I have to admit that after three short weekend trips in the last month, I did not get any formal exercise time. I packed my gym clothes, wore sneakers, and of course, had my trusty Peloton app. Needless to say, between long days at the beach and putting toddlers to bed, there were no work-outs to be had.
I started to feel down about skipping days, especially because I ended up losing the streak with my Peloton (IYKYK), but then I realized that I did burn lots of calories on these quick getaways. Before I traveled with kids, I always made a point to bring gym clothes and did a body weight work-out, snuck into the gym of the hotel, or did a cardio or HIIT training from YouTube. These days, I am lucky if I can go to the bathroom alone when we are on vacation.
So what are some easy ways that can burn calories? Keep reading to find out!
- Go to a playground with your kids. Pushing children on a swing, running after them in circles, and helping them climb around in different structures all burn lots of calories.
- Carry stuff to the beach (even better, walk to the beach!). We were not close enough to walk to the beach from where we stayed but carrying all our stuff from the car while also holding a toddler really had me wishing for a cart!
- Ride bikes. Not only do you burn calories but it is also a fun family activity!
- Walk around. We went to the boardwalk in the beach towns we stayed in and spent several hours walking around. I gave piggy back rides to my 5 year old pretty often, which definitely had me wiped by the time I got home.
- Play sports on the beach. Frisbee, paddle ball, football, volleyball, and anything in the water are great ways to stay active.
- Help your children build sand castles. Between digging and walking back and forth to the ocean to get water, you’ll definitely get some sore muscles at the end of the day!
- Hiking. If the place you are vacationing at permits it, hiking is a fantastic way to combine exercise and family time. You may not even need to go hiking if the town you are in has some good hills! We just spent a weekend in the Poconos and there were some serious hills! Bonus points if you are pushing a stroller (I wasn’t…).
- Clean up the place you are staying at. Make your bed every day, wash the dishes, sweep the floor…now I know maybe that makes it feel like it is not a vacation but if you are staying in a rental, this is a great way to burn some extra calories and make it less painful when the time comes to head home.
- Use stairs. If you are staying in a hotel, avoid the elevator if you are staying anywhere besides the first floor. If you go to a mall or anywhere with stairs versus escalators, always choose the stairs.
- Help load and unload the car. I am guilty of hardly ever doing this but lifting suitcases, going back and forth from the car to the house, and possibly up and down stairs, will have you out of breath in no time!
As summer gets started, lots of us will have vacations and routines will be left behind. I am here to remind you that no matter whether you are finding time to go to the gym or are running after your children for 30 minutes, you will have similar effects! Keep up the good work!
