Summer is here and the world is slowly starting to open up. After more than a year of being stuck inside, everyone is itching to get outside and travel. So how can you stay fit while on vacation? Try out these tips during your next trip to help you stay active while on the move:
Opt for the Stairs
Leave the elevators behind and use the stairs whether it be in your hotel or a building you’re visiting.
Try Unusual Terrain-ing
Take advantage of the unique environment you’re visiting. Take a run along the beach or use a boulder at a national park as a bench. The opportunities for unusual terrain-ing to stay fit while traveling!
Hard and Fast Rules
Complete high-intensity, low-duration workouts. A study down by world-renowned exercise physiologist Dr. Martin Gibala found that participants who did three 20-second intervals of high-intensity training enjoyed the same benefits as those who did 45 minutes of moderate intensity continuous exercise. Aim for at least 15-20 minutes of a high-intensity workout.
Lace Up
Explore more by running or hiking. Find nearby trails, especially ones with views and waterfall or run around cities aimlessly. You never know what unexpected scenes you might stumble upon!
Aim for Fitness-Maintenance
You may not have as much as as you do at home for your regular workout while vacationing, but that’s okay. Doing something is a whole lot better than doing nothing at all. Aim for at least 50% of your normal routine.
Plan to Stay Fit While Traveling
If you don’t plan to stay fit while traveling, then you won’t. This might seem pretty obvious, but most of us rarely do it. We research activities, hotels, and restaurants in advance, but let our future selves sort out exercise when we get there. And then, when the time comes to work out – surprise, surprise – our future selves decide they’re too busy or tired. Search for outdoor workout areas and boot camps/classes you can join. If you can’t find any, search for parks or track fields for sprints and intervals, or stairs to climb up and down.
Restaurant Right
Eating out is fun and social especially in a new place, but you don’t have to derail your diet because of it. Follow these basic rules for restaurant-ing right:
- Look Up the Menu – This give you a chance to find healthy options. Words to look for: grilled, steamed, or roasted. Words to avoid: crispy, dipped, or creamed
- Skip the Starch, Double the Veggies – Ask your server if you can swap out carbs for an extra serving of vegetables. A lot of restaurants tend to cook their veggies with a lot of butter, so don’t be afraid to request veggies cooked with less butter.
- Split It Up – Many restaurants tend to serve up two or three times the amount of food you need. If you’re eating with a partner, try splitting an entrée. If you’re traveling alone, ask your serve if you can box up half the meal before it even gets to the table.
Relax!
Don’t stress about staying fit when traveling. Exercise should relieve your stress, not pile onto it. If you’re feeling stressed and not at all in the mood to work out, then relax. Get a good night’s sleep, maybe do a bit of yoga or stretching, and don’t sweat it until the next day.
~Paulina Le
Health Fitness Specialist