Tips for Exercising on Vacation

Most people don't associate vacation with leading a healthy lifestyle. However, if you are trying to lose weight, it is important that you get your 60 to 90 minutes of exercise daily-even when you are on vacation. If you plan ahead, you can do this without interrupting your fun time.

Visit Local Attractions

Museums and other local attractions provide a perfect opportunity to exercise. Your exercise time can start as soon as you arrive. If you drive to the attraction, park as far away from the entrance as possible and walk. If you take public transportation, get off a stop away from the attraction and walk. You will get in two mini-exercise sessions (one on the way in and one on the way out). You will also get exercise while you are walking around the attraction. To measure your exercise efforts, invest in a pedometer to count your steps or distance walked. Try to walk 10,000 steps per day.

Take in Local Scenery

Visit a nature center to get a taste of local wildlife while you walk. If there isn't a nature center, call the visitors bureau or ask someone who lives in the area to point you toward a state or local park, trail or another area suitable for outdoor exercise.

Find a Pick Up Game

If you don't want to just walk while you are on vacation, look for pick-up games of basketball, football, volleyball or another sport. Health clubs, civic centers and other local venues may have courts or other sports areas for you to try. For example, you can find a game of pick-up volleyball on most beaches during the summer months. As a bonus, you don't have to worry about making a fool out of yourself because once your vacation is over, you will probably never see the other participants.

Make Use of Your Leisure Activities

Swim a few laps in the hotel pool in between your rest and relaxation times. For example, you can swim or tread water for 10 minutes and then enjoy a 20 minute rest. Alternately, you can do this on a beach by walking on the sand between rest breaks. Do this a few times a day in addition to your other activities and you will have enough exercise to meet the 60 to 90 minutes needed for weight loss.

Bring Your Own

For someone (like me) who doesn't like to exercise in public, exercising in the hotel room may be the most feasible option. Bring an exercise DVD with you. You can play it on your computer or you can find out if hotel offers DVD players when you make your reservations. A deflated exercise ball with pump, a jump rope, and other small exercise equipment can be packed in your back and transported easily to your hotel room.