I know that vacations are vacations, but all of us are well-acquainted with the after-vacation-blues. The blues are not psychological, but also largely physical. Vacations are for fun, and therefore, it’s a common norm to ditch the workouts of any kind of routine physical activity, which is okay. But your body goes into relapse when you stop the workouts altogether and you may not feel so great anymore when this happens.
How Do I Manage the Time?
In order to stay fit right after the holidays, and to feel extra fresh and energetic during the holidays, you should squeeze in a little bit of workout time every day. Whether it be waking up thirty minutes earlier than the others, or be it a little time away for a ‘walk’ around the neighborhood, you can always maintain a small portion from your everyday routine even when you are travelling or on vacation.
Do I need any extra equipment?
Let’s face it. Most of us travel during the holidays and with all the packing and luggage, nobody wants extra weight from carrying around workout equipment, no matter how small they are. So, how do we manage our workout sessions? We manage by focusing on the ones that do not require any equipment or can be done with some support from the furniture in your hotel room, for example, a chair or a sofa.
Which workouts can I do?
While on vacation or during travels, you want to keep your workouts balanced, so that they are enough to make you sweat, but also light enough to make you feel refreshed and energized. The following are the best options for a person who is on holiday:
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Fast Walk or a Light Jog:
Let’s face it. If you are in a new place or are visiting a place after a long time, you would definitely want to look around the neighborhood, and what is better than looking around and getting some exercise at the same time?
Remember to walk fast, though. You need to walk fast enough to make you sweat, for about 20-30 minutes. Or you can just drop the act, put on some sneakers and just go out for a good 30-minute jog.
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30-minute Cardio Workout:
If you are not willing to sweat outside, you can easily go for routines that you can do inside your hotel room. One of the best exercises would be the 30-minute cardio.
In order to complete this exercise, workout for 30-40 seconds and the rest for 20 seconds while covering crunches, high knees, planks and burpees. Carry on for 30 minutes, if you can. Try to continue for 20 minutes at least.
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15-min Abs Workout:
If you are not in for an extensive 30-minute exercise, you can go for the 15-minute abs workout. In order to complete this workout, dividing up in to three separate rounds, exercise for thrice, and each exercise for 30 seconds. Include side planks, bicycle crunches, elbow plank, leg hover hold and windshield wiper while doing this workout.
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The Complete Plank Workout:
Planks are extremely effective and you can complete a workout session only by doing planks. In order to do this workout, go for regular plank, elbow plank, tree-trunk plank, plank jacks, cross-body knee-tuck planks and retile planks. Hold for 20 seconds for each exercise, and with 30-second breaks, complete three rounds of them.
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The 10-minute Abs Workout:
Let’s say you are really pressed for time, or you don’t want to waste your precious holiday minutes exercising hard. If that is the case, then this is the workout for you. It takes only 10 minutes but is extremely effective.
Take 40 seconds for each of the exercises from leg lifts, side plank lifts, butt lifts, elbow plank, cheek-to-cheek plank, Toe Touch crunches, side V crunches, windshield wipers and seated leg scissors. This will be an intense exercise since you are investing only 10 minutes of your time. It is better to properly assess your level of stamina before you pick this particular routine.
You can pick one from the list to do every day, or you can try a different one each day-the choice and combination is up to you. But do a little bit every day, at least to keep that beer-tummy from showing when the vacation ends!
Guest Blogger
Brad Kopec, he can be reached by email at bradleyk@thefitandtone.com and at his website.
