How to exercise on vacation without it consuming you

We are nearing summer vacations. You're likely planning them or counting down the days 'til you can unplug and recharge.

Exercise on vacation is notorious for being seen at one of two ends of the spectrum: excessive or pointless. But, what if there's a healthy gray area?

What if you can relax by the pool with a margarita, and get 30 minutes of movement?

What if you can sit on a boat with a cold brewski, and hop in the lake for a swim?

Exercise on vacation doesn't need to be inconvenient, overbearing, or strict.

Consider this on your next week vacation:

Most hotels and resorts have a gym.

Choose to workout 3 days out of the 7.

Keep the workouts short and simple.

Sample workout:

Squat, 3 x 12

Shoulder press, 3 x 10

Deadlift, 3 x 8

Row, 3 x 10

Plank, 3 x 45 sec

BOOM. Nailed it.

Notice how all 5 of those exercises are straight off the basic principles of squat, hinge, push, pull, core? It's not a coincidence. It's because it's simple and effective.

Remove the expectation of rate of perceived exertion (RPE), too. We generally work with RPE 7-9, but on vacation, maybe you're working more with RPE 4-7. For my clients, I'm more concerned about the consistency than the intensity on vacation. **This will of course vary client-to-client. I.e., if someone is training for an event.

Other ways to get unstructured movement in:

Go for a walk, explore the area you're staying in. This is an easy to way to increase your steps.

Plan adventure days -- go snorkeling, kayaking, hiking, rent bikes, etc.

Get some laps in swimming from your beach chair to the swim up bar ;). Just kidding... or am I?

Regardless, you can still enjoy your vacation AND prioritize movement without it being overwhelming.