Workouts on Vacation

 

Oh, how I love to work out! It feels so good, and I love taking that little bit of time to do something for myself every day.When I go on vacation, it’s nice to take a break from a lot of things, but working out doesn’t have to b one of them. I personally like to scale back a little bit, but even when I’m out of town I still enjoy my exercise time to energize my body and refresh my mind.

Often when I travel I don’t have access to a gym or weight equipment, so I have learned to workout with just my own body resistance, running outside, and using an exercise band. Here are five workouts you can do when you’re on the road that will give you great cardio and resistance workouts. All you need are your running shoes and an exercise band. For more about why I love exercise bands, click here. To order one, click here.

Day 1: Cardio Intervals 

This workout is short (but not very sweet!) Working out with cardio intervals makes your metabolism burn calories like crazy, and it doesn’t take much time. This makes it the perfect choice when you’re on vacation, because you want a quick workout that will burn those extra calories you are consuming.

Cardio intervals requires that you determine your own personal levels of exertion. This workout has you start at Level 5 (pretty easy.) Levels 6 & 7 get harder, and by level 8 you should really be working hard. Level 9 is extremely difficult, and Level 10 is as hard as you can go. Once you have established your levels, follow this interval strategy by running on either a treadmill or the road.

Level 5 minute 1

Level 6 minute 2

Level 7 minute 3

Level 8 minute 4

Level 9 minute 5

Level 10 minute 6

Repeat entire sequence 2-4 times.

 

Day 2: Band Workout

This is a great way to get in an upper body workout. When indicated,use the purple stretchy band for the following exercises. Do 10-15 reps of each exercise, ending with a static hold for 10 seconds, and then 10 pulses to really burn out the muscle. Repeat the entire sequence of exercises 2-3 times.

Chest: Pushups (no band required)

Back: Seated band row

Biceps: curls

Triceps: Overhead Tricep Extentions (Do both sides)

Shoulders: Lateral Raises

 

Day 3: Tabata Cardio Workout

I love this cardio workout created by my friend, Sarah Horne. Perform each exercise for 20 seconds (give maximum effort), and take a 10 second break. The only equipment you’ll need is a jump rope.

Circuit 1 (repeat four times)

Tuck Jumps

Drop outs/squat thrusts

Circuit 2 (repeat two times)

Squat jumps

Lunge hops

180 degree jumps

Mountain Climbers

Circuit 3 (repeat four times)

Burpees

Jump Rope

Circuit 4 (Repeat two times)

Explosive lunges

Lateral Hops

 

Day 4: Lower Body Resistance Workout

2 minutes squats (10 second static hold, then 10 pulses)

2 minutes walking lunges (At the end, pulse on each leg for 10 seconds)

2 minutes curtsy lunges (At the end, pulse on each leg for 10 seconds)

2 minutes plea squats (At the end, pulse for 10 seconds)

Hamstring Curl – Using purple band, 10-15 reps plus 10 second static hold, then 10 pulses.

Burner: 1 minute jump squats

1 minute plyo lunges

Repeat entire workout for a total of two times

 

Day 5: 30-Minute Run

Even though I preach Cardio Intervals and High Intensity Workouts, it’s good to surprise your body by going for a good, solid run. Pick a speed you can sustain for 30 minutes, and then just get outside and go! I love to reserve this kind of cardio workout for when I am vacationing somewhere beautiful where I can enjoy the fresh air and scenery. And I just can’t resist throwing a little bit of High Intensity at the end…challenge yourself to run at a full-on sprint for the last minute or so of your run. It feels great to finish on a high note! (And be sure to finish up the workout with a protein shake and a blender bottle!)

More Great workouts that you can do on the road:
High Intensity Interval Training by Raelene Bott
Circuit Workout by Becca Nichols