When vacationing, it’s tempting to leave all of your worries, and exercises, behind until you return home. If you do that, however, you might find your progress taking a sudden backslide. Fortunately, you can integrate cardio routines into your vacation days without taking away from the fun. In fact, many cardio activities really add to the excitement found in your vacation destination. Upon returning home, you’ll enjoy maintained progress in your intensity and speed. Here are three ways to work cardio exercises into your vacation days.
Run to Destinations
If you obtain a hotel in the city center, most of the attractions might be located within a few miles. You can pick one destination a day that you can travel to on foot. Although it might take a little longer to get there, you’ll be able to soak in all of the sights up close. You can take time to stop and take photographs or just gaze upon the wonders before you.
If you’re not worried about getting a little sweaty, you can even jog or run to that location. While jogging or running, you’ll raise your heart rate into the target area and keep it there for the duration of your run. For a bit more motivation, you can use jogging or running apps that help you keep up your pace or record your run for future review.
Go Dancing
If you prefer to travel to local attractions by car, consider spending your evenings dancing it up to get your cardio in. You can take dance lessons or just hit the local nightclubs during your vacation stay. Dancing burns between 300 to 600 calories per hour, depending on your body type.
You should try out different dance steps throughout the night to work different muscle groups in your body. Hip-hop dancing integrates your core and arms into the routine, while rumba steps work out your legs from hips to toes. If you plan on dancing the night away, think about stretching before and after to reduce soreness in the morning.
Plan Swimming Breaks
Your vacation might be filled with hours lounging near the pool or beach, so take the time to jump into the water frequently. You can swim laps or simply tread water to get your heart rate up into the target range.
Keep your intensity up to get the most out of this workout type. Swimming for just an hour burns more than 500 calories, depending on your intensity and range. Try out the front crawl, breaststroke and butterfly stroke to work out your arms while you swim around. The cool water will keep you from sweating like crazy while you exercise. You’ll likely stay in the water much longer due to its refreshing nature.
Join in the Fun
You can usually convince friends and family members to perform the above cardio exercises with you to make the routines even more fun. Having other people to work out with usually makes it easier to stick to the plan during vacation.
