VACATION

One of the things I love most about blogging is that other people reach out to you and when they think there is a topic that you may find interesting.  This is the 2nd time I have been lucky enough to have someone do this.  Today's post is about exercise and travel and is brought to you by Mike, stop by and check out HIS blog too when you get a chance.  As we have been busy planning our family vacation...this came at JUST the right time for me...a friendly reminder if you will! :)  Enjoy!

Going on Vacation Doesn't Mean You Get to Stop Taking Care of Your Body

Standing in long lines at the airport, sleeping in an unfamiliar bed, and/or spending hours sitting at a conference table in various meetings all day long takes its toll on travelers. Both business and pleasure travelers feel the stress of travel, yet many still make the decision to take a vacation from exercise while away from home.

Combining Exploration and Exercise

One of the best ways to exercise in a new and exciting city is to combine it with sightseeing. Many travelers take advantage of new bike trails, jogging trails, and walking paths in their destination cities. You can skip the treadmill in your hotel in favor of a jog around the city park or along the beach or waterline. Taking in the sights, smells, and local area can make exercise feel a little less like work and a little more like enjoyment. Forgoing your rental car in favor of a walk through the local neighborhoods can benefit your body and your mind. You might find an interesting new restaurant to try, a coffee shop with a great breakfast selection, or even a few little-known places to come back to later in the day.

Stress Relief in the Hotel
One of the most important reasons travelers should continue to exercise while out of town is to relieve stress. Your knees suffer from tension when you sit for long periods of time, which is easy to do on long flights or car rides. Exercise can ease that tension and help you feel that much better. You don’t have to sweat it out for hours at the gym while you’re enjoying a family vacation or a few days at a work conference, but you should spend a few minutes every day working out. Try taking a walk around your hotel; the neighborhood in which your hotel is located, using the hotel’s fitness facility, or swimming laps in the pool.

Doing Your Research
Before you commit to a particular hotel in your destination city, do your homework. Most hotels offer a fitness center to registered guests. Others even offer exercise classes, such as yoga or Pilate's. You might find it easier to workout in your hotel if you have a class to look forward to. If you’re traveling with your family, knowing you can sneak down to the 24-hour fitness center while the rest of the family is asleep can make you feel less guilty about missing family time. On a recent trip to Maui I was able to book a hotel with a 24-hour gym by researching on a site called Gogobot beforehand. Here I could get a list of all the Maui hotels and discern which hotels had the best fitness centers. This way I could enjoy the rest of my day after my early morning workout.

Vacation is a time for relaxation and enjoyment. If you are stressed, tense, or your body is suffering from the wear and tear of travel, you shouldn’t skip a workout. Doing so will only detract from the enjoyment your trip is supposed to bring you.  

Friend Making Monday (plus a few tidbits from the weekend)

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: all the weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

When I was a kid…

1. My parents told me…always told me they loved me.
2. I wanted to grow up to be a…an attorney or a pediatrician.
3. I refused to eat…squash.  It looked gross, and both my parents liked it so much how could it be good.  Today...one of my most FAVORITE veggies.  Any and all types of squash.
4. My favorite thing to do outside was…ride my bike.  A renewed fav now with my own kiddos.
5. I broke my…luckily nothing, butt here were several ankle sprains and twisted knees because of soccer and dance.
6. I liked to wear…jeans and polo shirts were popular by the time I hit HS.
7. My parents always…told me I could be or do anything I wanted.
8. I thought that Santa was…magical.
9. My favorite cartoon was...Jem.
10. I was the…oldest.
11. I got in trouble when…I was super mean to my lil bro.
12. My bedroom was…pink and green and filled with girlie stuff until I started filling it with posters of Kirk Cameron.
13. My favorite food was...not any real stand out favorites.
14. My parents always made me…study.
15. My first crush was…Brian Petroski in kindergarten.
16. My favorite toy was…barbie for a LONG time.
17. I thought school was…fun.  I loved school.
18. My biggest fear was…tornadoes.
19. My favorite story was…Great Expectations.  I read it in 4th grade and loved it.
20. My favorite memories…sitting at the table for dinner EVERY night as a family.

Now it’s your turn!  Don’t forget to answer the questions on your blog and come back to link up in the comments!  Happy Monday!




Weekend updates....I am also proud to say that I braved the hotel gym this weekend.  I am SO glad I stuck to my workout.  I wasn't sure if I would do it after walking miles at the zoo...and I thought there was going to be pool time for me Saturday night (hubby and kids were out by the time I was done working out in the gym due to over-crowding in the pool area...baseball team and cheerleading competition at our hotel)...so the run was great.  My hubs took his DVD and worked out in the suite before dinner so we both stuck to our guns.  After all the walking Saturday, our workouts, some pool time Sunday morning, and walking all through the Science Center Sunday, we decided it was okay to take Sunday night off.  Well, his workout plan actually calls for a day off so I joined him.  I will be back at my Pilate's today when the lil one takes her nap and the big one (who is on spring break and just rolled out of bed at 10:30 will maybe join me).  I am also proud to report that we did our best to remain healthy in our food choices as well.  At the zoo we both opted for the grilled chicken sandwiches over the burgers and gave our girls the fries, well  most of them. :) 


I also read on a facebook page this weekend a quote that said something like "the only thing standing between you and a 5K is the voice in your head"...it was like finding a fortune cookie written just for me.  It totally has given me the push I needed.  I ran 2.5 miles at the hotel and KNOW i could have done the whole 3.2 if I wasn't crunched on time.  I was hoping to splash around with the girls so I cut it short.  Anyways...the training is on and I found a 5K in my neighborhood that is just over a month away.  I think it's time to sign up.  Keep me in your thoughts as I push myself through hoping for the best!

