By Ester Marsh
For the Salisbury Post
Q. How do you keep your exercise program up while on vacation?
A. To be honest, I don’t! That does not mean I don’t do anything while on vacation! But my most important goal on vacation is to recharge and reconnect with my family. My job is so physical that it does my body good to give it a rest. Besides working at the YMCA, I also have horses, goats, dogs, birds, a big vegetable garden and let’s not forget my fish!
Needless to say this past week at the beach, I was planning to lie around and read books! We would have breakfast, lunch and dinner together as a family and just spend time together. This is what we did:
We went for an early morning run three times that week. We swam, jumped and played in the ocean and swam in the pool. We went for afternoon walks on the beach and read, read, read. Ahhhh! I recharged and reconnected, not just with my family but also with myself.I continued to be aware of what we all ate (I had ice-cream every day on vacation!) We cooked most days at the condominium. We even brought homegrown vegetables which were part of our menus. Yum!
We spent lots of time outside by the ocean and pool ó with SPF 30 on our bodies!
I am ready to teach my Zumba class this afternoon and jump back into work! And I do thank God everyday for my job which I love so dearly.
If you are going on vacation and don’t want to get out of your workout routine, I would recommend taking resistance band or bands. You can buy them locally and they are easy to take with you. For cardio you can do your walks or runs on the beach or boardwalks or if you go to the mountains you have wonderful trails to pick from. Try to go every day for at least 30 minutes. Twice or three times that week you can do the following workout with the resistance bands:
– Stand on band with both feet hold handles and squat. The higher the handle the higher the resistance (for legs).
– Hook your band around a post or pole, stand with feet shoulder width apart, knees slightly bent, back straight, handles one in each hand facing the post and pull both hands towards your hips bending your arms. You can also go higher and bring your hands towards your shoulder level with elbows out (for lower and upper back).
– Now face away from post or pole. Push both hands forward like you are doing a press (for chest).
– Stand with one foot on band and press hands in the air in a shoulder press (for shoulders).
– Stand with both feet on band and curl arms up one at a time (for biceps).
– Stand with one foot on band, almost in a high lunge position with the band under your front foot. Bend elbows next to your side ó extend your arms to the back (for triceps).
– Crunches (for abs).
– Obliques (for sides).
– Stretch!
Work this week on strength endurance. You can time yourself and do each exercise one minute or count to 25 or 30 repetitions, one to two sets. To work on strength you need a weight or band that only allows you to do 8-10 reps at a time.
Or do what I did: swim, play, run, jump and catch up on reading AND relax. After all, it is your vacation.
Ester Marsh is associate executive director of the J.F. Hurley Family YMCA. Contact her with health and fitness questions at 704-636-0111 or emarsh@rowanymca.com.