Do You Work Out on Vacation?

Yes to being active on vacation! Most often I’m at my mom’s or my sister’s, and they both live near the ocean / forest, so it’s lots of walks / hikes, tons of thrifting (walking), and paddleboarding in the warm seasons. Running when my body is strong enough (both serious illness and a car accident in the past 18 months, but getting stronger every day). It’s also too icy in winter to run outside where I live so it’s indoor Pilates classes. I also do YouTube dumbbell workouts /Pilates at home to get strong. I may treat myself to the Lulu running belt when I start back on the 10k’s this spring!! And travel somewhere to do it, I love that idea!

I do love my Aligns and Athletas. Vacation workouts = long walking, hiking, biking, swimming, some yoga and catching up on sex. :)

I travel in a workout outfit, including sports bra and running shoes. That way if I get sweaty on a plane/train/bus, I’m not dirtying any of my proper outfit options, I’m comfy and sweat-wicking, and I don’t have to remember to pack workout clothes. This makes it really easy to do some basic exercising anywhere I go! I also have unabashedly done wall sits in a train station before or warrior flow in the back aisle on a long flight.

I got into regular walks a couple months ago, and now I get cranky if I don’t get one in…and with it getting dark at 4:30, sometime it’s a struggle to get a walk in before dark. I love exploring new neighborhoods, and especially enjoy the magic of twilight time. I bought a pair of Hokas last year as many of my educator colleagues swear by them, and they are awesome for walking!

I workout 5x a week. When I’m on vacation the only workout I do is walking. Other than that, my goal is to relax, check out new places, and EAT!!!

I walk a ton on vacation if I am in a city, I also try to swim wherever I can too if there are indoor pools in the Winter.

I try to do it, but also don’t stress over it. I know that I will be back to routine once in Chicago. Heading to Mexico this weekend, to one of the beach AI with 5 y old. I suspect a lot of pool and play time, but plan to sneak out 2-3 times over the week to get a 30 min workout in or a stretch in. This will at the min. give me space away from the family and some personal space.

As an introvert, exercising is both a way to gather myself in solitude (i.e. long run with headphones in) or be easily included in a community with similar interests. Both are necessary, especially on vacation! I started Crossfit last year and I LOVE visiting Crossfit gyms wherever I travel. The communities are always so friendly and inclusive (not what I expected given the bro-y reputation of the sport). Not only do I get to lift heavy stuff and thus set major endorphins flowing (eradicating jet lag, if flying is involved, btw), but I also end up with the best neighborhood recommendations for where to eat and what to see and do.

If I don’t get exercise, I don’t get (very good) sleep, so exercise is critical to a good vacation. Also, anyone out there have an ultra-running partner?! We laugh because on extended family trips, my husband used to say, “I can do anything with anybody as long as I get in a good (1.5 hour) bike ride first.” Now I’m like, “Yeah, he’ll do anything with anybody as long as he’s run 25 miles.” Lol, sigh.

It depends on the type of vacation! We like to schedule lots of activities where we’ll be moving around, especially hiking or exploring on foot, when we travel, so if that’s the case then I’ll skip the gym. But if we’re going for a low-key trip somewhere I’m not trying to get out and about every day, I’ll usually bring a yoga mat and some simple equipment for a quick workout video, just to feel like I’m keeping up with my normal routine. I also like to visit exercise studios in other cities, occasionally. We traveled once for my husband to run a 10k, and while he was getting registered and lined up in the morning, I went to a spin class and then met him at the finish line. We spent my birthday on vacation one year and I like to get a workout in first thing on my birthday, so I found a yoga studio near our hotel and went before meeting up with family for breakfast. For the most part though, if we’re visiting family over holidays, I take it easy. My parents are slowing down aside from maybe an evening walk, so I take advantage of the slower pace to give myself some rest days—I just hit my workouts a bit harder before we leave and after we come back. :)

I’m a lazy vacationer, but my avid-athlete husband has convinced me that a bit of *activity* (not necessarily ‘exercise’) really makes a vacation better. Getting my heart rate up with a morning of XC skiing, a swim around the lake, or a long walk after dinner makes it so much more satisfying when I do flop onto the couch with a book. A massage is great, but a massage after a pilates class is REALLY great – so I try to work in some movement when I can

Running in new places is part of the vacation to me. I started long distance running after my first daughter was born, and have since trained for marathons everywhere from Venice to Vienna to Cork to Tokyo. Running tourism…is that a thing?!

