Working out on Vacation: How to Stay Fit During Your Holiday

• By
• Curb Ivanic

Image by Curb Ivanic
Working out during your vacation should be simple with minimal equipment

We're enjoying a great holiday on Maui's west side and I'm staying fit while on vacation by enjoying the surf and the sun

I've been working hard to prepare for the upcoming BMO Vancouver Marathon and I didn't want my fitness to waste away while we're away.

My Vacation Fitness Toolbox

I don't plan on going to any gyms while in Maui. There's so much you can do outside to stay fit so why bother hiding out indoors working out?

By bringing a few workout items I have a complete fitness toolbox so I can stick to my program. To help me stay fit here's what I brought:

• TRX suspension system - adds a lot of options to bodyweight exercises you can do.
• Brooks Green Silence running shoes - good for both road and non-technical trails; eco-friendly.
• Vibram Five Finger shoes - like gloves for your feet. Allow you to get all the benefits of barefoot training while protecting your feet.
• Small rubber ball - to help release muscle knots. A lot more effective than stretching to improve your mobility.
• Hand-held water bottle - you get thirsty running in 90 degree heat so you need to stay hydrated. For longer runs I add Hammer Nutrition electrolytes to the water to replenish minerals lost during sweating.

Stay Active on Holiday and Enjoy Relaxing

My cardio workouts consist of beach running, surfing, ocean swimming, trail running, paddleboarding and road running. But I don't view most of these activities as workouts. It's playing in the beautiful Hawaiian outdoors and I’ll do at least one of these activities every day. We also do a family beach walk every morning with me carrying Carys in the Baby Bjorn.

For my strength training, twice a week I do a workout combining bodyweight exercises and TRX suspension exercises. I'll do supersets (two exercises back to back) of an upper body exercise and lower body exercise such as lunges coupled with TRX inverted rows or single leg TRX squats paired with pushups.

I do a full body workout performing three rounds of three or four supersets. Along with a dynamic warmup, the workout only takes about 25 minutes so I have plenty of time to relax with the family.

Staying active daily will help you enjoy your poolside lounging without feeling guilty. Go ahead and relax on your holidays but don’t neglect your fitness. Your body will thank you for it.