I used to be the person who said I would never exercise on vacation, and I would laugh at people who did. Aren’t you supposed to be relaxing and “vacating” your normal life? Why would you then worry about making time for exercise? My attitude towards no exercise on vacation was absolutely fine when I was younger, but as I got older and my metabolism slowed, I got tired of getting home from a trip and gaining 5-10 pounds. I then had to work out like crazy to get rid of my vacation weight, and I began resenting enjoying myself on vacation so much.
So, I decided that I needed to make a compromise with myself. I want to be able to eat whatever I want when on a trip and not feel guilty about it. Who goes to Portugal and doesn’t have pastel de nata at least once a day? You can’t go to France without eating all the amazing bread and pastries and trying all the incredible wine. For me, there had to be a better balance: enjoy everything in moderation and start incorporating more exercise into my trips. I’ve been successfully doing that for years now, and I thought I would share 5 easy ways I make it happen.
Take a Walk Every Morning
One of my favorite ways to incorporate exercise into my vacation is to take an awesome walk each morning. I actually really look forward to this activity, as it gets me out and about, exploring wherever I’m staying. If it’s a beach vacation, you will find me walking on the beach every single morning. If I’m staying in a city, there is nothing I enjoy more than wandering the city streets while it’s still quiet and they aren’t yet packed with people. You get to know the neighborhood you’re staying in, and you can connect with life in the city more. Most of the time, I like to take these walks before breakfast, and then I will either grab breakfast on my way back to the hotel to get ready or I will have breakfast after I get back from my walk. It’s just a really nice way to start my day. Once it’s done I can let loose and truly enjoy my day.
Choose Physical Activities
When I’m planning all the things I want to do on vacation, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate fun physical activities or excursions. Some of my favorites are snorkeling or diving, hikes, and bike riding. If I’m somewhere tropical, like Bora Bora or Cozumel, you best believe I will be in the water somehow. If I’m in a place like Costa Rica, hiking is one of my very favorite activities. If I’m somewhere that has great opportunities for biking everywhere, like Sanibel Island in Florida, I will rent a bike and try to bike everywhere rather than drive. As a rule, I will always try to bike or walk somewhere before I drive or get a ride. If it’s possible to walk there, I like to make it part of the adventure.
Take the Stairs Instead of the Elevator
This is an easy one, and it’s one I make an absolute rule most of the time, unless I’ve got luggage with me or something like that. If I can take the stairs, as opposed to taking the elevator, I’m pumped to take the stairs. It’s free exercise that you can easily incorporate into your day. I look at it like a bonus, and it makes me feel so good when I choose the stairs. Parking garages, hotels, malls, and even cruise ships. Unless it’s like 20 stories, I’m taking the stairs, and I’m going to feel great about doing so.
Sign Up for a Class as a Local Experience
This one is one of my absolute favorite travel activities. I actively look for local exercise classes that I can sign up for. My favorites are everything I would normally be doing at home, because I love to see what I’m used to presented in new and different ways. I absolutely love doing this because it stretches my practice, exposes me to new instructors, new exercises, and even classes that are taught in languages I don’t understand. That’s the fun part about these types of classes. I already know the concepts and proper form, so it’s a fun challenge for me to follow along just by watching if the class is taught in a language I don’t speak. I always meet really nice locals in the classes as well, and they are usually so welcoming to me.
I will look for Pilates, barre, Lagree (usually only in major cities like London, Paris, Sydney, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, Cape Town, Tokyo, or New York etc), spin, rowing, or sometimes yoga (it’s not my favorite practice, because it’s a little slow for my taste, but you can find it literally everywhere around the world, so yes, even yoga in a pinch for me). I will just google what I’m looking for, compare studios, and then sort out how to sign up for classes. Most of the classes I like require grip socks, so I always travel with my favorite pair, or normally you can buy them at the studio if they are indeed required for class.
Utilize the Gym
This one seems obvious, but most of the time when I’m staying at a hotel that has a gym, there is almost never anyone else there. Gyms are definitely not my favorite place, as I much more prefer to be out taking a walk on the beach or through the city streets, experiencing life in the place that I’m visiting, but if it’s a travel day for me, or if I am short on time, I will pop into the gym for a quick cardio session on the elliptical. That’s my gym weapon of choice if I have to go there. It’s a good calorie burn, but it’s easy on my knees. My target is usually to burn 300 calories, and then I’m out of there…to do that realistically takes me 30-45 minutes. To hit my core, I will also throw in a plank before I leave. I just hold my plank for as long as I can. I might stretch a bit if there is a nice area to do that, but I usually limit my time in the gym to under an hour, because I want to get it done and get back to enjoying my trip.