Workout ideas for your beach vacation

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/01/2017 (3374 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

I got to ring in the new year in Vietnam this year, while visiting for a friend’s wedding.

It’s been an amazing trip so far, but I admit that it’s been a while since I saw a real gym. I’m looking forward to spending some time exercising on the beach over the next few days. If you are one of the lucky few who gets to skip town at some point during the long Canadian winter, you might be looking for some ideas on how to stay in shape on your beach vacation.

Many resorts will have fitness centres, and this used to be a pre-requisite for me when booking a vacation. Not anymore, I actually like to take advantage of this time to work on things I tend to neglect, and things I can do in the great outdoors. Here are a few of my favourites.

Swimming. I’m not much of a swimmer so I generally don’t go for distance, but I can easily spend hours being active in the water. I might play water sports like surfing, or waterskiing, or simply throw a frisbee around with a friend or walk out to a quiet spot and tread water a bit.

Playing. The beach is a fantastic setting for a departure from a strict training regimen. It’s easy to take 10 to 15 minutes to do a few squats, crawl in the sand or practice cartwheels and handstands. As an added bonus, water and sand help to cushion the fall. Some beaches and boardwalks have playgrounds or outdoor fitness centres with monkey bars, rings and other fun obstacles to manoeuvre.

I might do set reps and sets of chin-ups, dips and jumps, or simply move from one obstacle to another without worrying too much about what I should do next.

Running and walking. Long walks on the beach are such a relaxing way to stay in shape while on vacation, but sometimes I want to get my heart rate up and sweat a bit more. To perform high intensity intervals on the beach, I might sprint all-out for about 15 seconds, then walk and recover for about a minute. I love doing these barefoot in the sand. They are especially difficult and are great for strengthening the feet and ankles.

Yoga and stretching. Exercise doesn’t always have to be high intensity. I don’t skip my flexibility training while on vacation. I might take a few minutes to practise splits or stretch out my shoulders in between chapters while reading by the pool, or take a yoga class on the beach.

Tania Tetrault Vrga is owner and head trainer at CrossFit Winnipeg. Send questions to her at www.crossfitwinnipeg.com.