You know, I’ve never figured this out. I run every other day at home, and it’s such a routine that I REALLY try to keep it on vacation. But I always feel like it interferes with the rest of my family; like they’re having to plan around me. It’s getting easier as they get older (I try to go during the veg-in-front-of-the-tv times), and I’m trying to relax about feeling like I *have* to go. But I still always stress about it, regardless.

Any other social dancers out there? I’m an avid Latin social dancer, and can vouch for its cardio, strength and flexibility benefits (thank you energy longline bra for keeping every in place throughout mambos!). It’s also such an amazing way to meet new people you wouldn’t otherwise meet. Whenever I travel, I always look up a SBK (salsa/bachata/kizomba) social in town, and have lately been checking out the West Coast Swing scene, too — it’s a great way to get a non-touristy perspective of wherever you are, and a fantastic way to meet new friends. Learning to dance is like learning a universal language — it opens so many doors for you (not to mention the health benefits)!

I sure don’t! For me, the holidays are both so hectic and about treating myself. I’m one of those people who only exercises because I have to, not because it’s fun, so I give myself grace from Thanksgiving-New Year’s to spend the free time I have on my hobbies (mainly reading and crafting). After New Year’s, I go back to a basic workout routine (3-5 mile runs 4-5X a week).

No to the gym on vacation but yes to walking! Even if it’s a beach trip, I like to walk a few miles on the beach.

My family usually gets a guest pass to the YMCA near my in-laws house, goes for winter hikes in Wisconsin, and uses the Peloton app short spurt bodyweight workouts. I’m a find legging secondhand kinda gal.

This reminds me of the old saying (no idea from where, but I know it’s been around a while): There’s no bad weather…just bad clothing. Dress for the weather or climate, and you can get out there in it!

I was a diver throughout public school and a swimmer to this day. Best pain free stretching and if I don’t get a hour in, I’m cranky.

I am a bit of a hybrid and it all really depends on the holiday. During our Christmas holidays, I do try to get out for a 2 mile walk or run every day. This is to try and counteract some of the booze and food I am consuming over the 2 week period. I also get cabin fever if stuck inside for too long. I am lucky where I live and there is a beach right in my city which is always fun to walk along no matter the weather and I am really close to forests and hills so I am spoilt for choice. If I am away on holiday (i.e. a vacation somewhere), it very much depends. My workout gear is packed every time but I don’t always use it, it just depends. If its a city break, I find I don’t need to workout because we walk everywhere and probably average about 25K steps a day. If its a beachy holiday and there is a gym in the hotel I will attempt to use it once or twice but if I’m honest I will spend most of the time at the pool reading my book with a cocktail in hand!!

Love this but do wish there was someone featured in a cold climate! None of these pictures look like they were taken in December. Holidays up north involve snow or slush on the ground and 10-20 degrees. This post makes me dream of warm weather, but gotta make do with what I have here!

I see so much ascertainment bias here- exercisers answer this post- as for me- I love athleta for their fit but also for their inclusive advertising which resonates with me. On vaca I walk a lot but never waste time in a gym- trips are for experiences. Many places I go don’t even have them- And I am Okay with the change in routine for a short bit.

Ok here’s my question on this theme — has anybody found leggings that are not restrictive (in the waist, especially)? I hate feeling compressed and it seems like so much recent legging material is designed to do that! And it’s so uncomfortable! Gah!

