Don’t Slack Off On Vacation. A lot of people look at vacation as a time to spoil themselves. They forget all of their fitness goals and eat like kings, and then have to repair the damages to themselves when they return to reality.
A lot of people look at vacation as a time to spoil themselves. They forget all of their fitness goals and eat like kings, and then have to repair the damages to themselves when they return to reality.
David Adams, National Strength and Conditioning Association – Certified Personal Trainer, Certified Personal Training Specialist, a personal trainer at Island City Fitness, said that you can still work on your fitness and nutrition while enjoying your vacation.
“Most of my clients travel a lot,” Adams said. “Especially for work.”
Adams said that a lot of people think that when they go on vacation that they can take a break from working out– something he is against.
“This takes a serious toll on their mind and body,” he said. “We do give ourselves excuses to overindulge on vacations and this does a number on your system.”
He said that if you are working out regularly and eating well and then go to laying around and eating crap, your body reacts in a bad way.
“You can get headaches, restlessness, constipation… who wants to be on a vacation with those symptoms?” he asks.
Adams shared with Hotspots readers the tips he tells his clients to keep on top of their workout routine while away.
“The first thing I tell them is to book a hotel with a gym,” Adams said.
Adams said that if that isn’t possible, there are still many exercises that you can do in your hotel room.
“I have my clients invest in resistance bands,” he said. “If you pack those, you can mimic any movement that you would do in a gym.”
For those who hate resistance bands, Adams suggests using your own body weight for resistance.
He also suggests doing step ups on a chair in the room, squats, lunges, push-ups off the floor and calisthenics.
“You can do a 20 minute routine in your room in the morning or before you go to bed,” he suggested.
For cardio, Adams suggests checking your car in and walking to your destinations. If that’s not feasible, he said to park the car five minutes away so that you can spend some time walking.
He also recommended doing jumping jacks and knee lifts in your hotel room.
“Anything where you are jumping up and down and putting pressure on the body,” he said.
Adams said that nutrition is just as important as working out. He tells clients to decide what they are going to eat before they even enter the restaurant.
“Don’t even open the menu because things will look good and you will order the wrong thing,” he said.
“Order a protein, a veggie and a carb,” he said.
He also finds it important to take a multivitamin daily and to spend time every night winding down from your day.
“Every night before bed, take five minutes, turn off all the lights and just close your eyes and bring your body back into its center,” he said.
“On vacation, you need to ground yourself just to calm your body and soul,” he said. “It will always help.”
