Vacay workouts
When I go out of town, my workout strategy varies, depending on what kind of trip it is and how I’m feeling. If the trip is for blog or work-related stuff, it’s pretty much like my normal schedule (whatever normal at the time may be), if it’s a family trip, I fit it in where I can (and will usually do DVDs or podcasts in our room or at the hotel), and if it’s just the Pilot and myself, or now the three of us, I kind of go with the flow like I would at home. The awesome bonus about vacations is that you’re usually doing a ton of walking, so it’s easy to get in lots of unplanned activity,
(I can’t even handle the combo of these two in this pic… between the babywearing and her sweet little smile, it’s too much)
and if I get in a traditional workout while I’m on a trip, I look forward to checking out new studios or classes.
While we were in La Jolla, I took a class at Pure Barre and one at Prana Yoga. Each time, it worked out perfectly, because Liv and the Pilot napped at the hotel and then we met up at the beach when class was over.
Pure Barre killed me.
My quads and hammies felt a fiery fury that they haven’t known in a long time. As far as the setup goes, it was kind of similar to Physique 57 in the type of training (isometric movements), but we used a very small exercise ball, plus resistance bands (which were only used for stretching, and kind of seemed unnecessary to me). I really loved the music the instructor chose (lots of pop remixes) and tried some exercises that I’d never seen before. There were quite a few times that I needed to take a break in between the set (muscle fatigue victory) and thought it was a great workout. I actually had to sign a disclaimer since I’m a fitness professional stating that I wouldn’t replicate any of the movements in my own classes (they’re serious about protecting their moves), or I’d give you guys some examples of what we did- it’s very similar to Physique 57 and Core Fusion.
I took a vinyasa class at Prana Yoga, which I absolutely loved. Taking yoga classes has become a huge treat, since they’re such a time commitment (in Tucson, by the time I drive down there and take class, it’s 2.5 hours out of the day), so it was especially amazing. The instructor led us through a lunge series (the day after I toasted my legs in Pure Barre), lots of backbends and arm balances. I was rusty in my practice, but it felt good to just enjoy class, do what I could, and relish in that zen, noodle feeling when it was all over. (La Jolla Yoga Center is my other favorite yoga spot)
I also did something a little cray while we were in La Jolla:
ran.
I ran, longer than my usual 20-minute HIIT intervals on the treadmill, and.. I liked it.
Whitney suggested it as a fun morning workout before breakfast, so the 6 of us (Whitney, her hubby, their dog Jackelope, the Pilot, myself and Liv) took off on a jog from our hotel around the beach, where everyone was setting up for the 4th of July festivities.
I’m not sure how far we ran, but I’d guess it was around 3 miles, and while it was challenging, it made me remember why I used to enjoy group runs so much. We talked the entire time, which almost made me forget about the fact that I hadn’t ran like that in at least a year, and had the promise a delicious Cottage breakfast in my brain.
One of the things that amazes me about other cities, is how dog-friendly they are. Tucson is just starting to join in the fun, but we’re lightyears behind this:
Easily accessible dog houses and water bowls, and the Cottage didn’t mind at all that we had a dog with us (he just had to be outside the fence of the patio). I really wish we would have brought Bella along for the trip, but now that we know we can take her around with us and what to expect traveling with a baby, it will be a little more feasible next time. I’m not sure Bell missed us as much as we missed her, though- she was living it up at the madre’s.
So tell me, friends: what’s your vacation workout strategy? Some of my tips for taking your workouts with you are in this post. Are there any traveling workouts that you’ll always remember? I’ll never forget the Bikram instructor in NYC- he told us that eagle pose is good for our reproductive organs and that we should release our inner chakra and our Chaka Khan.
Is your city very dog-friendly, or notsomuch?
Hope you’re having a great night <3 See ya in the morning with the awesome pics you’ve sent in this week!
xoxo
Gina
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That is SUCH a cute picture of Livi and the Pilot =] Melt!
That picture is truly one of the cutest you’ve posted. I can see why you love it.