I hate the concept of “exercise / working out” (literally invented to sell us crap), but love movement, sport, and play. It all happens on vacation, yes!

Yes! If I go a few days without exercise, my mental health takes a nosedive and I don’t sleep well. I’m happy when my hotel has a gym. I also have Classpass, which is incredible for travel! I love to try new yoga studios everywhere I go. Not to mention, as somebody else wrote, that I always find myself clocking 20k steps/day on trips just from the joy of seeing everything by foot! My dad wanted to go on an Alaska Cruise a few yeas ago and cruises aren’t really my thing, plus I was worried about feeling trapped and really twitchy on the boat. Getting in a good workout every single morning at the cruise ship gym was what kept me sane! Feels like “me” time.

Yes! I always run wherever I am in the world, whatever the weather. It’s the best way to really see a place. I also love to walk to explore and just look around

Daily movement is a non-negotiable for me and my mental health on vacation or otherwise. I need it more than ever during the dark, cold, Q4, holiday months. I find I am so much less anxious or depressed and more grounded and happier this way. Also my body just feels better and more alive. and it helps regulate my sleep. I don’t necessarily need to go to a gym or do a traditional workout, but must do some combo of a walk, yoga, stretch and the like with a few push ups and planks thrown in for good measure. I absolutely love exploring new cities by foot, hiking anywhere, and using walks /bike rides/ roller blading /ice skating etc to catch up with friends and family.

Yes! Working out on vacation is a must for me/helps me to stay grounded–I’m a “The Class by Taryn Toomey” digital studio loyalist–I’ve practiced for the last 277 weeks in a row (the app tells me,I started during Covid and didn’t stop.) I love that I can access workouts (needing very limited/no equipment) from anywhere. I also love running (but I generally travel carry on only and fitting a pair of running shoes in the suitcase doesn’t always work out.) Yoga is great too (I’m a part time yoga teacher) I love trying out a new studio in a different city and often there are new student discounts. And yes, always walks!

My husband and I have vacationed a few times at a beach resort in Costa Rica. Because I’m a weirdo who loves my routine, I keep it up, even there. We do long long walks on the beach every morning, and i go for runs too. Then retire to our spot in the lounge chairs on the beach. Because I’m twitchy, I have to pop up every so often to go chase down a tray of bananas to feed the giant iguanas, or get yet another tropical drink, or change hats or grab my chapstick or book, and every time I run the stairs to our 3rd floor room, I do it 2 or 3 times, then pop in and do 50 push ups and a few pt exercises. Somehow doing my daily 300 push ups WHILE IN COSTA RICA AT THE BEACH makes me happy. I get anxious if I don’t move my body, even on vacation, maybe especially on vacation, and this solves it for me. When we visit our family in Utah, I take all the dogs for mountain hikes while everyone else watches football. And come back and do push ups lol. And I love to go for runs there too.

Jo, a lot of your sponsored posts don’t resonate with me, but I am a lululemon girl through and through! I do a daily yoga routine, and go to a power yoga in person class on Saturday mornings. I am always in lululemon gear. I’ve tried many other brands and none compare. I love their “like new” option as well, and have bought many of my things second hand.I have so much of their stuff, but still found some new styles for my holiday wish list.

It’s so nice to see/ hear from Christine! :)

yes!! i never used to–but now i want to feel as good as possible on vacation, and exercise is part of that. so i pack my running shoes!

I am currently in my “healing my disordered eating/exercising” phase, so I’ve stopped thinking of it as “working out” and now I just incorporate activity into my everyday life. So, yeah, I’ll go for a walk if I’m feeling stir-crazy in the house between Christmas and New Years, and I do love to explore new places on foot (or bicycle) because you get to see so much more that way. But I’m really trying to move away from thinking about this type of activity as “work outs” and instead re-framing it as just… living, I guess.

