Prepare for vacation with workouts
by Nancy Conway
 The
ads are everywhere -- lose weight, work out, do what it takes to look
good in a swimsuit for your summer vacation. This might be a good
plan if you expect to languish on the beach or hang out at the tiki
bar for two weeks.
But most of us expect to pack our precious vacation
time with touring, hiking, biking and on-the-go activities. That means
tailoring fitness workouts to be in top shape for a fun and healthy
adventure.
Whether you are touring the historic sites of Washington,
D.C. or Savannah, Ga., the nature that surrounds Anchorage, Alaska
or the Grand Canyon, the requirements are the same. It is best to
do by foot power -- many hours of foot power.
In Savannah, the Midnight in the Garden of Good
and Evil Tour (based on locations in the 1994 best-selling novel
written by John Berendt) takes two hours and the Historic Tour can
take all day. Touring the historic homes in Washington’s Dupont Circle
area will take four or five hours. Travel guides recommend taking
two and half days to tour the sites of Charleston, S.C. You won’t
get the flavor of Anchorage or appreciate this beautiful city without
strolling the miles of coastal trails, doing some nearby mountain
hiking and exploring by bike on miles of bike paths.
Even organized tours can require a lot of walking, and summer heat
plus humidity will add to the endurance requirements. Bike tours are
becoming more popular, but that mode of transportation requires just
as much fitness conditioning as walking. So unless you are resigned
to seeing the sites via Lolley the Trolley, start planning to get
in shape now.
To get a better understanding of your fitness demands,
do the following: Once you choose your vacation, go over your itinerary
and figure out about how much walking, standing and bike riding you
will be doing each day. It usually takes about two hours to tour a
museum or historic home, which translates into two hours of walking
and standing on your feet. Come up with an average number of hours
(or miles) you expect to walk or ride each day. You may be surprised
at how active your jaunt will be. But it will be a breeze if you prepare
beforehand with the right workout program.
First, start by extending your regular stints on the
treadmill, stationary bike, walking or biking. The more time spent
on these activities the more you will increase your overall endurance.
Recently a man planning a cross-country bike ride was able to prepare
for the trip by riding a stationary bike 30 minutes a day for ten
weeks.
If you don’t walk or bike on a regular basis, you need
to start a daily program as soon as possible. There is nothing worse
than suffering with a backache, sore feet and legs on your first day.
Many who think they get enough exercise in their normal daily routine
are often surprised at how much stamina they need. Not being prepared
for the rigors of vacation can turn the time of your life into a nightmare.
But there is much more to consider. According to Certified
Fitness Trainer Maia Appleby, core strengthening (abs/back work as
a muscle group) and lower body exercises are crucial. She adds that
flexibility training is essential to improving posture.
“When people do a lot of standing and vacation walking,
they are demanding a lot from their backs and legs. These two things
are totally related. When your back hurts, you start walking funny
and then your legs, knees or hips start aching - and vice Ideal Fitness, so
if one is neglected, it affects the other.
“People with good posture fare much better with a lot
of standing and walking,” says Appleby. “Back and hamstring stretches
are the most effective, but a good all-over stretching program does
wonders for the posture … and people who stand straight and tall look
better in swimsuits, too!”
To get a clearer picture, click
here to check Appleby’s article on walking.
Encourage others you are vacationing with to prepare
as well. If you are traveling with kids, start taking neighborhood
walks or hike in nearby parks. Children seem like endless bundles
of energy, but hot weather and touring can wear them out, too.
Another crucial bit of planning is to choose your clothes
and shoes wisely. You don’t have to wear gym shoes to tour a Southern
mansion, but a good pair of walking shoes is important. For hot weather
walking, you may want to wear sandals, but make sure they are built
for comfort. As a rule, it is best to have as much rubber between
your feet and the pavement as possible. Even though the fitness gurus
don’t advise wearing street shoes for workouts, it may be a good idea
to tread wearing the shoes you plan to take on vacation, just to make
sure they stay comfortable after a couple of miles.
The same goes for clothing. Wear loose fitting clothes
of natural fibers. Worry more about comfort and less about wrinkles.
Don’t despair and don’t fall back on the tiki bar plan.
Then you can get yourself in shape, do all the activities you planned
and look back on the experience with fond memories. Bon Voyage!
© Nancy Conway. Reprinted with permission
About the author: Nancy Conway
is a writer for Ideal Fitness Inc., a family of health, recreatiion,
sports and wellness websites: shapeupshop.com,
inch- aweigh.com, mightyvitamins.com
and medball.com
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