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For most of us, going on vacation means letting it all hang out. After all, being off from work is a great excuse for sleeping in, overindulging on food and drinks, and lounging about, right? Not necessarily. It’s one thing to relax; it’s another thing altogether to let yourself lose your fitness level and quality of health. You don’t want to come home from vacation feeling bloated and overtired after a week of excess.
Thankfully, there are many things you can do to stay fit and active without feeling like you’re being forced to squeeze in a workout. With a bit of thought and planning, you can easily make fitness part of your fun and find good ways to work out during vacation. Here are five ways to do it.
Explore on Foot
Once you arrive at your destination, whether it’s a big city or a sprawling resort, get out there and explore your new surroundings on foot. Wear comfortable walking shoes or sneakers, strap on a pedometer and see how many steps you can take. Walking is a great exercise that’s easy on your joints and can burn a ton of calories, plus you have the added benefit of enjoying new sights and getting acclimated to your new surroundings. Perhaps you’ll even find a cute café or museum you’d like to visit.
Go on an Adventure
There’s no better time than your vacation to be adventurous and try new things. Take some surfing lessons, go kayaking or try some mountain climbing. If you’d rather keep things low-key, try renting a bike or going for a hike. Almost everywhere you go will have fitness opportunities like these; be sure to map out some things you’d like to try in advance and work them into your schedule.
Hit the Pool
It may be tempting to stretch out in that comfortable lounge chair, crack open the latest book you’re reading and order a margarita. There’s nothing wrong with that plan, but if you’re only using the hotel pool to lounge around, then you’re missing out on a great exercise opportunity. Hop in and swim some laps, or just walk through the shallow water for a great resistance workout. You can even try some pool-based exercise routines to torch even more calories while having fun.
Try the Hotel Facilities
If your hotel has a gym, or your resort has tennis courts or a golf course, be sure to take advantage of them. After all, you’ve paid for those amenities! Head to the gym first thing in the morning before your day gets too busy to get your sweat session out of the way. Conversely, you can hit the tennis courts or links after lunch for a fitness-filled afternoon.
Make the Beach Your Gym
If you’re at the beach, you have a great exercise facility at your disposal. Most everything you do on the beach will burn calories, even building a sandcastle! Play Frisbee, go boogie boarding, ride the waves, take a jog in the sand or get your friends together for a game of beach volleyball. You’ll be getting fit without even being aware of it.
As you can see, it’s easy to fit fitness and exercise into your vacation, whatever your destination may be. Be sure to make it an essential part of your trip. That way, you can enjoy those tropical drinks and indulgent dinners even more.