Here’s a guest post from Joe Pawlikowski from A New Level.
For many, it’s the greatest week, or weeks, of the year. It’s the time when we bid adieu to coworkers and head off to somewhere new, or at least somewhere unfamiliar. There is nothing quite like a vacation.
Vacations require plenty of planning. The process involves booking airline tickets — hopefully on the cheap — along with a hotel, rental car, and other accommodations. It can even mean planning activities. But what many people don’t plan when they plan a vacation is a fitness strategy. It might not seem important, but it can make a big difference. Active people should know exactly what’s in store for them when they take a week or two to get away.
Why not run on the beach? Don't just lay there.
While everyone’s fitness plans while on vacation will differ, there are three basic strategies to follow. Which one will work best for you?
#1 – Take the Week Off
For many, vacation is a time to put away any undue stress and just relax. This includes not only the day-to-day stress of the office, but also the stress of exercise. That is, many people exercise because they feel it’s good for them. They might not necessarily enjoy it, but do it anyway. In that case, a vacation fitness strategy is easy, because there is none. It’s a week of sipping fruity rum drunks and laying in the sun.
The good: Taking a week off from exercise can benefit the body in many ways. It allows us to recover and repair, so that we’re fresh when returning to an exercise program. It also helps us avoid burnout. This is most important for reluctant exercisers. Keep pushing, and eventually it will all fall apart. Ease up for a week, though, and it’s easier to maintain motivation.
The bad: A relaxing vacation probably includes indulgence in whatever food is available. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially since it’s only a week, it can become a problem with combined with a sedentary lifestyle. It will take some time to work off the pounds gained from the rich food and alcohol consumed on vacation. It can also be difficult to find the motivation to return to the gym.
Everyone needs time off of the gym, so scheduling an off-week during vacation time is probably a good strategy. There can be complications when combined with little activity and much rich food, but again, it’s just a week. There are worse things.
#2 – Make It An Active Vacation
Everyone has a different definition of relaxing. Some people find the greatest level of relaxation on a beach chair, sitting in the sun. But that’s not everyone’s idea of a good time. While it might seem paradoxical, some people need some level of activity to remain relaxed. That is, they grow antsy when sedentary. The idea, then, is to schedule many activities while on vacation.
The mere act of standing up during these activities helps — it’s said that people burn 50 percent more calories while standing than while sitting. That is to say that even trips to museums, which require no physical exertion, count as an activity. Going on hikes and nature walks, ambling about at zoos, taking surfing lessons — these are all activities that provide some level of physical activity, without deliberate exercise.
The good: It’s still a week off from the gym, which is good. At the same time, though, remaining active means avoiding many vacationing pitfalls. It will also be easier to transition back to the gym after a week of light physical activity. And, of course, it means fewer pounds gained while on vacation.
The bad: There isn’t much bad to go along with this. Unless it means a reduced level of relaxation, an active vacation might be the ideal solution.
#3 – Create a Vacation Workout Program
While some people need to remain active in order to relax, still others need that big endorphin rush. They need the muscle pump that comes with resistance training, or that adrenaline rush that comes with intense cardio. While even this type of person benefits from a week away from activity, sometimes it just doesn’t time out with a vacation. And so we have a third type of vacationer: the one that just can’t give up the gym.
The idea here is to devise a workout that works without gym equipment. Yes, many vacationers stay in nice hotels, and many of those hotels have gyms. But it is a mistake to rely on a hotel gym — especially as they go from five to four to three stars. Plus, this is an opportunity to take exercise outdoors. Planning an outdoors workout means not relying on set equipment, making it easier to stick with during the trip.
With a little forethought you can travel prepared. Bring your running shoes to do some interval running. Toss in your jump rope to burn more belly fat. Or just plan out some bodyweight workouts or finishers.
The good: It means remaining active while on vacation, which can help offset those extra calories consumed. Transitioning back to a normal workout is easier, too, since there wasn’t a week off. Plus, it’s hard to argue against activity.
The bad: Eventually we all need to take time off, and vacation can present an ideal opportunity. If not on vacation, then when?
What About You?
What’s your vacation workout strategy? The key is to have a strategy. Think about how your vacation will affect your fitness goals and pick a strategy to match.
Which vacation fitness strategy fits you best?
Joe Pawlikowski writes and edits several blogs across the web, including his new project, A New Level, which addresses issues for at-home workers.
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