Wooohooooo! Vacation is upon us! Some of you are currently on vacation and some are counting the days…maybe even the minutes 😉 I had a mini vacation at the end of June/early July but stayed at home to get some things done around the house. We have another vacation coming up and it will be more of a “staycation” with a few road trips here and there.

I’ll be in the middle of my half marathon training and won’t want to give up a week of training so I’ve got to plan how I’m going to fit it all in. Swimming at the beach with my kids can totally be cross training, right?

I feel lucky to have a treadmill at home and be able to jump on it when the girls are asleep or on a HOT HOT summer day if I need to. So the treadmill is going to be my back up. Also, I’m getting more into doing at home DVD’s (Jillian Michaels, T25, Brad Gouthro etc.) so those will help when I’m on my own with the girls.

I’m also planning to hit up GoodLife Fitness once or twice if my schedule permits. I really, really want to try a body pump class and this might be my chance to do it.

Tips on being active while on vacation:

1 – Relax – you are on vacation!

2 – Plan ahead. If you are following a strict training plan, look ahead and see when you might be traveling or at home. You may need to reschedule or adapt your workouts….AND that’s okay!

3 – Take advantage of what’s around you. This could be new-to-you gyms; new trail systems to run on; finding a local running club or taking advantage of the hotel pool.

4 –  For those with children, host a play date and then swap! One parent takes a day or morning to go workout/get groceries/clean their house/sit and do nothing. Then switch the next day/afternoon so you get a day to do the same.

5 – Get active WITH your family. Run up and down the sandy beach and see how much your lungs and legs hurt 😉 Tread water for a few extra minutes while holding your toddler in the water – yeah that one’s really fun to do! Or get creative and set up a fun obstacle course in your backyard, complete with laps in your pool if you have one.

6 – Be realistic. You are on vacation and you may miss a workout – it’s okay! See if you can fit in a short yoga session first thing in the morning; do 15 squats, 15 push-ups and 15 burpees (or whatever) three times throughout the day. It’s better then nothing, right?

7 –  Focus on 2 great workouts. Depending on how many days you are on vacation try to get at least 2 focused workouts in. As a runner, I would want to get in one shorter run (quick) and my long run since it’s an important one. I would also try to do more cross training if I couldn’t get all my planned runs in.

8 – Go on an adventure. Visit a new park, trails, beach, lake or playground with your family. Try a new to you sport like windsurfing or yoga or {insert new to you sport}.

9 – Plan for after your vacation. After taking a week or two off work it can be hard to get back into the same routine. Try planning your workouts for when you return to work and hopefully you will get back on track!

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Honestly, I have no idea how my workouts are going to go while on vacation but my bag will be packed and ready to go to GoodLife Fitness, our beach bag will have “all the gear” ready, my treadmill is on standby and a babysitter is never too far away!

Happy Vacationing!

What’s your best tip for working out during your vacation?

Are you traveling far or staying local this summer?