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Prepare for vacation with workouts
Nancy Conway
The ads are everywhere -- lose weight, work out, do what it
takes to look good in a swimsuit for your summer vacation. This might
be a good plan if you expect to languish on the beach or hang out at
the tiki bar for two weeks.
But most of us expect to pack our precious vacation time with
touring, hiking, biking and on-the-go activities. That means
tailoring fitness workouts to be in top shape for a fun and healthy
adventure.
Whether you are touring the historic sites of Washington,
D.C. or Savannah, Ga., the nature that surrounds Anchorage, Alaska or
the Grand Canyon, the requirements are the same. It is best to do by
foot power -- many hours of foot power.
In Savannah, the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Tour
(based on locations in the 1994 best-selling novel written by John
Berendt) takes two hours and the Historic Tour can take all day.
Touring the historic homes in Washington's Dupont Circle area will
take four or five hours. Travel guides recommend taking two and half
days to tour the sites of Charleston, S.C. You won't get the flavor
of Anchorage or appreciate this beautiful city without strolling the
miles of coastal trails, doing some nearby mountain hiking and
exploring by bike on miles of bike paths.
Even organized tours can require a lot of walking, and summer
heat plus humidity will add to the endurance requirements. Bike tours
are becoming more popular, but that mode of transportation requires
just as much fitness conditioning as walking. So unless you are
resigned to seeing the sites via Lolley the Trolley, start planning
to get in shape now.
To get a better understanding of your fitness demands, do the
following: Once you choose your vacation, go over your itinerary and
figure out about how much walking, standing and bike riding you will
be doing each day. It usually takes about two hours to tour a museum
or historic home, which translates into two hours of walking and
standing on your feet. Come up with an average number of hours (or
miles) you expect to walk or ride each day. You may be surprised at
how active your jaunt will be. But it will be a breeze if you prepare
beforehand with the right workout program.
First, start by extending your regular stints on the
treadmill, stationary bike, walking or biking. The more time spent on
these activities the more you will increase your overall endurance.
Recently a man planning a cross-country bike ride was able to prepare
for the trip by riding a stationary bike 30 minutes a day for ten
weeks.
If you don't walk or bike on a regular basis, you need to
start a daily program as soon as possible. There is nothing worse
than suffering with a backache, sore feet and legs on your first day.
Many who think they get enough exercise in their normal daily routine
are often surprised at how much stamina they need. Not being prepared
for the rigors of vacation can turn the time of your life into a
nightmare.
But there is much more to consider. According to Certified
Fitness Trainer Maia Appleby, core strengthening (abs/back work as a
muscle group) and lower body exercises are crucial. She adds that
flexibility training is essential to improving posture.
"When people do a lot of standing and vacation walking, they
are demanding a lot from their backs and legs. These two things are
totally related. When your back hurts, you start walking funny and
then your legs, knees or hips start aching - and vice versa, so if
one is neglected, it affects the other.
"People with good posture fare much better with a lot of
standing and walking," says Appleby. "Back and hamstring stretches
are the most effective, but a good all-over stretching program does
wonders for the posture ¡ and people who stand straight and tall
look better in swimsuits, too!"
To get a clearer picture, check Appleby's article on walking
at www.inch-aweigh.com/walking.html.
Encourage others you are vacationing with to prepare as well.
If you are traveling with kids, start taking neighborhood walks or
hike in nearby parks. Children seem like endless bundles of energy,
but hot weather and touring can wear them out, too.
Another crucial bit of planning is to choose your clothes and
shoes wisely. You don't have to wear gym shoes to tour a Southern
mansion, but a good pair of walking shoes is important. For hot
weather walking, you may want to wear sandals, but make sure they are
built for comfort. As a rule, it is best to have as much rubber
between your feet and the pavement as possible. Even though the
fitness gurus don't advise wearing street shoes for workouts, it may
be a good idea to tread wearing the shoes you plan to take on
vacation, just to make sure they stay comfortable after a couple of
miles.
The same goes for clothing. Wear loose fitting clothes of
natural fibers. Worry more about comfort and less about wrinkles.
Don't despair and don't fall back on the tiki bar plan. Then
you can get yourself in shape, do all the activities you planned and
look back on the experience with fond memories. Have a great trip!
Nancy Conway is a writer for Ideal Fitness Inc., a family of health,
recreatiion, sports and wellness websites: shapeupshop.com, inch-
aweigh.com, mightyvitamins.com and medball.com
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