At this very moment I’m staying with cousins of my mom’s in Santa Cruz, CA. Mom, Dad, and I have been up here for several days while my dad trains for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) Million Dollar Challenge (MDC). I am absolutely not in the right shape to join him and his friends for the 60+ miles, 5,000+ feet of climbing they did for the last three days so I’ve had to find other way to exercise.

If you exercise regularly at home and don’t go on vacation very often, it’s usually a good idea to just relax while on vacation. Take a break! Letting your muscles recover can often do more good than training every day. I’ve heard a lot of different recommendations but I stick to the breaking for one week out of every six or seven. By breaking I mean no exercising but continuing to eat a healthy diet with perhaps fewer calories so that it’s not too hard to get back into a routine the next week.

However, this summer has been completely varied in opportunities for exercise so I’ve been trying to get it whenever I can. The workouts I do, like my ones at home, pretty much stay under the 30 minute mark. I do a workout with Zuzka (see below), go on a 3 mile run, a brisk 3 mile walk (which takes a little longer), or practice some relaxing yoga, which is not just exercise but relaxation.

If you have determined that you want to workout while on vacation, decide on how frequently you will do it before you even fall asleep the first night and then stick to it. I decided that I would workout every other day but left the type and length of workout for the morning of. It’s good to still feel like you’re on vacation from exercise by giving yourself options. For the most part, while were still in San Diego, I went on a run or worked out with Zuzka but if I was having an especially rough morning, the yoga was enough. Now that we’re in Santa Cruz, however, I’ve been doing long walks on the beach. It doesn’t feel like exercise at all!

^ who wouldn’t want to take a long walk here?

And if your spending your day in transit, always take the stairs! You’d be amazed how much you can actually burn by skipping the escalator or elevator. < this is a personal rule of mine for everyday living.

Here is a list of the workout sites I frequent:

1. Zwows with Zuzka Light – some amazing, quick, body weight workouts that mean you NEVER have an excuse not to workout: http://www.youtube.com/user/ZuzkaLight/videos

2. My Yoga Online – cheaper and more comprehensive than any other yoga option I’ve seen. If you aren’t comfortable posing without an instructor, it’s a good idea to take a few classes first: http://www.myyogaonline.com/

3. Map My Run – a great way to track your running and walking from anywhere in the world: http://www.mapmyrun.com/

4. Map My Ride – same interface as #3 but for bikes! http://www.mapmyride.com/

And don’t forget to keep a smile on your face! They’re contagious.