December 14, 2010

How I Stay Fit On Vacation Without A Gym

30 comments

How do I stay fit while on vacation without a gym?

I turn my parent’s basement into my own personal gym, clearly.

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Normally, I would go for a long walk around our hilly neighborhood with my mom in the mornings, or go for a run, but since it’s sub zero outside right now… an indoor workout made more sense 🙂

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I brought supplies home with me from North Carolina for situations just like this:

  • Two jump ropes (one for my brother once he’s home — workouts are more fun with someone else!)
  • A set of 5 lb. weights
  • Stretchy resistance cord thingy (that’s the technical term) for arm workouts 

I plan on using these to do a bunch of the moves on my strength & ab exercises page!

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I also brought a bunch of workout DVD’s home with me — yoga, pilates, and boot camp related workouts.

Yesterday I did a P90X yoga DVD, and this morning I decided to hit up a little more P90X. I started with their “Plyometrics X” which is apparently the mother of all their intense workouts.

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LOTS of jumping and super high intensity cardio! 

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My legs will feel this later.

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Weeeeeeeee!

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After 30 sweaty minutes of plyometrics, I stopped the DVD and finished my workout with a 15 minute P90X “Ab Ripper X” DVD.

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Followed by some stretching and cooling down.

What a great workout! It’s a good thing I worked up a serious appetite, too, because today is my office’s annual holiday lunch at an Italian restaurant near our office! Everyone was joking how convenient it was that I came back to work this week, the week of the holiday lunch, heh. But I figure it’s only fair, because I missed last year’s due to a final exam! 😉

Off to work I go — have a wonderful Tuesday, friends!

How do you stay fit on vacation without a gym?

- anne

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30 comments
  • Those resistance bands are fantastic- they don't take up much room in your luggage but can provide a fantastic workout. They're also fantastic when you will be staying in hotel or a similar environment where space will be limited.
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  • Woooo, you make me tired. It was 12 degrees when I got up this morning at 5:30 am and I am off to my zumba class and then to my k-bell class. Have a wonderful Christmas lunch today at work. Take pictures of the food.
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  • I'm going to count this as my workout for the day. Also, I love your parents' basement. It's so sunny and un-basement-like.
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    • Don't worry, I definitely bonded with some dead bugs while down there, too ;)
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  • I use ExerciseTv videos or workout dvds, usually...you look like you got an awesome workout!!!!
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  • That looks like a great workout! I borrowed the DVDs from someone a while ago, but I still haven't tried them. The plyo is the one I am most interested in as well. I have also heard great things about the Synergistics one, so I'd love to hear your thoughts if you end up doing it :)
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  • I generally like to go for a nice long run but since there are 8+ inches of snow on the ground and it's about 10 degrees outside with a negative windchill, I'm stuck inside. :/ So, I do what you do. I pop in a workout DVD or two and go to work. :)
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  • Yoga podcasts from itunes and hand weights. I'm pretty lucky that my parents have a treadmill for when I go home though!
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  • I love this! Over Thanksgiving I brought my Jillian Michaels 30-day shred plus weights and did an indoor workout in my hotel room!
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  • Whew! I'm going to have to suck it up and run outside in the cold. I'm heading up to DC as I type this and usually I would just stay inside and do DVDs but I have a half marathon in less than a month and a 10k on Saturday. Eek!
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  • I love the exposed brick in that basement. How pretty. When I go to my parents' house I'm lucky in that they are very into fitness so a good workout is never far away. They love to invite me out for long walks and their basement is also loaded with just about every fitness toy one could imagine - beautiful treadmill, ellyptical, weights, weighted bars, mats, etc. You name it they have it. Hotels are a bit more of a challenge because when I am traveling for business generally I am going, going, going and the hotel gym is often closed by the time I make it back so honestly it is so easy to talk myself out of a workout.
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  • After reading the title of this post I had to click read it. I love that you brought your weights and rope with you on vacation. I have done this and received tons of ridicule from family members.
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  • Hey Anne! Thanks for this post. I'm heading far north for about two weeks over the holidays, where there will be no gym and certainly no outdoor exercise. I am flying, so I don't think taking 5 lb. weights is practical, but I will definitely be packing some DVDs and my resistance band! The jump rope is a good idea too, I might have to go get one! Hopefully I can get in at least some small amount of exercise every day so that indulging in delicious holiday treats won't catch up with me :-)
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  • As long as I have my yoga mat Im good to go. I like to throw in the occasional dvd, too!
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  • Alternative? Walk 8 hrs per day while on vacation in Italy! Obviously this workout plan requires extra energy from daily gelato stops ;)
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  • My Dad and I like to run together. We usually do about 3 miles and then afterward we will do pushups, crunches, and I've been teaching him some yoga lately. It's a great time to catch up with him since I'm usually busy running around with my Mom on vacation. Have a great holiday break (mine starts Saturday and runs till Jan 4th-I can't wait!)
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    • I like running with my dad, too :)
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  • Well done! I guess sleeping through meals is not a reasonable alternative to fitness in the cold? :-)
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    • Haha that's absolutely a reasonable alternative :)
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  • I don't have a gym, so I rely on DVD's to get a workout in :) Jen
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  • You can definitely get in good workouts without the gym that's for sure. I do a mix of gym and at home all the time.
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  • I love that you used the P90X dvds! I'm planning on doing the same thing next week when I go up north for the holidays. Plyo is amazing, but the yoga is my favorite.
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  • I have some workout DVDs too! Did you buy P90X? I've been looking into it but they are expensive. Worth it?
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    • No, I have it on loan from a friend - just a few of the workouts (yoga X, plyometrics X, ab X). I'm a HUGE fan though. Definitely worth the money, I'd say!
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  • That's really inspiring, I like how easy to pack and carry the workout tools are (yoga mat, arm stretcher band, weights). How long do you recommend working out? 30-60 min?
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    • I usually aim for around 60 minutes total, including warm up and cool down and stretching. So yesterday I did 35 minutes of the hardcore plyometrics thing, 15 minutes ab DVD, and then about 10 minutes of stretching. It's up to you thought - if you're short on time, 30 minutes is better than nothing! :)
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