other than shoes. A lot of times while on the road I don’t have time to check out a town that I’m interested in seeing. In those cases, I use that town as my workout. I’ll make a stop in the town, lace up my running shoes, and see as much as I can of the town during my hour run.
HIKE A PEAK WITH YOUR BEST FRIEND
Having your best friends with you not only keeps you in shape, but keeps them in shape while on the road. With today’s technology it’s really easy to Google some great hikes in wilderness areas that you’ll be passing by…that are dog friendly.
BRING A MEDICINE BALL
There are lots of upper body and lower body workouts you can do with a medicine ball. You can even fit in some quick exercises during the day at rest stops and meal breaks.
DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY
Stay motivated by doing something every day. The more you work out, the more you want to work out. If you miss a few days, the less you will feel like working out, so stay on schedule.
HAVE THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND
Sometimes accommodations are less than stellar, whether it’s a gym, a running track or a tennis court. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to play on a tennis court I’ve found on the road,that has plants and tumbleweeds growing from the cracks, or has no paint, or worse yet…is blacktop! It’s so hard to play on a court like that, because the ball does crazy things…like it hits and immediately comes up in your face, it skids, it doesn’t bounce, etc. It makes you play awfully. But it’s all in the mindset. You just have to remind yourself that you are just doing it for the exercise, and the next day will be better. Just look at the difference in the two courts that I played on recently during my last vacation:
GET A ONE DAY GUEST PASS
Lots of gyms and clubs allow you to work out at their facility for a daily fee. That fee usually allows you full access to the amenities the club or gym has, including the pools, hot tubs and showers.
These are just a few tips (of many) that you can utilize while on vacation. Let me know what your favorite ways are to stay in shape while on the road.
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