The best way to get started with a fitness program and keep up with it daily is to fit it into your regular everyday schedule. Once the habit of getting up and heading straight to the gym, it is much easier to keep up with it. But what do you do while you are on vacation? Vacation brings to mind lounging about, eating all kinds of rich and delicious foods, and generally just relaxing. That doesn’t mean that exercise has to come to a stop. By keeping up with some form of your usual fitness routine, you not only make it easier to stick with, but once you return home, the risk is cut down of putting on extra weight while you were away.
It is important to be flexible with your workouts while on vacation. If you workout at a gym at home, you may want to look into gym facilities at the hotel you will be staying at. You might even consider changing to a new hotel that does have these facilities available. Today, many hotels have at least a few weight machines and a treadmill or stationary bike. In most cases, there is no extra charge for using the hotel gym if you are considered a guest. If you go to a gym that is part of a chain like Gold’s or World Gym, you can also find out if they have another branch located where you will be vacationing.
If you prefer, bringing exercise equipment is also an option. Free weights or other travel sized items can be packed into a suitcase for easy shipment. A workout mat and a favorite exercise video can travel easily without having to pack an entire extra bag. Yoga and Pilates are just two examples of exercises which can be done daily and do not require anything other than some workout clothes, a mat, and maybe a MP3 player to have music during the workouts.
A vacation is also an opportunity to try out new and exciting activities that may not be part of your usual routine. Depending on where you are going, look into all kinds of fun activities, such as swimming, bicycling, hiking, snorkeling, and even water skiing! Some hotels may offer week long yoga classes. The more adventurous can use this as a chance to try out things that aren’t always available at home. Try out scuba diving, horse back riding, or rock climbing, for example. If you enjoy sports, like golf, many hotels have these amenities available on their site or nearby.
Depending where the vacation spot is, there will be different options available to you. Walking can be done anywhere and is a great way to explore a new city or enjoy a sunny beach.
The most important thing to keep in mind is not to make exercising on vacation a chore. It is supposed to be fun and definitely stress free. Look into the possibilities in advance and schedule a different activity for each day or just choose one to become more skilled at while you are there. See this as an opportunity to try something new, and maybe even find a new permanent fitness routine to do when you return back home.