Exercise on holiday?
2013-02-11 09:10
The car is packed, your pets are taken care of and you’ve turned your geyser off! Your holiday destination awaits you. However there is no reason why you can’t take your exercise routine on holiday with you! Here are some tips from an Adventure Boot Camp personal trainer:
1. First prize is to use your holiday location for your workout. If you are at the beach, consider going for a jog along the firm edge of the beach sand in the morning or take a thigh-burning march along the softer sand. If you are in the bush, plan a hike or get the whole family to go mountain biking, paddling or play tennis – most resorts offer these options and usually offer equipment rentals.
2. Pack a theraband – therabands are small and light and won’t take up any space in your already bursting suitcase.
a. You can use your theraband for upper and lower body toning in an area as small as a hotel room.
b. Tie the band around your ankles, pull your tummy in, stand on one leg with a soft bend to the knee – keep the other leg straight and abduct/raise it to the side in small pulses for a great bum-burn!
c. Tie the band around your ankles, squat and step from left to right to work your entire lower body. To add a cardio component – shuffle or leap from side-to-side.
d. Holding the band in your arms and ensuring that there is no slack in the band – use it to work your shoulders, chest and back by pulling it across the chest, above the head, behind the head or even behind the back to work the triceps.
e. Therabands are fun – so experiment!
3. Pack a skipping rope – as with the theraband, it is small and light and easily pops into your suitcase.
a. Use your rope for skipping intervals – alternate bouts of skipping (30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on your fitness level) with toning work such as crunches, push-ups or squats.
4. Take a magazine along – most magazines, including the one you are holding – have a fitness section in which you can work through the demonstrated exercises.
5. Use your body weight – body weight exercises are ideal because you don’t need any additional equipment e.g. a variety of squats, push-ups, plank and tricep dips using a chair or a step. Just ensure that your postural alignment is correct and keep your core tight throughout. Remember to breathe in on preparation and exhale on the exertion phase.
6. Stationary cardio – use your holiday location creatively by finding steps or hills which you can use for hill sprints, step-ups and stair climbing.
7. Go for a swim – do laps in the hotel pool
8. Consider choosing your destination based on what the hotels have to offer – some resorts offer yoga classes, have on-site gyms or other nearby facilities like golf and hiking routes which are great for cross-training.
9. Use your holiday time to try something different and get out of a fitness rut. Try to enjoy the outdoors and keep it social if you can – include friends and family with team games like soccer or cricket.
These tips are provided by Genevieve van der Vyver, Adventure Boot Camp franchise owner at Sandton and Fourways, Jhb. For more information on Adventure Boot Camp visit www.AdventureBootCamp.co.za or call the national head office on 021 447 27 46.
