Finding fun cardio activities is easy when you're on vacation. Lifting weights or strength training, however, presents more of a challenge. You usually don't have much equipment and the thought of going to the hotel fitness room isn't that appealing when you're trying to have fun.
You don't have to do much, however, to maintain your strength and muscle while you're out of town. A quick workout with body weight exercises, resistance bands or full water bottles will keep you strong and fit until you get back home to your usual routine.
If you decide to use your vacation to rest from exercise entirely, you may wonder what happens to your body. How long can you go before you lose fitness? How fast you lose endurance and/or muscle depends mostly on your genetics, but below are some general guidelines:
Aerobic power can decline 5-10% in three weeks. All your gains could be gone after about 2 months of inactivity. The more fit you are, the faster you lose your fitness, which doesn't seem fair, does it? You tend to lose aerobic capacity faster than muscular strength. Muscles are resilient and retain a memory of all those exercises you did.
Taking a week off probably won't make much of a difference but, any more than that, and it may be harder to get back to your previous levels. Finding ways to stay as active as you can will keep you fit, help you avoid weight gain and make the transition back to real life a little easier.
Written by John Stefanowicz, Personal Trainer at Steel Fitness in Bethlehem PA
