Fitting in vacation

I was on vacation last week.  Vacation, for some people, is problematic for fitness.  Some of us eat too much and move too little when we’re out of our normal routines.  Here are some things that can help:

Choose a hotel with a gym.  We can’t lift weights if there aren’t any.  Whether we get around to doing it is another question, but we can at least set ourselves up for a certain amount of success.  I will note that the quality of fitness centers in hotels can vary widely, so we need to be somewhat flexible in workout planning.  Also, we need to remember that body weight workouts are perfectly good and may be a welcome change from what we do the rest of the time.

Choose the salad.  Maybe not every meal, but at least some of the time.  Travel can wreak havoc with our digestive systems and a low-calorie, high-fiber, bulky meal can keep the guts moving in the proper direction.

Think about methods of transportation.  There is nothing like exploring a new place by walking.  We can discover so much about the flavor of a place by moving along its paths.  This works for both urban and wilder destinations:  hiking is walking in a different context, and almost everyone can enjoy a stroll along the beach.

Remember it is vacation.  If the workout doesn’t happen, that’s all right.  The point of vacation is to reset and renew.  We can hit the gym when we get back.