I’ll be honest with you, I always have the best intentions to workout on vacation, but sometimes it just doesn’t happen. On a regular (non-vacation) basis, I workout before my kids wake up at 5:00 a.m., so the thought of waking up early on vacation makes me sick to my stomach, and by the time their afternoon nap rolls around, I’m ready to sit down, relax and finally catch up on my reading, so working out doesn’t always happen. I aim to do a wod at least every other day (at least that is what I’m planning to do on this vacation!), doing a short, but intense workout while the kids are playing, or better yet, involve my kids in the workout. More importantly, I strive to stay active on our vacations by walking/jogging on the beach every morning, playing in the sand with my kids, walking everywhere, and doing lots of activities. In the end, I try to stay as active as possible while still relaxing (but relaxing can also be staying active, right?!).

relaxing on the beach

After being on the go and getting up early every morning, it is nice to not do anything, which is why I love our vacations at the beach. We literally park ourselves and just enjoy the sand and the surf with some workouts thrown in the mix. Everyone needs to just “do nothing” every now and then! But, if you are like me and need to fit in some actual workouts so you don’t feel guilty about all of the yummy goodies you are consuming, here my three tips for working out on vacation…

3 tips for working out on vacation

1. Get up and walk! When we go to the coast, I love to walk or jog the stretch of the beach every morning. There is something peaceful and invigorating about jogging or walking next to the ocean! My husband and I usually put our coffee in our to-go mugs, take the dogs and walk the stretch of the beach while Keenan collects sea shells and Mirella is in my ergobaby carrier. Just pack your running shoes, and go for a jog or brisk walk everyday no matter where you are.

2. Plan activities. We love to plan fun activities for the whole family when we go on vacation, whether snorkeling, kayaking, hiking or just exploring a new city/town by foot. Plan some activities that your whole family can do that keep you active.

3. Use your own body weight. Aside from walking and jogging on the beach, I aim to do a few home/travel CrossFit wods while on vacation, such as my CrossFit  Home or Travel Workouts using nothing but my own body weight. My husband loves to get creative and find various items like logs and rocks to use in our wods, too, and I’ve also held Keenan when doing squats for some added weight. There are so many exercises you can do with just your body weight, so save a few home CrossFit wods to take with you or come up with your own workouts doing push ups, squats, walking lunges, planks, sit ups, running, etc.

Questions:

How do you stay active while on vacation?

Do you workout on vacation? If so, what do you do?