Pinnacle Fitness

Maintaining a regular workout schedule during the summer months can be difficult — especially when most of us are looking to escape the summer heat! Don’t let summer vacations or brutal outdoor temperatures prevent you from continuing to look and feel your best. Here are a few tips that Pinnacle Fitness swears by….

Tips to help you maintain your workout while traveling this summer…

For most of us, the term “vacation” means a break from all things work — including our workout routine. The challenge with this mindset; however, is that taking a few days off can sometimes break a cycle of success — especially for individuals working towards a weight loss or muscle toning goal. At the same time, hitting the gym with the full force of a normal workout schedule can sometimes be difficult when traveling and doesn’t always fit into travel plans.

The true best practice approach to vacation fitness is simple: do enough to “maintain” your current weight and physical fitness. In other words, find a way to strike balance between relaxing, staying active and, most importantly, making good decisions about food and alcohol consumption while enjoying time out of town. After all, nothing’s worse than enjoying a long week of drinking, eating and relaxing only to return and realize that you’ve set yourself back weeks in your physical fitness/workout plan.

When traveling, I always encourage my clients to find fun, enjoyable ways to incorporate physicial activity into daily activites. Low impact activities like walking to and from dinner, strolling down the beach, renting bikes or hiking an outdoor trail will help offset calories from calorie high meals while away from home. And, outdoor activities will be a great way to experience a different perspective when visiting a city.

If you’re staying in a hotel with a gym or pool, take advantage of these amenities and incorporate an on-site workout to your daily plan. Or, bring a workout DVD that is fun and enjoyable and sneak in a workout before a day of fun. Trust me, it will be worth it! Some of my clients enjoy bringing water weights (they pack well and then you fill with water in your hotel room) or stretch bands when traveling to make an in-room workout more impactful. Regardless of what options you choose, any workout activity will be beneficial.

Finally, pace yourself with meals and alcohol consumption. Meals play a huge role in our vacation schedule and, most of the time, take place at restaurants. This means that there will be an increased amount of fats, sugars and more substantial portions, which equals one thing — increased caloric intake. Try your best to bring healthy snacks and balance delicious dinners out with lower calorie choices. The same is true for alcohol consumption. Try and limit your drinks and avoid sugary beverages (those fruity drinks served poolside can average 250 calories or more).

If you’re a currently a Pinnacle Fitness club member and are planning on traveling this summer, we would be happy to help you build a vacation workout plan that is fun, quick and will help you keep on track while enjoying time out of town.

Good luck and happy vacationing!

- Luke Sullivan, Owner of Pinnacle Fitness