Vacation itineraries don’t often include time for exercise, but with a little planning and creativity, there isn’t any reason your trip has to derail your normal workout routine. Here are some helpful tips for sneaking in some exercise while you’re away.
1. Pack small, lightweight equipment in your suitcase. Resistance tubing fits easily into any suitcase or carry-on and you can use it tone and strengthen every muscle in your body (even NFL football players use this simple tool – it REALLY works!) Do your workout right in your hotel room, or wrap it around your waste and jog to the nearest park. Trees, fences, and even parking meters make great anchors to wrap the tubing around for chest presses and rows. A jump rope is another convenient, grab-and-go tool you can use for a quick, calorie-burning session.
2. For a more challenging workout, consider investing in the TRX, which is a suspension training system originally developed for the Navy Seals. The TRX made its mainstream debut several years ago and has become one of the fastest selling strength training tools for both novices and hard-core fitness buffs. It is a total body strengthening and conditioning tool that is a snap to assemble. It weighs less than 2lbs, sets up in under 1 minute and you can use it in the hotel room, outdoors, at the gym…options are nearly endless. You can purchase one from FitnessAnywhere.com and can also see instructional “how to” videos on the website.
3. Take advantage of the hotel pool and fitness room. For business travelers, the pool and fitness room are busiest during the week in the early morning and evening. For leisure travelers at a resort, these tend to be the least busy times.
4. If the thought of running on the hotel treadmill is about as exciting as watching grass grow, book a City Running Tour and see the city you’re visiting on foot! Tour guides who happen to be distance runners take you on guided tours that include all of the tourist sites (or anything else you’d like to see). Distances vary in length according to your training level too.
5. Finally, many hotels now have fitness TV, so you can order up a workout to do right in your room. Another option is to pop open your laptop and download a fitness video straight from the Internet. And let’s face it – if you’re on vacation, relaxation is surely a priority too. Check out Yoga Download – you can choose from thousands of yoga and Pilates videos and if the mood strikes you, strike a pose!
Give one of these ideas a try during your next trip, and I guarantee you’ll come home feeling fit and refreshed.
Summer schedules are usually jam-packed with activities, from camp for the kids to vacations — it is easy to let workout schedules slide this time of year. With careful planning and simplified equipment that can be toted with you, there isn’t any reason your fitness routine has to take a back seat to all of the other activities you have planned.
Small, lightweight equipment is the key: Resistance tubing is great, packs nicely in any suitcase and you can use it to work the entire body either right in your hotel room, or wrap it around your waste and jog to the nearest park and work out there. Trees, fences…even parking meters, make great anchors to wrap the tubing around for chest presses, rows, tricep push backs, bicep curls, and lateral rotations for the obliques. And don’t feel silly doing this – boot camp classes are so popular now that seeing people working out in the park (esp in bigger cities) is very common. Jump roping is another terrific, on-the-road calorie burning tool. Again, these items fit right into your carry on or suitcase. Does it get any easier than that?
Another option is to take a TRX trainer. This suspension training system, originally developed for the Navy Seals, is becoming very popular in group fitness settings, personal training studios, and for in-home use. It is a terrific, total body strengthening and conditioning tool that weighs less than 2lbs, sets up in under 1 minute, and can be used in the hotel room or outdoors. You can purchase one from
FitnessAnywhere and can also see instructional videos on the website.
No equipment? No problem – many hotels now have fitness TV, so you can order up a workout to do right in your room. You can also take your workout to the nearest park or playground and do strength training there – no equipment needed. Park benches make great steps for step ups to strengthen the hips and glutes; you can also do tricep dips and push-ups. Find the nearest playground and do the monkey bars, pull-ups, chin-ups…get creative, and most of all, have fun!
Take advantage of the hotel pool and fitness room. For business travelers – the pool and fitness room are busiest in the early morning and evening. For leisure travelers at a resort, these tend to be the least busy times. It is hard to muster the motivation to exercise while on vacation, but keeping up with your routine will make your vacation more enjoyable, and when you come home you won’t be faced with the daunting task of working off gobs of extra calories or making up lost ground toward your fitness goals.
Need a routine to follow while your gone? There are a number of online sources you can check out before you go so that you have a resource you feel comfortable using.
1. Fitness magazines have exercise pictures, video, and descriptions that take much of the thinking out of what to do when. Check out these routines at Shape, Self, Fitness, and Women’s Health.
2. Yoga Download. For yoga enthusiasts, there are so many videos to choose from, you could do a different yoga routine every day of your vacation. Download the videos to your iPod or laptop computer in a flash.
3. Have a personal trainer design a travel workout for you! Your fitness goals, exercise experience, vacation locale and itinerary, and the time you have available to workout all factor into an effective routine, and trainers know all too well how tough it can be to stay on top of your workout when you’re on the road. Need help with your vacation fitness routine? Feel free to contact me.
The economy has many of us tightening our budgets. If you’re goal is to tighten your waistline as well, you may be shocked to find out that the average, monthly fees for a gym membership range between $40 and $80 per month. If you go to the gym 20 times per month, $3.50 per visit doesn’t seem unreasonable. But let’s face it, life happens. There will be months when you may only get there 4 or 5 times. Are you okay paying $17 or more per visit? If you’re in the market for a new gym, or would like to save on your current membership, read on:
5 ways to save on a gym membership:
1. Don’t be afraid to negotiate. If they won’t budge on the fees, ask if they can waive initiation fees or offer a flexible contract (say, 3 or 6 months rather than a full year.) This way, if stumble upon a better deal, or find a gym that more closely matches your needs, you won’t be tied to a lengthy contract.
2. If your employer offers a discount for gym memberships, use it. Some employers will offer to pay up to 1/2 of the annual fee.
3. Choose a gym that meets your needs. There is no use paying for all of the bells and whistles if you won’t use all of them. Consider what you need in a gym, the equipment you know you will use, and the types of classes offered. Most gyms have a free trial period – this is an excellent opportunity to try before you buy!
4. Don’t sign up at the beginning of the month – wait until the last day of the month when the sales staff will be more likely to negotiate to meet their sales quota.
5. If you travel to major cities, like Chicago, Boston and New York, buy a PassBook. You can get free admission to many of the best health clubs and lots of other free stuff. It costs $75 for one passbook (there is a discount for multiple PassBook purchase), but if you like to stay on top of your fitness routine when you travel, the investment is priceless.