One unexpected benefit is that I am always hungriest after a workout. So on a day like Thanksgiving, I love to get a workout in the morning and then I get to eat and enjoy even more food!! (To be clear I don’t mean I “allow” myself more food, I mean I think my stomach literally grows larger and I can fit more in there and in thanksgiving I want all the stomach room I can get lolol).

We always go to Michigan for Christmas, to see my parents. They happen to have a gorgeous wellness facility in their tiny town (!) that’s linked to a nearby hospital/rehab center. It’s quiet, clean & $50 for a week pass to classes, and all gym equipment & pool for my husband to lap swim. We go immediately upon arrival and workout most days during the holidays. Keeps the good hormones pumping!! Plus, LONG snow walks are my favorite.

I never did until last Summer when we were in London and my kids woke up at 5 or 6am due to jetlag and there was a heatwave where it’d be too hot to be outdoors after 11am. Dying to get out of the house, I went out for a run around 7 or 8am as some stores were gradually opening. What a joy and good way to explore the neighborhood! Now I look for every opportunity to do that in new cities!

Absolutely not!

Since getting into rock climbing in the last 2-ish years, I’ve started doing adding a little climbing gym tourism on trips! It’s fun to see how other places set routes, and climbers are a welcoming bunch, so there’s always been someone to chat with (read: nice boys flirting ;)

This reminds me off a wonderful meme: https://reductress.com/post/woman-brings-running-shoes-on-vacation-in-case-she-has-time-to-become-a-completely-different-person/

For the last year and a half, I’ve done a heated (90-95 degrees) vinyasa class 4-5 x per week, so was excited to find a hot yoga studio near my hotel on a recent work trip. Idk if this is true for all of New Mexico, but this place did not mess around with the heat! The room was heated to 105-110, and was not Bikram, but a full on vinyasa class! I went once.

My husband and I are certainly the type who believe that the best way to see most cities is by walking…. we walked the equivalent of two marathons when we were in Paris and London this past autumn! I’m really glad that we are so aligned in this way, it makes traveling more rewarding and means we are less likely to fight about ‘how to get around.’ Our feet always are sore by the end of the day, but it is worth it. But aside from that, I don’t do other types of workouts on more relaxing less siteseeing holidays, unless I am at my parents and its winter- then I’ll go cross country skiing in the fields behind the house – I do love the calm of skiing by myself and looking up into the wide sky with trees dotted with snow, that is very special.

I purchased the Everyday Belt Bag in 2021. I wear daily for a dog walk. $38 /1460 wears = .026 cents per wear. Now I feel justified to buy a fun new pair of Lulu joggers!

Yes! I teach Pilates, so when we’re out of town, I always try a local studio. You get to know the community, the “regulars,” that city’s style of Pilates, all while staying consistent in your practice, moving your body. I’m always learning something new!

I walk a ton on vacation. It is my favorite thing—walking around new cities where I don’t speak the language fluently and have to figure things out! Not in lululemon, though, because they consider a size 12-14 to be XL and make a small percentage of their clothing in anything above a 12 and rarely sell it in stores. It is beyond frustrating to see the continued shrinking in availability of clothing in larger sizes after a couple of years of seeing SOME expansion. It would be interesting if a straight-sized person were to challenge themselves to only purchase from lines with more expanded size ranges.

The11th commandment: “Thou must pack your workout clothes for vacation and never, ever use them.” Thanks for the inspirational post! Happy holidays, all!

That’s nice for them. As for me, I plan to do absolutely zero exercise during the holidays and feel zero guilt about it.

Yes it’s not a vacation if you haven’t logged 20K steps everyday.

When I visit my dad, we walk the dogs together. We also usually go flying together (he’s a pilot). It gives us a few much needed moments of time without his wife around (who is truly lovely but…). Sometimes I’ll grab my headphones and head out for a solo walk, sometimes I go to the gym where my dad teaches step and spin classes to get in a workout of choice (yes, he is almost 76, yes he still teaches people how to fly and teaches classes at the gym 5 days a week, lol).