While it may be difficult for some of us to imagine, warmer days are ahead of us. That means vacation season will be upon us before you know it. While most vacations are centered around sipping cocktails on the beach and lazing around, you can also take a fitness vacation.
Don’t look at this as work, but as a way to get away from the stresses of life and treat yourself to a scenic vacation that just happens to also be good for your health.
Now, oftentimes fitness vacations can be pretty pricey. Guided tours, pampering afterward at a spa… this can all add up very quickly. If you’re on a tight budget, there’s no reason you can’t find a trip that fits your frugal needs. Here are a few fitness vacation options that can get you there:
When you think fitness, what comes to mind – fun or drudgery and effort? Do you imagine dragging yourself to the gym, dreading every work out? Do you make up ways to avoid getting it done? Are you tired of using the same equipment over and over?
Fitness doesn’t have to be an effort. You don’t have to dread the cardio equipment and fear the weights. Boredom is one of the top reasons that those who begin a fitness effort stop. If you’ve just begun your fitness journey, take heart. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are plenty of fun activities that do double duty, getting your heart rate up while being enjoyable. A workout that teaches a new skill can build self confidence, and the reality that you are improving in your new area of study makes you more apt to stick with it.
“Exercise doesn’t have to be boring,” says Shawn M. Arent, director of the Human Performance Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey. “It can be fun and addictive in a good way.”
Although she feels exhausted and sore, Amanda Arlauskas says “I feel accomplished” after a week at the Biggest Loser Resort. Just one year after her Biggest Loser season eight finale, in which she was a finalist, Amanda is still making health and wellness a priority.
We had a chance to speak with Amanda during her time at Fitness Ridge, a place she calls tough, fun and challenging. Hear from her what a week is like at this incredible fitness destination in Ivins, Utah, as well as what life is like after “Loser.”
Kara Richardson Whitely’s book, Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half Myself and Found Happiness, is available on her website, www.fatwomanonthemountain.com. Kara (@fatwmnonthemtn) lives in Summit, N.J., with her husband and daughter.
If you don’t learn to put the past behind you, it may end up on your behind.
My emotional eating began with some big things, such as my parents’ divorce and being sexually assaulted as a young girl (I put on 40 pounds that summer). Then, food became a comfort for all the little things in between a lousy grade, feeling lonely and even when I was feeling down about my increasing weight.
I wrote about this journey up the scale in my book, Fat Woman on the Mountain: How I Lost Half Myself and Found Happiness, not as a barrage of excuses, but to understand where I had been. That way, I would know where I need to go to get healthier.
In fact, one day I decided to chart out my weight, retracing my steps to see how each stage in my life added pounds. It looked like an escalating mountain range – until I decided to get healthy. Read Full Post >
While watching the Emmys this year, I was impressed by how fit and polished the stars looked as they walked the red carpet. Wearing Versace, Carolina Herrera or Donna Karan, walking in front of thousands of cameras, there’s no room for an unfit body to hide. How do they guarantee that every part of their image is smooth and flat, toned and fit and showing to their greatest advantage?
Celebrity trainer Jarett Del Bene, whose clients include Audrina Patridge, The Hills alum Lauren Conrad and Lindsay Lohan, shared many of the secrets that he uses to help whip bodies into shape fast.
Del Bene was quoted in USWeekly as saying, “For the Emmys, some of [celebrities] may have slacked during the summertime because of vacations and due to just having fun. Not everyone can stay consistent…then you do a quick shape up workout plan to get in shape in a matter of three to five weeks.” Read Full Post >
While it may be difficult for some of us to imagine, warmer days are ahead of us. That means vacation season will be upon us before you know it. While most vacations are centered around sipping cocktails on the beach and lazing around, you can also take a fitness vacation.
