You clocked out, packed your suitcase and are heading off on vacation. But a break from your day-to-day doesn’t mean you need to leave your exercise routine at home.
In fact, vacation can be your chance to be more physically active, says Brad Biskup, PA, with the Hartford HealthCare Heart & Vascular Institute Lifestyle Medicine Program.
Schedule your workouts into your vacation plan.
In many ways, vacation offers you the chance to be more physically active, says Biskup.
“When we’re free of our regular work and family obligations, we have more time on our hands to fit physical activity into our days,” says Biskup.
Before heading to your destination, you can:
- Check out what cardio or weight lifting equipment your hotel offers.
- Look for yoga, Pilates or spin classes at your hotel or a nearby gym.
- Find a new walking or running route. Bonus points for beautiful scenery!
> Related: 5 Ways to Keep Your Diet on Track During Vacation
Be creative with your definition of exercise.
You may not be able to follow your usual gym routine, but Biskup suggests finding creative ways to move, stretch and get the heart pumping.
“It isn’t just about the exercise! It’s about creatively finding ways to be active, which could be going kayaking or doing yoga on the beach or cruise ship. Maybe you want to rent bikes. Be creative,” he suggests.
Vacation is your chance to combine new experiences with physical activity, emphasizes Biskup.
“The best thing about vacationing is doing things you normally wouldn’t do and have the opportunity to do,” he says.
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Don’t discount all those extra steps.
All the walking you do to see the sights on your trip counts toward your daily activity levels, too, says Biskup.
“Everything counts! I think we get too caught up in the guidelines and doing 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise,” Biskup notes.
And if your vacation is light on sightseeing and heavy on lounging, try mixing in a walk with a friend or a light swim.
“The most important thing is that vacations are an opportunity to find new fun activities!”
