More Than Mary Tumblr, YOU CAN GET A SOLID WORKOUT ON A FAMILY VACATION! ...

YOU CAN GET A SOLID WORKOUT ON A FAMILY VACATION! AND I HAVE THE NUMBERS TO PROVE IT!

Last week I was on vacation with family and let me tell you, it’s the most exhausting thing I think I’ve ever done. I need a vacation after being on vacation! With the kids up at the crack of dawn, everyone wanting to go in different directions, plus the environmental elements - 98 degree blistering heat and ocean salt water - I was hardly able to move by 3pm.

BUT! I felt better the days I was able to exercise in the morning or late afternoon. Considering the exhaustion, I’m not sure why, my legs were dying after countless hours at the beach….but I really did appreciate getting my heart rate up and clearing my head.

Because we had kids with us, I knew I would be active anyway, but additionally I had a plan and a goal. The week before we left, I worked out hard Monday through Friday without taking a day off (which is usually Thursday). Because my body was worn out by the weekend, I was happy to give myself a much needed 2 day break when we began the trip. I brought my heart rate monitor and decided I would do whatever workout felt right and would strive to burn at least 400 calories. Here’s how my workouts went:

Monday: Pure Barre class and 1 mile run (approx 580 calories)
Tuesday: 1 mile run, lifting chest and back, 1 mile run (approx 500 calories)
Wednesday: Nothing
Thursday: 30 minutes on the treadmill, yoga (approx 600 calories)
Friday: Nothing
Saturday: 1 mile run, shoulders and abs, 1 mile run (approx 650 calories)

For all 4 workouts I actually exceeded my calorie burn. Even though the Pure Barre class was easy and totally boring, it still helped me reach my goal. The outdoor runs in the heat were really challenging and it helped me mentally to know they weren’t very long. The treadmill workout was a killer because I decided to do running uphill intervals.

So in 30 minutes I stayed in zones 4 and 5 (aerobic) with my heart rate and burned 422 calories, which is pretty amazing for me. On Saturday, when I took the headline photo at the top, you can see I burned 687 calories in about an hour and a half.

NOW I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING: Of course I found time to workout because I always do. Normal people don’t do that on vacation. I have to tell you, that’s just not true. In the mornings, mommies and daddies were pounding the pavement on rigorous runs and packing themselves into the gym to get in their workout before the day began.

Trust me, I know it’s hard to get going, I had to force myself to exercise, and I never regretted it! If you you need some inspiration, browse my archives for exercises and tips and click here for my vacation workouts. You have options, you just have to want to take them.

July 2, 2012

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