My Vacation Workouts

No hotel gym? No problem!

I recently returned from a 10 day vacation at a “magical” place in central Florida. The days were fun. The food was great, and plentiful. In order to maintain some connection to my usual fitness routine, I wanted to do an early morning workout as many days as I could. If our schedule called for an early departure from the hotel, or a late evening, I wasn’t going to drag myself out of bed too early. I thought it would be a good idea for my body and mind if I worked  hard for 30 minutes or so before starting my day.

The big problem was that the “value resort” where we were staying did not have a hotel gym. My family didn’t like the idea of me working out in the close quarters of the hotel room, either, and I can’t blame them. I scouted for a location outside where I could do a bodyweight workout, without feeling as if I was on display. I mean, it’s not as if there are a lot of people circulating at a resort before 7 AM, but I didn’t want an audience. I noticed that the parking lot was large enough so there were empty spaces in the center, away from the surrounding buildings, and there was a large trailer parked there too. The perfect cover, at least on one side! So I found my workout spot for the next few days.

Here is the perfect example of something Tony Horton says all the time: All you need for a good workout is “Your own body, gravity, and Mother Earth” (or in this case, asphalt). For several of those days, I did the FitnessBlender Spartan 500 Workout. One day I did HIIT The Ground Running, and another I even HIIT Like a Girl. (Check out my review of the FitnessBlender website. I use their workouts a lot!) The asphalt was not the perfect surface, because I didn’t want to lie down for abs exercises, and my hands got dirty during plank exercises, but I made it work.

I did use a little bit of technology, because I had my iPhone to watch the workout videos. For the Spartan 500, though, all I needed was a list of five exercises and the ability to count 10 exercise sets (I used wood chips). I could have used a program like the ones from The Hybrid Athlete, or any of the workout infographics out there. So it’s definitely possible to get a good workout when you’re away from home, with no equipment and no indoor space. Truth be told, I liked my previous vacation workouts better. At least these made me feel a little tougher!

What do you do to get a little exercise while traveling or on vacation?