Fitness Magazine always has some sort of survey in each month’s magazine. I just got my June issue in the mail and saw this one.
How do you stay fit while on vacation?
39% said they go for a jog/walk along the beach/trail.
24% said they hit the hotel gym.
4% said they bring resistance bands or workout DVDs with them.
32% said they didn’t do anything because they are on vacation.
Look at that last number. It’s the second highest response in the survey. Over one third of the people in this survey take a vacation from their own health and fitness. They intend to just lay around and do nothing. How fricken stoooopid is that? I mean really! Think about that. Do they stop brushing their teeth too? Do they deprive themselves of sleep? I don’t think so.
You should love yourself enough to make your health a priority in your life. Not just something you do an hour a day because you “have to.” These people must think of their fitness the same way they think about going to work or doing chores around the house – a necessary evil. Those who take a vacation from their fitness are just telling me that they don’t get it. They don’t realize how important their health is. They don’t understand all the benefits. They haven’t made their fitness and health part of who they are. It’s just a torturous event they put themselves through.
What a completely terrible way to treat your body. Exercise, eat healthy (or somewhere close to it) while you are at home, then go on vacation and flush it all down the toilet for a few days or a week. What a waste. Then you come home feeling gross and then hate your daily workouts even more. Just plain asinine if you ask me.
I want good health, a strong body and fit body, one that is there for me for years to come. And . . . to top all that . . . I love the way working out makes me feel. I just wouldn’t be me without it.
Daily, regular, exercise that is an integral part of your life does so much for me. Why would I want to take a vacation from it?
Daily exercise . . .
- keeps me at a healthy weight,
- keeps my blood pressure and heart rate low and healthy,
- keeps my metabolism up,
- makes my muscles, tendons, and ligaments strong reducing risk of injury,
- prevents a lot of major health conditions,
- de-toxifies my body,
- makes me sleep better,
- make me feel more energetic,
- keeps me emotionally and mentally healthy,
- makes me feel good about myself,
- and studies have actually shown, it makes me smarter.
Yeah, you’re right, all of you who take vacations from your exercise. I just read back over that list I just made and see that you are right. Who wouldn’t want a break from all of that crappy stuff?
BULLSHIT! Me! I don’t want a break from feeling great. I don’t want a break from being healthy! Are you out of your mind???
When I go on vacation, one of the first things I’m thinking as I prepare and pack is how are my workouts going to fit in? Will it be an active, human-powered vacation that has fitness built right in? Or do I need to make some other plans?
Right now, I’m getting ready to go on a 7 week vacation to Africa. I leave in 4 days and guess what? I’m packing my workout clothes, my running shoes, and a couple of resistance bands – BECAUSE I WANT TO. I’ll be doing some camping, some trekking, some volunteering, and some World Cup soccer watching. I don’t know what each location will be like exactly, but I know this – I’m going to workout every single day – one way or another. It’s just part of my life – just like eating, breathing, brushing my teeth, sleeping, or going to the bathroom. It’s an integral part of who I am! And I love it!
I mean too much to me to take a vacation from my own fitness. My health matters too much me. My life is mine and I want it to be a strong, fit, happy one and my health and fitness are a HUGE part of that.
Moral of the story: It’s all about attitude. What’s your attitude toward exercise and fitness?
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