Worried about maintaining your fitness routine while on vacation? Our experts share the best tips and strategies to stay active and healthy, no matter where your travels take you.
Expert Panelists
1. Be Flexible
Vacation is the perfect time to loosen up your fitness routine and keep things fun and flexible! Instead of feeling bound to your usual routine, think of your vacation as a chance to explore a broader range of activities that keep you moving. You might opt for a scaled-down version of your regular workout – perhaps a short bodyweight session in your room, a quick jog, or a hotel gym visit. Or, dive into something new – like a hike, paddle boarding, or even a local dance class. Expanding your idea of what a "fitness routine" can look like not only helps you stay active but also lets you enjoy the unique opportunities your destination has to offer. Upon returning home, your usual fitness routine will feel fresh and engaging again.
2. Maintain Your Intentions
Staying committed to your fitness routine on vacation is about maintaining your intentions and prioritizing self-care to keep your body and mind in harmony.
1. Set Clear Intentions: Begin each day by setting a fitness intention, whether it's staying active, practicing mindfulness, or simply dedicating time to self-care. 2. Start with Morning Meditation: A daily meditation practice can help ground you, set the tone for your day, and keep your wellness goals at the forefront of your mind. 3. Practice Visualization: Visualize yourself staying active and healthy throughout your vacation, reinforcing the mindset that fitness is a natural part of your daily life, even when away. 4. Incorporate Breathwork and Yoga: Use breathwork and yoga to maintain your physical and mental well-being, combining gentle movement with mindfulness to stay connected to your body. 5. Prioritize Self-Love and Self-Care: Make time for practices that nourish you, like stretching, taking baths, or even enjoying a leisurely walk, to keep self-care at the center of your fitness routine.
Journaling about your experiences can help you stay mindful of your progress and reaffirm your commitment to your well-being, even while enjoying your travels.
3. Optimize Your Workflow
For busy professionals, boosting productivity comes down to using practical, time-tested strategies that focus on efficiency. One powerful approach is the 80/20 rule, where you devote most of your energy to the tasks that generate the highest returns. Structuring your day with time-blocking ensures focused work periods, helping you stay disciplined and avoid distractions. Start the day by tackling your most challenging task, often called “eating the frog”, to capitalize on peak energy and set a productive tone. The two-minute rule helps eliminate procrastination by encouraging you to complete small tasks immediately while batching similar tasks like emails and meetings streamlines your workflow. Incorporating automation tools for repetitive tasks, such as scheduling or task management, reduces time spent on mundane activities. Finally, taking micro-breaks helps maintain mental clarity and prevent burnout, ensuring you remain productive throughout the day. These hacks together create a framework for consistently high performance without adding extra stress.
4. Create A Fitness Plan
Taking part in physical activity provides many benefits, including weight management, disease prevention, better mental health, and increased functionality. Sustained physical activity maximizes the functioning of all organs and body systems. Adipose tissues release free fatty acids. The liver produces an increase in glucose because of the surge in energy. Hormones and enzymes regulate and coordinate the body as the nervous system activates, functioning at their peak during sustained physical activity. Engaging in exercise regularly promotes habit formation and facilitates adaptation to changes.
What strategies can you implement to keep up with your fitness routine while on vacation?
1. Prior to your vacation, create a fitness plan. Determine your daily exercises and the duration of each session. 2. Do you plan to continue with your current fitness routine or modify it based on the location? 3. Make sure to verify if the place has a gym or hiking trails, if that’s what you’re accustomed to. 4. Ensure your loved ones are aware of your commitment to fitness while traveling together. 5. Include your fitness attire in your luggage and pack accordingly for the climate of your vacation spot. 6. If you’re looking to boost your fitness routine, try walking around the city.
Implementing these practices can boost your energy levels and enhance the enjoyment and relaxation of your vacation.
5. Break The Routine, Not The Sweat
Vacations give you an opportunity to try something new. Instead of hitting pause on your fitness routine, shake things up and let creativity guide you.
Love doing cardio? Take a bike ride or hike and explore the sights. Staying near the water? Try a kayak excursion. It won’t even feel like you’re working out, as you’ll be too busy exploring the new place, whether it’s a city or a natural environment. If anything, it’ll feel like a mode of transportation to get you from point A to B and see the attractions in between.
If you’re more of a gym or class person and like a more structured approach to your workouts, check out a local gym to see if they have any free trials or classes you could attend or if you could pay a small donation fee or week pass for. Also, check to see if there are any free classes organized indoors or outdoors through local fitness communities or volunteer groups. It’ll give you a chance to meet new people and make new friends, who can show you around the area or provide you with recommendations off the beaten path, while you get your fitness in. In my world, the best kind of workouts while traveling are the ones you don’t notice because you’re having too much fun. Make fitness part of the adventure.
And remember, incorporating variety isn’t just for trips – it’s something that can help you stay motivated at home, too. Consider setting aside a day each week or month to try something different, so your routine stays as fresh and exciting as your vacation adventures and keeps you moving year-round after you return.
6. Move With Purpose
Take the stairs! Walk to the market and carry your groceries home in two evenly distributed bags. Breathe steadily and deeply. Squat to the floor to pick something up and see if you can pop back up. Each time you stand from a seated position, place your hands gently over your stomach and stand using only your legs and core. Lastly, lay flat on your back on the floor, and roll all the way up to standing without using your hands. If any of these activities are difficult (or impossible), no problem. A little practice and consistency will go a long way and you can integrate these movements into your life, including on vacation!
