Exactly How I Stay Active On Vacation

I'm OOO this week — here's what I'm doing movementwise

Ohh, the exertion.

There were times in my life when I never would have let a trip get in the way of my workout routine. Times when I’d pack a kettlebell in my suitcase, or seek out the nearest boutique fitness spot or CrossFit gym to my hotel. My friends, those times are pretty much over. Sorry to disappoint!

Nowadays, if I’m traveling somewhere with a great exercise setup — a well-appointed hotel gym, an amazing-sounding beachfront yoga class — I won’t shy away from a workout or two, especially if it means a much-needed break from my delightful but sometimes overwhelming children. But other than that? I’m not doing much, tbh.

This week, my family and I are at a rental house on a beautiful lake north of New York City. We’ve been out on a pedal boat and a canoe! I caught my daughter who is practicing jumping into the pool approximately 75 times without a break! I’ve taken approximately 84 trips up and down the stairs to the dock since Monday! I’ve turned a lot of pages.

But… that’s pretty much it? And it’s okay!

Why? I think a lot about what a beloved fitness friend of mine, Jamie Carbaugh AKA fitragamuffin, says about the quote “Never miss a Monday.” While the idea of starting the week off with a win can actually be really powerful, and there’s nothing wrong with aiming to exercise every Monday, it’s actually so much more important to be okay with missing some Mondays, she says. I like to think this extends to vacations!

fitragamuffin

A post shared by @fitragamuffin

As always, remember that our goal is sustainability, not intensity. You can set and achieve movement goals, and even have high expectations for yourself, without beating yourself up for missing a Monday, or skipping a few days of workouts while you’re on vacation. For those of us working to build a new and more positive relationship with exercise after a period when things weren’t so supportive, it may be even more important to practice a bit of exposure therapy with skipping workouts.

Again, I’m not saying that working out on vacation can’t be a great thing. It can be a fun way to carve out some time for yourself when you’re traveling with others, an outlet for meeting new people in an unfamiliar place, and of course for those of us with aches and pains, a way to make sure that overly soft Airbnb mattress doesn’t wreak havoc on our poor backs.

It’s just that taking a break? It’s also fine. Good, even!

I’ll be back next week: back to my regular life, back to my workout routine, and back to the newsletter with some fun new posts for you. (Relatedly, any questions about shoes for exercise? I have a great expert interview scheduled for a future post on shoe shopping for movement!) In the meantime, I hope you have an amazing start to your August.

Let’s keep going.

xo
Anna