4 Ways to Stay Active & Fit On Vacation

We just returned from an amazing trip to the Jersey Shore with most of my entire extended family. My mom, her seven siblings and their families spread out between four houses for seven days of lounging on the beach, hitting up the boardwalk and eating way too much ice cream.

I’m not going to lie. The shore trip can be exhausting with the little ones. Yet, with thirteen people jammed into a sweet, little rental, there’s always someone available to help out. It almost feels like a return to the days of the village where everyone worked together to raise the children.

This year was especially memorable since all of my siblings were able to make the trip. My youngest brother spent a year in Australia and plans to leave for another four more years. And, my other younger brother is currently studying law in Oregon. They are so good with my kids, so it was beyond wonderful to have the chance to spend so much time with them before they return.

Among all the catching up and chasing after toddlers and babies, we still managed to find time to stay active. One of my younger cousins dubbed the theme of this year’s shore week “Fitness Frenzy.” She divided us up into teams and came up with a few games, so it wasn’t difficult to find the motivation to stay active. Surrounding yourself with active people is one of the best motivators. Keep reading below for more ways to stay active and fit on vacation.

4 Ways to Stay Active & Fit On Vacation

1. Plan active activities 

There’s no reason you must go to a gym and do your standard workout while on vacation. If you have a gym in your hotel then go right ahead, but sometimes it’s best to forget the gym, get out there and take in all the sights and sounds of a new locale.

• Try out water activities- swimming, surfing, paddle boarding, canoeing, even jumping through the waves can get your heart rate up
• Go exploring- try hiking or bike riding. We rented a surrey this year to ride with the kids up and down the boardwalk. The kids had a blast and it turned out to be a nice workout for us!
• Shopping or golf is always a good way to get in a nice walk

2. Check out the scenery- Go for a walk or run! 

This is the simplest way to stay active on vacation. It’s also the easiest way to see your new location. I love running up and down the boardwalk. The breeze from the ocean air feels great, and I love checking out all the stores and restaurants.

If you’re not much of a runner, be sure to read How to Love Running When You Hate It.

3. Chill out with some yoga 

The point of a vacation is to take the time to rest and relax, right? So, what better way to relax then going through a calming yoga flow. If you are going to the beach, you can head down early and do some yoga moves before it gets too hot. Or, if you have little ones, you can sneak in a little session during nap time.

• Try these 10 yoga poses for stress relief from Huffington Post.
• Or, try out this calming, but strengthening yoga video.

4. Do a quick, but intense workout using body weight 

With the excessive amount of stuff we had to pack for our week at the shore, there was simply no more room for a pair of weights. Luckily, there are plenty of workouts that only require bodyweight. I  like doing HIIT (high intensity interval training) workouts since they tend to give you the most bang for your buck. They are shorter, but more intense.

I created a simple, but hardcore workout you can do anywhere, at anytime with no weights required.

Here are more workouts to try…

• Killer Core Workout
• Booty Workout