“What’s the best way to work out while I’m on vacation?”
Like everyone else in the health and fitness space, I get this question ALL the time. The internet is full of tips on how to work out while traveling – and how to stay fit during your vacation.
And yeah, I have a lot of tips I could give you. But let’s be honest: If I tell you to do x, y and z, will you actually do it?
I can tell you from experience that maybe 1 in 10 of my clients does “homework” they ask for.
How often do you truly go on vacation? If you’re in the US, I’m going to guess not more than 2 weeks a year. Even if you’re among the lucky Europeans who get 6 weeks of vacation/PTO a year, you’re probably not spending the entire time lounging at the beach, am I right?
So here’s my advice:
Ditch the workout during your vacation.
Say what?!? No, I’m serious, hear me out:
A vacation should be the time you get to have for yourself. It’s unscheduled time and made up of rest.
Did you know that you don’t actually build muscle while you’re working out? Really, you don’t. Instead, all that load creates the stimulus for your body to THEN create muscle while you’re at rest. (That’s why recovery and rest days are so important.)
Now, I’m not saying “become a total slug during your vacation”.
What I’d really love for you to do is to hang out. Rest your body. And then maybe start to explore some movement that makes you feel good.
Hop in the pool. Take a morning walk on the beach. Go on that hike. Wander the streets of the city you’re looking at and get a bit off the beaten path. Maybe rent a bicycle for a few hours and explore. Try stand-up paddleboarding, rent a kayak or take a surfing lesson. Yoga on the beach? Whatever feels like FUN to you, go do that.
Movement, and you’ve heard me say this a million times, is NOT meant to be a chore or “work”. It’s what we were made to do. Your body loves to move.
So give it that chance. Take the pressure off and just enjoy your vacation – with some movement to make it fun.
And if you’re inclined to break out some of the Pilates moves we’ve practiced because it FEELS SO GOOD, then of course, do that!
We’ll get back to the structured exercise when you get back. You deserve this.
Go live your life – and enjoy the heck out of that vacation!