It is easy to let a vacation or business trip destroy your fitness schedule and eating habits, but why let something as rewarding as a vacation or as exciting as a business trip leave you feeling unhealthy upon return?
With a little research and proper planning, you can create an easy-to-follow plan to keep you fit and healthy no matter where you travel, and you can come home feeling more healthy and energized than when you left.
Nature’s Playground and Man’s Monuments
There is no excuse for not finding places to exercise when every city has a great staircase, stadium or tall buildings where you can master the stairs without a machine. If stairs aren’t your thing, cities have lots of places good for walking, running or even hiking. Ask the hotel concierge if there are parks or trails nearby; or if you have ventured to the mountains, ask for a map of local hiking trails.
It is also a good idea to ask the concierge for a map of the city to find out how many of your destinations are reachable by foot. (Walking will increase your fitness and decrease your taxi fares.)
Prior to departure on your trip, find out if your hotel has a workout facility and a pool, and remember to pack your bathing suit and workout clothes. If they don’t have a facility, they may be affiliated with a local gym where you can get a one-day pass for a small fee.
There are no limits to the exercise you can do while exploring new territory. Make the most of your trip, and get to know the city by foot.
Prepare for Power, No Excuses
If your hotel doesn’t offer fitness accommodations, bring along a jump rope and an exercise tube. They are both lightweight and easy to transport. Jumping rope is one of the best forms of cardiovascular exercise, and you can do it anywhere.
With the exercise tube and a prearranged plan to keep you motivated, you can keep your entire body toned and energized without entering a gym or stepping on a piece of exercise equipment. Numerous magazines and websites offer workout instructions for each body part.
And, of course, body-weight exercises such as push-ups and crunches require no equipment at all. The point is to find a workout routine that suits your needs and follow it. Plan a specific time each day or every other day to do your strengthening and cardiovascular routines (a good plan is to alternate days between the two).
Remember that the 20 to 60 minutes you spend working out each day is for you, and try to stay on schedule.
Have Fun
Be sure to enjoy yourself and make the most of the area to which you have traveled. Remember to bring comfortable shoes so that you can easily get a workout while using your feet as your main mode of transportation.
Whether your trip is for business or vacation, remember that you should have some time for yourself every day. Why not dedicate that time to improving your health and making yourself feel better?
Nutrition Road Tips
• Always drink plenty of water, particularly if you’re flying.
• Conjure up a healthy meal in your mind prior to entering a restaurant, and stick to your plan as closely as possible.
• Try to eat at least three times per day to keep you from feeling famished and overindulging at any one time.
• Pick up portable, healthy snacks at a local market so you won’t be caught hungry in front of the mini-bar.
• Go ahead and splurge on regional dishes or local cuisine, but balance your diet by choosing lower-calorie foods at other meals.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
If You Don’t Use It, Will You Lose It?
If you’ve been sidelined by an injury, or you’re considering taking a break from exercise, you might wonder if you’ll lose your hard-earned strength and endurance. Some loss of fitness is inevitable, but there are ways to help minimize it.
Here’s what happens to your body when you take a break from exercise.
Matters of the Heart
The degree to which cardiovascular fitness declines during a period of de-training depends upon what kind of shape you were in to begin with. Individuals who are extremely fit, such as highly trained athletes, experience a rapid drop in fitness during the first three weeks of detraining, after which the rate of loss tapers off. A significant level of fitness—higher than that of an untrained person—is retained for about 12 weeks. Individuals with low-to-moderate fitness levels show little change in cardiovascular fitness within the first few weeks, but their abilities rapidly decline in the weeks immediately following that period.
Performance Jitters
The ability to perform a given sport or activity, whether it involves swinging a bat in softball or running 10Ks, invariably declines when the sport is abandoned for any length of time. Marathoners experience a noticeable reduction in endurance performance during a maximal aerobic treadmill test after just 15 days of inactivity.