As far as vacay goes, I love to take advantage of sightseeing by walking EVERYWHERE. We also tend to vacation in places where hiking is an option (we live in the midwest, and we love the mountains . . . so we go every chance we get). We start our days with a hike, and sightsee for the rest of the day/evening.
LOVE this post b/c it feels like my backyard! Funny there is a Barre location I run past every day and they’ve invited me to take a class and I haven’t taken them up on it yet…but sounds like it’s plenty challenging, new, fresh, and good stuff. Love Prana Yoga and love that pic of Pilot babywearing. Beyond adorable!
Great post. I just came back from the mini vacation too. I took my yoga mat; I practiced in the evening in my hotel room. It felt great to stretch after all the walking that we did. Maybe the next time I will try some classes too in the local studio.
I love the dog houses and water bowls available! What a good idea!
I try to take my yoga mat with me when I travel but I don’t always find the time. When I visit my brothers, my exercise consists of playing with my nieces and nephews. When I visit my parents, it usually consists of helping out in the yard or not much at all. Still working on finding what works.
As far as vaycay workouts are concerned…I’m 3 days away from being induced with my second so most of my workouts consist of me waddling after my 2 year old.
It’s funny you bring up dog friendly places in CA. Coastal California is so dog friendly its kind of to the point of ridiculousness. My husband and I did a weekend trip to Carmel when our first was probably Livi’s age and we went to this nice restaurant (for lunch) and everyone gave us dirty looks bringing our baby in with us (who was asleep the whole time) but we noticed that several tables had tiny dogs ON the table. So, I think certain places, like Carmel, are more dog friendly than human friendly. 😉
3 days away! OMG. so excited for you!!!
hahah and that’s hilarious about them being more dog friendly than human friendly- i could totally see that
My friend actually owns a Pure Barre studio. I’m dying to try it once I have this baby!!
omg that picture of Tom and Olivia is freakin precious!!!!!
when i go on vacation i don’t work out, I really should and i really want to, i need to get in a better groove with it! its just so easy to take a break.
We just adopted an adorable chihuahua/terrier mix from the humane society and I want to bring him everywhere! But unfortunately, our city is not so dog-friendly. Sadly, I think the only dog-friendly places are the pet stores in town (tear).
We are taking a vacation to San Diego in September so it was fun seeing all of your pictures – we have made zero plans for what we are going to do down there besides visiting family/friends so we need to get planning!
I love going for morning runs while on vacation. I’m usually not a morning person (at all), but getting up before everyone else and running through a town I’m not familiar with is kind of thrilling to me, haha. I also find it easier to stay on track with my eating goals throughout the rest of the day 🙂
LOVE the pic of Olivia and her Daddy!
Those two are too cute!! I thought my quadriceps were going to explode out of my legs the first time I did Pure Barre!!! I usually try to get in a run when I am on vacation so I can explore the city on foot. If I have time, I love to check out other gyms and take some classes! I love learning from other instructors!
that picture of your hubby & livi is SO precious!!
I walk everywhere possible… and I like to stretch out, do some planks, and pushups no matter where I am!
We should add that there were some KILLER hills in our 3 mile run.
The pilot = gazelle
Liv = future off road racer
Jackelope = happy happy boy, but missed his running group this AM
xoxoxo
Omg that picture of Livi and the Pilot melts my heart! <3
We live in Florida where the cities and the heat are not always conducive to outdoor workouts so we always always pick vacation spots that are super pedestrian, and always make sure to pick a hotel with a 24/7 fitness room and proximity to other fitness options.
I’m kind of bummed that you’re already back from San Diego – a friend of mine from Pakistan is starting a pop-up kitchen every Saturday from July 14th for the remainder of the summer. She’s an awesome cook (her sister runs a restaurant in Islamabad too) and would have been amazing, authentic north Indian/Pakistani home style food for you!
http://www.facebook.com/HouseOfKhanSD
http://sandiegofoodfinds.com/?p=3825
Glad to see you guys enjoyed your trip! 🙂
After these last two posts I’m definitely adding La Jolla to places I want to visit!
