So you’re tired of sitting at your desk all day, staring at a computer. Fair enough. Sounds like it’s time for a little R&R. But, do you really want to take a vacation, only to find your body just as static—staring at a TV screen or lounging on a beach all day? You can take a break from work without it turning into a snooze fest, and without letting your fitness routine suffer. These five vacations with a twist will let you escape the doldrums of home, while also keeping your body invigorated.
Bicycling Vacations
If you’re going to shell out the dough to travel halfway around the world, you want to actually see things, right? Well, you can see a lot more of the Tuscan coast or California wine country if you’re zooming along by bike, and not trying to hoof it everywhere. Sure, you can rent a bike in any city you go to, so why pay more to book an organized tour? Well, many of them are all-inclusive, and pretty reasonably priced. You get to bike tour through beautiful landscapes, without having to worry about lugging your gear or where you’re going to get your next meal. It’s all taken care of, so you can just ride along and experience the surroundings.
Recommended tours:
• VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations
• Carolina Tailwinds Tours
Yoga Retreats
Maybe you’re not so worried about keeping a cardio routine going every morning—what you really need is a way to restore your mind and a sense of well-being. Yoga retreats can be one of the most truly relaxing ways to vacation; the let you focus on your body’s needs and actually figure out what’s making you tense. These retreats, which are often in truly breathtaking locales, combine different types of yoga, meditation, healthy meals, massage, nature hikes, and spiritual counseling. They can be surprisingly cost-effective too, since you’re staying in one place, and you won’t have the temptation to spend money on touristy souvenirs or expensive dinners.
Recommended Retreats:
• 7 Centers
• Sewall House Yoga Retreat
• Paradise Found Yoga
Total-Body Tourism
The new year’s coming up, and it’s a great time to decide to transform your health and fitness routine. One of the best ways to really jump start your resolution can be to go on a total-body vacation. These trips combine the best parts of a regular vacation, like beautiful locations, gourmet meals, and spa amenities, with intense daily workouts. And, these aren’t just your usual YMCA fitness classes. Many programs include surfing, kayaking, and snorkeling, along with more structured cardio and strength training sessions. Some fitness resorts even have packages tailored specifically to couples on a romantic getaway, and to families looking to shape up together.
Recommended Resorts:
• Sonki Fitness
• Live in Fitness
Mountain Climbing Mayhem
Especially if you’re bringing kids or a less-enthusiastic partner along, you want to pick a fitness vacation that has perhaps a little more wow-factor. Learning how to rock climb is both a great total-body workout, and it’s something adventurous that appeals to the 12-year-old boy in all of us. These might be good for you if you’re looking to work out, but want to try something you’ve never done before. Some excellent resorts have indoor climbing walls so you can get your bearings, as well as nearby natural rock formations you can attempt to conquer.
Recommended Tours:
• Devil’s Tower Lodge B&B
• Passages to Adventure
A Backpacking Break
Who hasn’t dreamed of hiking through spectacular natural wilderness and sleeping under the stars? Sure it sounds great, but when it comes to actually planning the trip, hauling the gear, and setting out into the woods on their own, most people would rather car camp. This is why an organized hiking vacation can be a great way to get some exercise, and to do something most people only daydream about. These wilderness hikes come with trained guides, pre-arranged meals, and if you’re lucky, a packhorse to carry all the weight for you.
Recommended Hikes:
• Discovery Treks
• Canadian Rockies Hiking
Joy Paley is a guest blogger for An Apple a Day and a writer on online nursing classes for the Guide to Health Education.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
While this is good for some fresh air, if you want to lose weight, excersise like cycling will simply make you efficient at burning fat, which will not make fat loss easier.
Well, this are nice tips on how to relax your mind and body. It is also one way to relieve stress from a long week of work. And at the same time it is a good excercise that will make our body healthy and strong.
The problem lies were they have done this over a long period of time. Stress and the lack of exercise can definitely make you ill. Although hiking and cycling are a great way of exercise. People have many different ways to do it. The most important thing is doing it. Keeping your mind and body fit is a key factor.
Being an outdoors person all of the above are great ideas for a fit vacation. Being from New England backpacking and mountain climbing are my favorites. If you are into backpacking or mountain climbing nothing beats NH in the fall. The colors of the leaves changing will blow your mind from a mountain top. But when climbing anywhere remember to plan your trip and leave a copy with the rangers.
Remember to warm up even on vacation. People forget they are still doing strenuous exercise because they are on vacation. They don’t treat it like a workout and end up injuring themselves. Take care of yourself and warm up and stretch out before and after, even on vacation.