Similarly, swimmers experience a decrement in arm strength within as little as a month layoff from their normal training regimen. Numerous variables come into play when analyzing the ability to perform a particular sport-specific skill, making it difficult to analyze the effects of detraining. Some are like riding a bike—you never forget how—while others, such as the ability to deliver an accurate serve in tennis, involve specific timing and well-trained muscles.
Speaking of Muscles...
With the exception of a genetically blessed few, most of us have to work at building strength through formal or informal strength-training workouts. Again, well-trained athletes have the edge, because the positive effects of training remain evident for weeks, sometimes even months, after training is stopped. Lesser-trained individuals can expect to see their muscle strength and conditioning levels decline at a slightly faster rate, though not at the levels seen in sedentary individuals.
Stem the De-training Tide
Experts agree that the best way to avoid losing much of the health and fitness benefits you’ve worked so hard to achieve is to do something. If you can’t find the motivation to run for a few weeks or longer, try walking instead. Cross-training is popular because it is a viable means of maintaining, or even increasing, one’s fitness level.
Runners can give their knees a break by switching to cycling, swimmers can work their legs on a stair stepper, and aerobics enthusiasts can take their workouts outdoors by hiking through a local park or reserve.
If an injury is keeping you from your favorite activities, take your worries to the pool. Of course, it’s always advisable to check with your physician before resuming exercise after an injury. Regardless of which activity you choose, be sure to progress gradually.
If boredom is the problem, now is the time to try that sport you’ve been considering for so long. In-line skating, tai chi, boot-camp workouts—whatever strikes your fancy. The key is to keep your heart and muscles challenged to minimize the de-training effects that come when you are taking a break from your usual routine.
Here’s what happens to your body when you take a break from exercise.
Matters of the Heart
The degree to which cardiovascular fitness declines during a period of de-training depends upon what kind of shape you were in to begin with. Individuals who are extremely fit, such as highly trained athletes, experience a rapid drop in fitness during the first three weeks of detraining, after which the rate of loss tapers off. A significant level of fitness—higher than that of an untrained person—is retained for about 12 weeks. Individuals with low-to-moderate fitness levels show little change in cardiovascular fitness within the first few weeks, but their abilities rapidly decline in the weeks immediately following that period.
Performance Jitters
The ability to perform a given sport or activity, whether it involves swinging a bat in softball or running 10Ks, invariably declines when the sport is abandoned for any length of time. Marathoners experience a noticeable reduction in endurance performance during a maximal aerobic treadmill test after just 15 days of inactivity.
Similarly, swimmers experience a decrement in arm strength within as little as a month layoff from their normal training regimen. Numerous variables come into play when analyzing the ability to perform a particular sport-specific skill, making it difficult to analyze the effects of detraining. Some are like riding a bike—you never forget how—while others, such as the ability to deliver an accurate serve in tennis, involve specific timing and well-trained muscles.
Speaking of Muscles...
With the exception of a genetically blessed few, most of us have to work at building strength through formal or informal strength-training workouts. Again, well-trained athletes have the edge, because the positive effects of training remain evident for weeks, sometimes even months, after training is stopped. Lesser-trained individuals can expect to see their muscle strength and conditioning levels decline at a slightly faster rate, though not at the levels seen in sedentary individuals.
Stem the De-training Tide
Experts agree that the best way to avoid losing much of the health and fitness benefits you’ve worked so hard to achieve is to do something. If you can’t find the motivation to run for a few weeks or longer, try walking instead. Cross-training is popular because it is a viable means of maintaining, or even increasing, one’s fitness level.
Runners can give their knees a break by switching to cycling, swimmers can work their legs on a stair stepper, and aerobics enthusiasts can take their workouts outdoors by hiking through a local park or reserve.
If an injury is keeping you from your favorite activities, take your worries to the pool. Of course, it’s always advisable to check with your physician before resuming exercise after an injury. Regardless of which activity you choose, be sure to progress gradually.
If boredom is the problem, now is the time to try that sport you’ve been considering for so long. In-line skating, tai chi, boot-camp workouts—whatever strikes your fancy. The key is to keep your heart and muscles challenged to minimize the de-training effects that come when you are taking a break from your usual routine.
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