Denver is SUPER dog friendly. Even the Starbucks’ have water bowls outside! There’s a saying out here that you know you’re a true Colorado resident if you own a Subaru, some type of Polartec fleece vest (ew.), and a dog 🙂
You’re not imagining that Pure Barre and Physique 57 are very similar — the Physique girls used to be part of Pure Barre before they broke off on their own. 🙂
Come to Seattle! We’re super dog friendly and the summer switch just got flipped here.
Since running is my “workout” of choice, I love going for jogs in new places and while traveling or on vacation. It’s such a fun way to get out early and see a new place. Plus, it makes me feel like I’m a local or something, even though more often than not I end up getting lost! haha. (ps I gotta say it: that pic of the Pilot and Livi is crazy precious. omg, can you possibly have too much cuteness in one pic?!)
S is not entirely accurate…two of the Physique women worked with Carrie, the Pure Barre owner, but not on PB, it was at a Pilates studio in Michigan. If you really want to trace the bar workout craze, you have to go back to the Lotte Berk method, which is where Tanya from Physique and Carrie from Pure Barre met. Am not surprised they had you sign a waiver, Carrie was a lawyer before going into fitness!
Runs are always a great vacay option for me- no equipment, not time constraints, etc- but I loathe running so its a struggle. My fave is bringing TurboFire DVDs & my resistance band(s). They are so lightweight and most of the exercises don’t require a ton of space.
Also, quick question- have you read the Physique 57 book? I stumbled on it in the library and wanted to get the opinion of my friendly P57 expert (hint:thats you!) 🙂
when i’m on a trip, i go for a run or i exercise in the hotel room (with a DVD or with pre-made workout)! I’m leaving tomorrow for Italy so i’m gonna take my workout things with me (even if i still can’t workout a lot because of my foot) xxx Nadja
Sounds like a cool trip! La Jolla is beautiful!! Nice you could sneak some classes in!
Usually I also try to go with the flow for workouts. I like doing morning jogs/runs/walks so I get to see the scenery and occasionally the sun rising. In Sydney I had a quick circuit I did in the morning to get me sweating and my heart beating. But usually all the walking we do on vacation makes me to sore to do another too intense. Since I also exercise daily back home I take it as a recovery time either passive or active haha. Ps. Love your blog!
My last vacation was to my in-laws house which is not child proofed in the least so I felt pretty worked out after an entire day of chasing my toddler around making sure she didn’t get into anything as well as leave their giant St Bernard alone. That kid has no fear.
When we got our puppy, Asuka, the area we lived in was not dog friendly but I took her everywhere with me anyway. I was living in IL waiting on my Husband to get out of A school for the Navy and living by myself so having her with me really helped. I would take her on base with me every time I met him for lunch, we ate in the car, and just on car rides in general. This was amazing later on because now she is the best behaved dog on car rides I have ever seen. This last trip she just sat in the back seat all curled up between the car seats and slept the whole ride 🙂 So even if your town isn’t dog friendly I’d suggest taking it with you if you’re making quick trips when its little so it gets used to the car.
I wish that our city was more dog friendly. We can only take our guy to the pet stores and a couple of patio’s. I really wish that he could join us more often.
Horray for Pure Barre! I’m OBSESSED!
Love Pure Barre!! I’m surprised they didn’t do more with the bands in your class though- the ones I’ve taken they do some pretty cool moves with the bands for quads and glutes- I actually prefer some of Pure Barre’s glute work over Physique 57 for that reason! If you get a chance to take again, hopefully they’d introduce more of the band work into class. Your whole vacation sounds just perfect- great eats, fun workouts, and time with your loved ones 🙂
In my city, there’s not a lot of walking to shops – most are spread out and require either a car, bike, or some clever running across the street in between cars maneuvering! So I’d say probably not so dog-friendly. I know there’s some more touristy places a bit up north, but I think most places are aware that some people have allergies and don’t allow pets indoors or set up special features outside.
My city is super dog friendly 🙂 I was going to get one as soon as I escaped from Tucson, but I haven’t been able to decide on the breed!
I live in a city of subway riders, and I have seen birds sitting on shoulders, cats sitting on shoulders, and dogs sitting in purses all over the place. Cats! On shoulders!
