The Training Crucible

This next week I will be on vacation. The family is going to go visit the Mouse at Disney.  My girls have been looking forward to this for awhile.  Add to it the fact that they get to see nana and papa while we there and the trip is over the top!
But going on vacation can be hard when you are use to your workout routine at home.  Here are some of the tips I plan to implement on our trip this year:


1. Have a plan. I know it sounds simple, right.  You have a workout plan at home, why not take a little extra time and plan for your vacation.  Going to Disney means lots of time walking and simply being on my feet as we stand in long lines, so I'm not even going to worry about trying to get any runs in during the time we are at park.
2. Watch what you eat. Because vacation can mean lots of fast food, you'll want to be informed about what you are ordering. The Fast Food Explorer can provide you some great information about many of the most popular fast food restaurants.  I also make the extra effort to drink water and stay away from the empty calories found in soda.
3. Realize that something is better than nothing. I am not a world class athlete, I do not need multiple hours of training everyday.  Before leaving for vacation I was doing P90X or running everyday, but one week off is not going to kill me.  I am sure I will miss working out as normal, however, I will be walking around 4 theme parks with my wife and 3 girls (ages 5, 3, and 2). I know from past experience that when these girls get tired they want to be held. Holding 25-40 pounds for 30 minutes is a workout, especially when they fall asleep in your arms.  Walking around the park isn't the same as running 8 miles on Saturday, but I'm taking my pedometer to keep track of how far I walk this week.
4. Think of exercises you can do with minimal equipment.  Part of my plan is to do my ab workout in the hotel room each morning.  I also plan to mix in some push ups so I can get in some upper body work.  On vacation you could also take resistance bands with you (much lighter than your dumbbells).
5. Take it easy on yourself the next week. Don't try to double your workouts the next week in order to make up for one missed week.  Chances are if you do double up you'll end up getting injured and miss more time.  Simply return to the level of workouts that you were at before vacation.  If at any time you feel like you are overdoing it, back off a little bit, remember you've been away for a week, your body needs to adjust.  If you are 3 or 4 days into the week and you feel really good then push your workouts on the next 2-3.
6. Enjoy your vacation. Chances are it has been too long since you took one.  The last time I took a week long vacation was 2 years ago. I need this one. And because I really do need it, I'll also be taking a break from the blog/email/Twitter for the week as well. Talk to you when I get back!

How do you exercise while on vacation?

[photo by: Capt Kodak]