Holiday workouts and exercising routines while on vacation. Some people may have no interest in working out while on vacation, seeing their vacation time as simply relaxation time only.
However some of us, me included don’t find it that easy to just switch off the need to exercise. Exercise can actually help us to relax and to better enjoy our holidays.
Many hotels have gyms, so working out is not a problem if you so wish to. However even if you are without access to a gym there are still many exercises that you can perform in your hotel room.
It’s very easy to just give in to bad habits while on holiday, for example drinking more and generally eating junk and I am also guilty of this, especially during the first few days. However I am not one of those people that can just stop! I always have that desire to exercise and keep fit in some way.
Physical benefits of not working out on holiday
While exercising is a very good thing, our bodies do need rest. If you are going on vacation for a short period of time, for example a few days or just one week, it could be a good idea to rest during that time. Resistance training can place a great strain on our bodies so resting for a week could actually be beneficial, however opinions vary on this.
Mental benefits of not working out
Working out can get a bit repetitive sometimes, which can cause the mind to feel a little drained and unenthusiastic. So not only can a vacation be good for the body it can also give the mind. Taking a rest from the repetition of training could be a great motivator and refresher when you return from your vacation.
What I did on holiday
Not a great deal to be honest! but I did perform a few little workouts, well two to be exact. I performed two resistance workouts throughout the week which were basically the same.
My Workout
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Leg and Knee raises – 20 reps, these are easy to perform on any flat surface, I used a flat sofa.
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Bicycle Crunches – 60 reps, again performed on the flat sofa.
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Press Ups – 40 reps in total.
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Dips – 40 reps, using the edge of the sofa
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Lunges – 60 reps in total, even without any added resistance it’s still a great leg and buttock exercise.
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Swimming – 20 minutes, swim in the hotel pool or the sea. Where ever you swim it’s a fantastic exercise for both muscular endurance and the cardiovascular system.
Stretching
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Basic standing hamstring stretching (toe touching) three holds, 10 seconds each.
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Inner thigh stretches (side lunge stretch) three holds, 10 second each side.
That’s all I did, it didn’t take long, it offers some good resistance and basic flexibility training. I probably should of included some more cardio exercising, but to be honest I did so much walking on my holiday that I didn’t feel like I needed to do anything extra.
