HEALTH

 

Destination: Hotel Nowhere

Lifesaver: The pool. 

The Workout: Warm up with a couple of laps, using a kickboard. Keep your arms straight in front of you and legs kickin’ strong in the back. Switch to sculling. Lie on your back with your arms out to the side. Sweep your arms together, pushing lots of water in front of you.  You’ll propel yourself backwards across the pool. Remember to keep your head and toes out of the water. Next, try some ab curls. Lie back in the pool, keeping your head above water. Keep your arms underwater and sweep ‘em forward to keep you afloat. Crunch your upper body up while drawing your knees and legs toward your belly button. Repeat 10-15 times. 

Destination: The beach

The Lifesaver: The sand! As trainer Missy Beaver tells us, “The sand is great. It adds a stabilizing component, so your stomach has to stay tight.” 

The Workout: Missy recommends a running/walking combo to get the best results. Walk for 1 minute and add a 30-second burst of sprinting. Repeat. Aim for 30 minutes total. Our advice? Avoid the whole sand-in-your-sneaks thing and go barefoot. Add a strength component by doing some major jumps. Stand with your legs wider than your hips. Bend at the knees and reach down to touch the sand. Explode by jumping up and reach up as high as you can. Repeat 10-15 times. Oh, and just because you’ve ditched your shoes doesn’t mean you should abandon your normal exercise gear. Change into that teeny bikini after you’ve gotten your major workout in for the day. 

Destination: Camping in the woods

The Lifesaver: The picnic table. Who knew it could be a makeshift Nautilus (well, sorta)? 

The Workout: Get some cardio by using what Mother Nature gave ya. Find a hill, and use it to increase the difficulty of your sprints. Warm up for five minutes. Jog up the hill, and walk down 5 times. Switch to sprints. Now, mix in all kinds of funky runs: Exaggerated skipping, running with your feet kicking your butt, giant leaps, and jogging with your knees lifted high in the air. Aim for 20 minutes. Cool down by jogging for 5 minutes. Head over to the picnic table for strength training. Stand slightly more than an arm’s length away from the table. Grasp onto the edge, and stiffen your body, so it’s like a plank. Do 10-15 push-ups. Next, sit on the bench with your feet on the ground. Plant your arms on both sides of your hips. Slide your butt off the bench. Use your arms to slowly lower yourself, until your arms form a 90-degree angle. Repeat 10-15 times. 

What's your go-to vacay workout? Let us know below!

by Katie Abbondanza | 2/1/2016