10 Tips For Staying Fit While On Vacation
Scott Danberg, MS, Exercise Director at the Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa in Aventura, Florida, offers 10 tips to help you stay fit while on vacation.
1. Opt for stairs
Whether in hotels or higher-altitude destination like the
Eiffel Tower, leave the elevators behind and climb stairs. Just
10 minutes of stair climbing can burn more than 100 calories
and every calorie does count. If you burn 100 extra calories
every day for a year, you'd lose about 10 pounds.
2. Sight-see in walking shoes instead of taxis and
trolleys
From the magnificent parks of London to Tianamen Square,
there's often no better way to take in the joys, scents, and
surprises of the cultures you're visiting than on foot.
3. Play with the kids
Go ahead, relax and sunbathe a little, but make sure you have
some calorie-burning fun with the kids, too. Play "Marco Polo"
in the pool. Go bikeriding. Shoot hoops. Pick up sea shells on
the sea shore. Warm up those decades-old-but-you-never-lose-'em
ping pong skills. Chances are, you'll have as much fun (maybe
even more!) as the little ones.
4. Plan movement opportunities into every day
Is the morning full of standing (and very little walking) in
art museums and cathedrals? After lunch, take off for aerobic
adventures. Go for a nice long walk along a park or shore. Ask
your hotel's concierge for walking maps of the area. If you're
in unfamiliar territory, your concierge should also be able to
point out safe, crime-free pedestrian routes.
5. Turn airline terminals into walking tracks
Instead of sitting (you'll be doing plenty of that on the
plane), plug into your favorite music and march up and down the
terminal. Sure, it's not a full-blown workout, but every step
counts. With just 15 minutes of brisk walking, you can burn
100+ calories. Plus, all that walking may keep you from getting
bored and ambling into the airport's snack shop.
6. Book For fitness
When booking hotels, choose only those with fitness centers
and/or guest passes to nearby gyms. If you can roll out of bed
and roll into a gym minutes later, you'll have given yourself
the best insurance that you'll fit fitness into each day. Plus,
working out every morning will increase your motivation to eat
more healthfully throughout the day.
7. Break free -� Explore new
possibilities!
It's great to know there's a gym just downstairs from your
hotel room, but vacation's also the time to have some fun! The
kids want to hike up a mountain? Lace up your walking shoes.
Are they bound for scuba/snorkeling class? Join in! Go paddling
in river canoes. Learn salsa dancing. Play beach volleyball.
Water ski. Anything that elevates the heart rate and allows you
to have fun is a win/win situation.
8. Find restaurants that are within walking distance from
your hotel
Why take a taxi when you can enjoy a leisurely walk in the
cool evening air to and from the restaurant? Plus, "walking
after a meal is a wonderful way to help keep blood sugar levels
down," advises Robert Bauer, MD, diabetic specialist at the
Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa.
9. Aim For fitness-maintenance
While vacationing, you may not have as much time as you do at
home for your regular workout, but that's okay. Always
remember: Doing something is a whole lot better than doing
nothing at all. Shoot for at least 50 percent of your normal
routine.
10. Savor the rewards
Each day as you wake, anticipating the wonderful things you'll
be doing, the sights you'll be seeing, remind yourself how
great it feels to be able to walk, to move. "Travel imparts new
vigor to the mind," said the ancient Roman playwright Seneca.
Because you've taken good care of yourself by staying fit, that
vigor is yours!
For More Informtion:
The Pritikin Longevity Center & Spa is a health resort in Aventura, Florida, where guests come from all over the world to achieve unparalleled health and weight-loss results. For more information about Pritikin, go to www.pritikin.com.
© Copyright 2003-11 SheKnows, LLC and/or individual copyright holders. All Rights Reserved.
Join Us