AND YOU'RE OFF!

          So you’re off on a little vacation, are you?  Or maybe you’re hightailing it out of here for the entire summer.  More power to you.  Either way, I’m quite sure that one of the most important things on your mind right now is, “What the heck is going to happen to my fitness program while I’m away?”  Well, here’s your very simple solution.

         If you’ll only be away for a week, do your body a favor and give it a rest.  Honestly, sometimes it’s the best thing.  And if you’re going to the beach or the mountains, chances are you’ll be walking, swimming, hiking, or doing something active, so all is not lost.

        If you’re leaving for a month or more, you’ve got a little homework to do, but it’s not a complicated assignment.  If you’re staying at a resort hotel or with family or friends, there will probably be a fitness center available to you nearby.  Use it if you’re accustomed to working out in that kind of facility at home, but there are plenty of other things you can do while you’re away.  For example, a variety of very effective exercises can be performed using only your body weight -– squats, lunges, walking lunges, push-ups, pull-ups, crunches, and back extensions, to name a few.  Do a few sets of each of those exercises two or three times a week while you’re gone, and you won’t be starting all over from scratch when you get home.  And if you don’t usually perform any of those exercises, here’s a chance to try something new and different. Check out a class at that local gym or treat yourself to a session with a new trainer.  Take this opportunity to try a fresh approach. 

          If your biggest fear about going on vacation is the temptation to overeat, the same theory applies.  If you’ll be away for a week, you’ll probably gain a couple of pounds.  Just plan on it, and don’t panic.  When you get home and return to your normal eating and exercise habits, you’ll shed those pounds in no time.  If you’ll be away for a month, try not to lose your mind at every single meal, but have some fun, particularly if you’re visiting a place famous for its regional foods.  The day after any unusually large meal, try to eat lighter and do a little more exercise.  You’ll be okay.

          When you get home, be aware of one of the most common post-vacation traps of all.  It goes something like this: “Gee, I’m tired and I’ve got all this laundry to do and tons of paperwork on my desk, and gosh, I just don’t think I can get back to the gym this week.  I’ll start again next week.”  Sometimes “next week” turns into “next month,” and before you know it, you’re starting from square one or not starting again at all.  So enjoy your vacation, treat yourself to some new and interesting foods, move around as much as possible, and get back to business as soon as you get home.  And have a terrific time!