How to stay active on vacation? Tips and exercises examples
It is best to change life habits from the roots and live a healthy lifestyle, but even then, a few people forget all that when the annual vacation starts.
The tips that I apply myself and gladly recommend to all clients are:
Movement has no vacation
Our body is designed for movement and it should be an integral part of every day. So, even though you feel tired or have a drop in motivation, it doesn’t mean that your body identifies with it. The intensity and duration of activities should not be the same as during the rest of the year, but there should be walks, swimming, sports games in the sand, and light training.
Don’t let just because it’s a vacation make you blow up all fours and wait for 2-3 weeks to pass. Rest is necessary, but your body ideally rests through 2-3 hours of movement during the day.
Activity has no boundaries - movement is movement
If you feel lost from the overwhelming activities offered by your surroundings (or if there aren’t too many), don’t worry. Now is not the time when you have to smartly reschedule or exercise the same every day. Some activity for you the meaning of personal hygiene and maintenance of healthy habits. Any movement is desirable.
Rest without movement is stress
The biggest shock to the body that you can give it is that you have prepared hard for at least 3 months for the sea (although this is not something I recommend, it is better than no activity), then you came to the sea and lived without moving for 2-3 weeks, and you need to return to your old environment which is full of stress because of the work you are returning to and the responsibilities you have.
Your body has been constantly going from extreme to extreme and this has only negative psychological and physical consequences for you. Continuity in movement will prepare you for better psychological adaptations from a stressful environment to a relaxed one, and then again to a stressful environment.
Try to meet the "quotas"
When I say quotas, I mean small goals that you set for yourself. I often apply the rule of half an hour that I have to spend in the sea whenever I come to the beach. So, if I come once in the morning and once in the afternoon, both times I have to be in the sea for at least half an hour at a time.
But that doesn’t include shoaling, drifting, or buoys that I like to lean on. I mean half an hour of swimming in any style and at any pace or active maintenance on the water. Also, try to walk for at least an hour in the evening.
Do light training once or twice a week
Exercises performed:
1. Inchworm
Start training with this easy exercise.
Stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart. Bend over and touch the floor with the palms of your hands.
Walk your hands out, as far as you can while keeping your legs straight, and pause.
Walk back up to the starting position and repeat until the set is complete.
2. Jump rope
Stand up and pick up the rope. Extend your hands and forearms at least a foot away from your body, at a 45-degree angle. This will create a larger arc for you to jump through.
Use your hands and wrists to swing the rope over your head. Don’t move your arms — try to keep the motion limited to your wrists.
If you don’t have a jumping rope or can’t learn how to jump over it, you can do the same movement without a rope.
Also, exercises like low skip will have similar effects on your body.
3. Side plank
Start by lying on your side, with your forearm directly below your shoulder and your legs stacked on top of each other.
Lift your hips off the ground, forming a straight line from your head to your feet.
Engage your core muscles to maintain stability.
Hold the position for the desired amount of time (20 seconds or more) and repeat for the other side.
4. Kettlebell swings
For this exercise, you can improvise, and use a bottle or something similar instead of the kettlebell.
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and place the kettlebell on the ground slightly in front of you.
Hinge at your hips and bend your knees slightly, maintaining a neutral spine and a slight arch in your lower back.
In one explosive motion, drive your hips forward and swing the kettlebell up to shoulder height. The power should come from your hips and glutes.
At the top of the swing, your body should form a straight line from head to heels.
Allow the kettlebell to swing back down between your legs while keeping your back flat and engaging your core.
5. Jumping jack
The starting position is an upright supine position with hands in hand.
From that position, at the same time, the legs are placed in a striding stance with a light jump, and the arms go into a position.
