So I'm on vacation (well, sort of...if you can call visiting family a vacation). Besides the daily struggle with eating in someone else's house (where you can't control the contents of their cupboards, or fridge, or what they cook for dinner, etc.) I also find it a big struggle to fit in working out. For some people fitness is something that is a nice thing to do when you can, a little bonus that gives you a boost with weight loss, etc. If you haven't figured it out yet, I am not one of those people. For me, fitness is a very important part of my life, and I plan on it always being that way--it's what my body needs to be healthy and when I don't do it, it's like missing breakfast, or morning coffee, or a shower, or sex.
So, you get the idea, it's pretty important. So traveling to visit family with two precocious children in tow poses some challenges. And I've had to make some choices that weren't fun. So, for the past week and a half here's what I've done:
1. Go to the local YMCA (since I have a membership to the Y back home, most Y's will honor your membership if you more than 50 miles from home). I have to mentally tell myself before I arrive at a new gym--nothing is going to be the same as what you're familiar with--the treadmill may be old, they may have different strength machines, but it's a gym, and you know your way around a gym, so don't get hung up on the little things, just try to get your heart rate up and target the major muscle groups.
2. Go for a power walk/jog with a family member/friend who is also into fitness (in the case I'm lucky, at my in-laws I have our cousin who is a former fitness instructor so we meet up at a local park and run/walk; at my parents I have my mom who has been a fitness professional for 30 years--we go for walks, and by walks I mean this woman can move--4.5-5.0 mph for several miles!
3. Put in an exercise DVD--So this week I've done several versions of "The Biggest Loser Workout" (review coming in the next few days) as well as a couple different videos from the Windsor Pilates series. If you can steal away as little as 25 minutes in a room with a TV you can get a little bit of a workout in (and really even 10 minutes is better than nothing....I can't tell you how many times in years past I just did nothing because I couldn't get a full 90 minute workout in--yes this may qualify me for the dumbass of the year award--again that need to be perfect, that need for all the little things to line up can sure get in the way of what we really want in life.).
4. During a family outing find time to go for a run. Over the weekend my family went to the beach, I was able to have my parents watch the little ones and I went for a run on the fitness trail. Here's what I mean by making decisions that aren't always fun--I would have loved nothing more than to sit on that beach for 90 minutes with my girls and my mom and dad--but in the end I got nearly 60 minutes of exercise AND then another 30 minutes in the water/sand. I must say--that 30 minutes was a lot more fun because I knew I had taken care of myself already!
5. If you can't sneak away--certainly you can work out at night--not the most fun you've ever had at midnight (wink), but certainly a lot healthier than vedging-out on the couch with chips and a rootbeer float. This also rings true for the early wake-up call work-out--not as much fun as waking up to catch a plane to Waikiki, but definitely better than say, going to an accounting convention?!
6. If all else fails, figure out a way to work out with your kids--stroller, running track, big field, big hill, anything to get you moving and taking care of YOU!
What are some other ideas or thoughts on ways to incorporate fitness into visiting relatives???
So, you get the idea, it's pretty important
Posted by: true religion jeans | September 21, 2011 at 06:09 AM