Okay, really just hear me out on this one! I know it’s a vacation and you’re supposed to be relaxing, but I really have some great reasons you should exercise on vacation, I promise!
First off, have you heard of Diary of a Fit Mommy? She’s a fitness blogger that I follow. She is ALWAYS posting videos of her exercising not only on vacation, but also randomly on a normal day, while she’s doing household chores too. At first, I thought, who would actually do that? I mean, the last thing I want to do while I’m putting groceries away is a couple dozen squats. No, typically, I’m trying to fight off two toddlers asking me what treat I got them as they peer into each grocery bag. But the more I started thinking about it, the more I realized how genius it is to exercise on vacation (still not sold on exercising while cleaning 😉 lol).
We have a couple of vacations coming up toward the end of the Summer and because I know I will probably spend 95% of those days in a bikini I have made sure to not miss a single work out and to keep my eating on point. The problem is, I plan on enjoying a few restaurant meals here and there while we’re on the road. Now, I am aware that there are healthier fast food items I could eat and I plan on doing that, but that doesn’t mean the temptation to indulge in nutritionally poor food isn’t there.
Some great things that happen when you exercise on vacation:
You are less likely to eat as much crap. It doesn’t mean you won’t make some “bad” food choices. But when you start your day with some exercise or choose a more physical activity that day, you are more likely to eat a little better and that’s perfect. You’re also more likely to drink more water. Even if you make a poor food choice every day on your trip, it’s way better than 10 poor choices every day.
Your workouts won’t be as difficult when things get back to normal. It’s really hard to get back to the gym after taking a couple days off. Not only are you a little less motivated, but the work outs seem harder because you’ve lost a little of your endurance. Working out on vacation, even minimally, will make your transition just that much easier.
You will get more out of your day. Exercise gives you energy. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it is 100% true. Start your day with some exercise and you will have plenty of energy to do and see everything you wanted on your trip.
You will get closer to your fitness goals. Obviously, exercise on vacation will get your closer to your goals than no exercise will. Who likes the idea of spending the next two weeks losing what you gained on vacation? Not me. Personally, my goal on vacation is to maintain, I’m not looking to lose weight, but I don’t really want to gain either.
It’s not hard. Maybe you don’t want to visit your hotel gym, but exercise on vacation is as simple as walking everywhere or renting a bike and biking to the nearest beach. It’s not difficult to fit in just a little exercise here and there, so why not?
Just because it’s called “exercise” doesn’t mean it has to be as regimented as your normal work outs. You’re on vacation! Just throw in a little extra activity into your day and you will reap the benefits!