I just returned from Florida for a relaxing 10 days of vacation with family.  I got some much needed rest, sunshine, food, and ‘entertainment’, but I also got in some great workouts!  I’ve always found that during a vacation is a perfect time to step up my fitness routine.

However, it’s common for many people to fall off track with their health and fitness goals while on vacation.  Their regular routine is disrupted, the exercise facilities are less than adequate, and there is probably an abundance of food and alcohol available.  It’s no wonder a lot of people tend to gain a little body fat on their holiday travels.

But by following some basic exercise and nutrition tips, and by looking at your vacation ‘free time’ from a different perspective, you can come back from your trip in better shape than when you left.

One thing to consider while you are away is that you will typically have the opportunity to get more rest and hopefully better quality sleep.  If you can take advantage of the fact your regular work schedule is no longer forcing you to rise early or work late, and allow yourself to get a few good nights with 7 to 9 hours of sleep, this can help you reduce body fat.  Growth hormone (GH) levels are highest during sleep, and GH improves body fat metabolism.  More restful sleep also helps to reduce stress and lower cortisol production, which also helps to keep the ‘belly fat’ under control.

You might consider the fact that your regular schedule has been interrupted as an obstacle to staying fit.  However, I see this as an opportunity to establish a new exercise routine due to the flexibility my vacation schedule usually allows.  As long as I plan my workouts ahead of time, it’s often easier to stay active on vacation than it is during a regular ‘work’ schedule.

When it comes to nutrition, it’s to be expected that you will be enjoying food a little more often and in “higher volume” than what is typical.  There are a few things you can do that can help dissuade these extra calories from being stored as fat, such as:

  • Control your insulin and blood sugar levels (and thereby reduce fat storage), by including some form of fiber (such as vegetables) and protein in every meal.
  • Start your day with a high protein, light breakfast.
  • Drink plenty of green tea.
  • Exercise within an hour before consuming a heavy or high carbohydrate meal.  This will encourage the shuttling of carbs into storage as muscle glycogen rather than fat cells.  Also, performing just a few minutes of light exercise (such as body weight squats, or wall pushups) an hour following this heavy meal will help reduce fat storage.
  • Enjoy a strong tea or coffee with your bigger meals to speed up gastric emptying.  This helps to move the food through your digestive system more quickly so that not as much of it will be absorbed.
  • Start most days with 10 to 15 minutes of Interval Training cardio.  Perform 1 minute of easy, low intensity cardio followed by 30 seconds of fast, higher intensity cardio, and alternate between both for the allotted time.  Any form of cardio will do.
  • No gym? No problem!  Use body weight exercises to get in a great workout without needing any fancy equipment.  Check out the video below for some ideas:
Some of the body weight training accessories I use regularly and take with me when I travel include:

But all you really need for a great workout is a set of suspension straps or a resistance band… and you don’t even need that if you can perform chin ups (and have access to an overhead bar).  A basic sample workout you could use while traveling might look something like this:

Day One:

Jump Squats, 4 SuperSets of Max Reps with Chin Ups / Pull Ups

Supine Hamstring Curls (straps), 4 SuperSets of 10 Reps with Pushups Variation

Hanging leg raises (as many sets as it takes to complete 40 reps)

Day Two:

Strap Assisted Pistol Squats, 4 SuperSets of 10 Reps with Inverted Rows

Reverse Lunges, 4 SuperSets of  10 Reps with Dips

Core Jacknifes with feet in straps (as many sets as it takes to hit 40 reps)

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There are many different exercise variations and combinations you can use when you are using body weight only training.  I will be making more body weight training resources  available for you soon.

If you have any comments, opinions, or vacation fitness (or ‘fatness’) stories you’d like to share, it’s always great to hear from you… leave your comments below!

Until next time, stay fit.

Josh

For a complete challenging bodyweight only training program, check out IMMORTAL STRENGTH TRAINING.