How to Carve Out Time for Exercise on Your Next Vacation

Although vacation time is something you anticipate with pleasure, it can also be anticipated with dread if you fear picking up weight from all that calorie-loaded eating out you'll be doing. Besides watching what you eat, why not determine to add a daily exercise routine to your vacation. If you're not going on a vacation packed with walking tours, you can still exercise. Here are some tips for including exercise on your next vacation, regardless of what kind of vacation you're planning.

Road Trip

When you stop for gas or for a restroom break, take a brief walk before getting back on the road. If you're short on time, at least stretch your legs and move around, if only for a few minutes.

Flying

While waiting at the airport, walk around your gate area until your flight is ready to board. If you know you'll have a long layover, walk up and down the airport corridors. With all the sitting you'll soon be doing on the plane, this will be make your flight more tolerable, if you've first burned a few calories, getting your blood circulating. Also, choose airport stairs rather than escalators. If you're not cramped for time catching a flight, walk to your departure gate, rather than use the trains or walking sidewalks, as provided in some of the larger airports such as Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport.

While in flight, get out of your seat and walk the aisles (when permitted). As I'll soon be flying to the Holy Lands next month, I'm planning to do this so I can adjust to the long flight. Even small hand movements from knitting or crocheting can increase your metabolism rather than just sleeping or/and reading for hours.

Exercising in Motels

Choose motels with fitness centers-When selecting a motel, select one with a gym. Besides providing basic machines such as bikes and treadmills, some motel fitness centers also include weights, as well as indoor swimming pools. .

Take jump ropes-You can always jump rope in a motel room, if there's no fitness center in your motel and the weather is bad for walking outside.

Walk in your room-Even if you have a small motel room, it's still a bigger space than if you were on a treadmill.

Pack resistance bands-Rather than take pack hand weights, take resistance bands for strength training. Besides being lightweight and easier to pack, resistance bands give you just as good a weight resistance workout as hand weights.

Walk Daily

Even if you're stressed from your job and planning a tropical vacation, lying on the beach, don't just bask in the sun. Set aside at least 30 minutes to an hour for walking in the sand or swimming in the ocean. Realize that exercise also relieves stress.

Finally, if you think you don't have time to exercise on your vacation, just do it anyway. By waking up an hour earlier to exercise, you'll have more energy and get more out of your vacation.