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Friday, August 1, 2008
Athletes always work out, even on vacation
Greater Reading, PA
By: Lisa Ostergaard
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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I’m hoping that I’m not the only person who gets slightly “stressed out” thinking about how to get workouts in during a vacation. No one enjoys a good vacation more than I do. With two small children and a hectic active job, I relish the time away to decompress. I love the sand underneath my feet and the ocean breeze on my face. It’s perfect, except it stresses me a little bit, especially if I am training for something in particular. I have another marathon on the horizon in October. If I expect to be competitive, I can’t afford to take an entire week off from my training, even if vacation seems like the perfect time to take a break.
I imagine that some of you feel the same way and that you might wonder what you can do to keep training while vacationing. I have been a personal trainer for quite some time now (since 1997), and it is one of the most common questions I am asked…how to work out while on vacation.
Let’s be realistic. It’s probably unlikely that you will be able to keep your workout schedule the same on your trip as to what it was when you were home. But that doesn’t mean you throw your hands up in the air and just do nothing. In fact, that is the worst thing you could do. All athletes know that it doesn’t take long to lose what you worked so hard to build up. When you are on vacation, you have to do your best to maintain.
Otherwise, when the week is over and you get back to your regular training schedule, you’ll pay for it with sore muscles and uncomfortable workouts - simply because you haven’t done anything physical in over a week.
So, here are a couple of things I do and would recommend for vacation workouts. First, you may not have tons of equipment at your finger-tips, but you don’t really need anything. Maybe a jump rope, but that’s small enough for you to easily pack in your suitcase. In my opinion, two of the best exercises you can do for your lower body are lunges and squats. You don’t necessarily need to lift weights while doing these exercises, just increase the repetitions to feel and see the benefits. Here’s a sample workout I might do in the sand. I don’t particularly like running in the sand; I save my miles for the road, but I have often done alternating sets of travel lunges and high knees while in the sand. For example, I might do 20 traveling lunges and then run high knees back. I would do four or five sets of this and then re-join my family on the beach.
In addition, two upper body exercises that are extremely effective and that you can do without dumbbells are push-ups and tricep dips. It doesn’t take long to do three sets of 20 reps of each, both morning and night. If you’re feeling “brave,” try it three times a day. If you are looking for a place to do your dips, try a sturdy kitchen chair or on a step, either would work. Of course, there is cardio too. For me, I’ll put the miles in on the road at least three times while I’m away. It might not be much more than three to five miles, but it’s something. If you’re not a runner, rent a bike and ride a couple of times.
All in all, doing 20 minutes of activity each day might not be the type of workout you are used to, but it’s certainly better than nothing. And if you are a competitive athlete, doing nothing, even while on vacation, is just not an option.
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