Workout Wednesday: How to Get Motivated to Workout on Vacation

I get asked daily, how I stay or get motivated to workout. It really is more for mental health and feeling great than anything else. If I put in the work, then I don’t feel guilty if I have a glass of wine 5 nights in a row, or trip and fall into a bag of a dozen cookies. Working out really has become part of my personal culture. If I don’t get it done, and done first thing in the day, then I don’t feel good.

This carries itself over to vacation. I always workout on vacation. Here are my tips to make it a priority on vacation and while traveling.

Diet

I don’t know about you, but on vacation, most of the time, lunch is accompanied by cocktails or wine, counting calories goes out the window and I take advantage of my surroundings. In Rome, this meant all the pasta and pizza I could fit into my pie hole. In Mexico, this meant chips and margaritas alllll day. If I workout, even if it is just to go for a walk, then I don’t feel guilty and enjoy myself!

Packing

If you take up important real estate in your suitcase with workout shoes and outfits, {one for each day, ladies!}, you are more likely to make it happen. I am 100% ok bringing 5 cocktail dresses that I might only wear one. But if I bring running shoes and don’t use them, I get mad at myself.

Research

Do your research! Make sure your hotel has a gym, call the concierge to ask about it. Chose a hotel that has one {in my experience, the best ones always do. If they don’t, you probably don’t want to stay there anyway}. Rent an AirBnB that has access to one or ask about running/walking trails close by. I have, more than once, not rented a vacation stay with no gym. OR…one trip, we had an awesome condo in Lake Tahoe. But, no gym. I figured we would be hiking/ running each day. But I did call the local gym in town and ask about day passes. I planned our daily itinerary so in the middle of the vacation, I could carve out a morning that I could make great use of my day gym pass and spend 2 hours there weight lifting. {our condo was also at the top of a very step hill. So, I would ask to hop out of the car and walk up the hill each day after returning from outings.}

Call me crazy, but if you do your research to build yourself up for success, you will be surprised how much working out on vacation can be something that you look forward to as much as sight seeing.

Also, disclaimer: my husband’s and my weekly schedule takes a lot of energy to organize. Thus the many mornings you will see me up between 4-6am to get to the gym. On vacation, for the most part, he doesnt have to be any where for work. Therefore, juggling the kids is easier. If we are on vacation, it is almost like a “free” day to me: no planning with my husband’s work schedule to get my sweat on.

Use your Resources

If your next vacation doesn’t have a gym, look into if there is a stair case you could do intervals up, a close by running path or even paddle boarding. And plan ahead. If there is no gym but an excellent running path, {like us in Mexico} don’t run a bunch the week before so you can take advantage of your resources.

If you AirBnB or VRBO a bunch, ask the person you are booking with. Surely you aren’t the only person to ask about working out and they might have a bunch of options for you that aren’t on the listing, that they don’t mention, but would be more than happy to help you arrange, just by asking.

Saturday:

3 mile outdoor walk in Mexico – My legs needed a break after 4 OrangeTheories this week and a 4 mile run the day before. 

Sunday:

4 mile outdoor run – My in-laws watched the kids and my husband and I ran together. The first time, quite possibly, this year!

Monday:

3 mile outdoor walk in Mexico – we rented a condo on the beach by the Four Seasons, so there was a perfect paved running path, off the side of the road, that I, obviously, took advantage of on our vacation. I used it everyday!

Tuesday:

5 mile outdoor run – my furthest run in a while!

Wednesday:

6am OrangeTheory – back from vacation

Thursday:

Sweat App:

30 minute indoor walk on the treadmill at home

Friday:

OrangeTheory

Saturday:

6am OrangeTheory – had to sweat it out before hitting the train to go to LA for my bestie’s birthday!

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