Loving the pics and your purple lulu pants! The fun colors are always sold out in my size!
When I’m on vaca, I usually try to choose a hotel with a fitness room so if the weather is icky, I can always hop on the treadmill for a quick run. My family is going to the beach for a week and I’m planning on beachside yoga as well as a lot of hiking. I’m just a few weeks pregnant this time around, so we’ll see what I feel like doing…though I’ve found that I’m not nearly as tired on the days when I get some sort of physical activity in.
I love the Nike Training Club app. You’ve got your phone anyway, a lot of the workouts don’t need equipment, and the vocal cues are great. You can also set music to play around the cues.
For me, the hardest part about vacationing is *not* beating myself up for sticking to my training plans. A lot of my travelling includes walking, hiking, swimming and spending time with family – things I value over specifically working out.
I know this sounds kinda bad & really isn’t ideal, but I find my workout strategy on vacations really depends on who I’m away with. If I’m with my boyfriend, who is also very active, then we both usually stick to our usual schedule; although, I must say, if we’ve been doing a lot of walking all day, the last thing I feel like doing is working out! If I’m travelling with friends or family, I usually don’t make it to the gym! Ahh well. Bodies can always use a lil’ break 😉
Liv is ADORABLE! such a cute smiler!
Such an adorable smile on Livi, all cuddled up with the pilot!
It sounds like you took some amazing classes on your trips. When I’m travelling, I like to rock the hotel-room workouts with some interval cardio and some bodyweight strength moves. Plus, as you say, you get in loads of walking naturally, and vacation time is valuable so you have to kind of go with the flow too, right?
p.s. I love those purple pants!
thank you!
I have been wanting to try pure barre forevvvvver. Ive heard nothing but good things! Welcome home! we missed you!
thank you! it feels nice to be back 🙂
Getting a workout in on vacation is always a bit of a challenge. I’ll usually try to wake up earlier than everyone else to squeeze in some me time at the gym. It’s great if I’m traveling with family and/or friends who are also trying to stay fit, then we can workout together!
Looks like a great trip, love the pics! I don’t live too far from La Jolla, definitely need to check it out!
livi’s smile in that pic with the pilot should be enough to make anyone’s heart melt – completely adorable!!
she just looks so happy to be with her daddy- i love it
That pic of Livi and the Pilot is so stinking cute! I’m glad you had so much fun on vacation. I’ve always wanted to try a Barre class. This month Lululemon is actually offering free one’s on Sunday’s so I may just have to go try it out. I would say Portland (where I live) is pretty dog friendly. There are so many dog parks and seating outside. I bet Bella would love to go next time!
That is the sweetest picture of Tom & Livi. Love the expression on her face like “Look at me and my Daddy!”
One thing I’m going to start doing when on vacay is trying out new fitness classes/studios. I’d LOVE to try out physique 57 and see how it compares to Bar Method. Maybe I’ll add that into the rotation after baby’s born.
I cannot even stand how cute that picture is. Good Lord.
And yeah, I guess I approach vacation workouts like you do: when I can fit it in, I do, and I try to take advantage of extra activity via walking/sightseeing, etc. As long as I’m getting some activity in each day, I’m good. It doesn’t need to be my usual cardio/weights routine (in fact, I welcome the break), but I like to get my sweat on, too!
Hey Gina! I teach The Dailey Method in San Jose, CA. It is very similar to Pure Barre too, but BETTER! HAHA I might be bias but it really is a great workout! I love it and am obsessed. If you are ever in the area, you should try it! http://www.thedaileymethod.com for locations
what a precious smile!! she’s too adorable!!
My version of vacations are usually centered around hiking/biking/exploring.
If we’re in a city by far the best way to see things you never would otherwise is by running! It makes travel so much more meaningful!
I’m in Germany – it’s *super* dog friendly here and I love it! dogs in stores, restaurants, and more (trains, buses….) They are all super well trained here though so there’s a different feel for it. Honestly, I want to pick them up and hug them when I’m out. But I don’t 🙂 I just admire the cuteness from afar.