Have running shoes, can travel

     I AM SORE!  I am sore in the best possible way.  My husband decided to try the Insanity workout program.  This is hard core.  I have never seen him work so hard.  I am so proud of him.  He has liked it so much too that he has been encouraging me to try it.  So I did.  I got off work early on Wednesday and decided I would go home and do the Fit test portion before picking up the little one from pre-school.  The fit test is only 25 minutes to get your base line, how hard can it be?  I'll tell you, it is HARD!

     There is a reason this workout program is named Insanity!  Here I thought that over the past few months that I had made real progress in my workouts.  I am more tone and lean than I have been in a long time, I am well on my way to my 5K...oh no.  Not after this.  I ended the 25 minute session (yes, 25 short minutes) in a sweaty, panting heap on the floor.  I had started off so strong with my switch kicks knee lefts, only to collapse during the push up version of a jumping jack. 
     I was so sore yesterday that I couldn't bring my self to move...well, not after chasing the lil one around in her gym class for an hour.  Today I did make myself get up and hit the treadmill and put in a few miles which felt great.  Working my muscles actually made them feel better.  Now, six months ago I would have never looked back at this workout program.  I would have accepted my defeat and said it just wasn't for me.  Not anymore.  I took my panting, sweating, pain riddled body as a sign that I need to push harder and try again.  I am eager to do so, but think it will have to wait until Monday.  I know what you may be thinking...I thought this blog was partially about not waiting...not using that as an excuse.  Well, you are right.  But I am pushing this back for a good reason.  We are taking the girls on a weekend surprise getaway;  and despite this workout being DVD based and portable...I think they may be upset if we use the DVD player for workouts instead of the latest Disney flick.
     Don't take that as an excuse though folks.  I have been asking around and seem to be getting a fairly good report on hotel gyms.  The majority of the people I have talked to seem happy with their gym experiences while on the road.  So this girl is packing her running shoes and plans to hit the treadmill while we are gone.  Also, as with all travel that involves the kids, we made sure that our hotel has an indoor pool...so we should be okay.

     Do you check the workout opportunities before traveling?  What are some of your "must haves" when on the road for your workouts?

Friend Making Monday (belated)

     A fellow blogger and friend has posted this Friend Making Monday link a few times now.  Each week I promise myself I will add to the list and try and extend my network in the blog community and then Monday comes and goes and alas...I have not posted.  This week, like most, Monday was very busy and crazy...followed by a SUPER busy Tuesday, so here I sit on Wednesday, finally joining in the Friend Making Monday festivities.  Here is my contribution...WOW-FMM (Well on Wednesday, Friend Making Monday).  Here are the "rules:" please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: www.alltheweigh.com so everyone can share in your answers.

FMM:Travel

1. Where did your most recent trip take you?  Our last weekend trip was to Kalahari Waterpark in Sandusky, OH.  We went for my oldest daughters soccer tournament.  What a fun weekend.  All of the families stayed in the hotel and the girls were able to run around and have fun.  The game schedule was set so that all games were done by 3:00pm, so there was MORE than enough time to go and play in the water park.  The tournament was held the weekend before Halloween too, so they had trick or treat for all the teams.  It was a lot of fun.

Kalahari Resort

     Our last family vacation (actual go away for a full week vacation) was to Disney.  It was awesome!  It was the third time we had taken my boldest daughter, and the first trip for our youngest.  It never ceases to amaze me how magical Disney is through the eyes of a child.  The little one was nervous at first with all of the characters, but once she saw Minnie Mouse (her favorite at the time) she ran into her arms and hugged her.  I started crying, my husband snapped pics and my oldest rolled her eyes (at her silly tear stained mom).

the fam at Disney



2. Is there a place that you'd like to visit that you haven't yet?  If so, where?  Ummmmm, I'm only in my mid-30's, of course there are places I haven't been that I want to visit.  I want to take my family to see everything and anything.   A few list toppers are Japan (to see where my father-in-law was born), Scotland (to see where my grandmother was born), Amsterdam, Greece, London, and so many others I can't even think. :)

Japan

Scotland

Amsterdam

Greece

London

3. Do you travel lightly, or do you cram as much into your luggage as possible?  I am a fairly light traveler myself...when it comes to all of the gear needed for the girls, well that's a different story.  It is getting easier now that we aren't dealing with "baby" stuff anymore.

4. Do your eating and exercise habits change when you travel?  If so, how?  We tend to take vacations that require a little more physical activity in general.  Whether it be walking the parks of Disney for days at a time or swimming all day at a water park, so in that respect we keep up with some sort of exercise.  There have been times when my husband and I have been known to trade off the kiddos and hit the hotel gym, but that depends on how much energy is left at the end of the day.  Vacation is about family and spending as much time together as possible.  As far as eating...what happens on vacation, stays on vacation. hee hee hee

5. Tell us about a place you've been that you'd like to go back to.  Outside of Disney, it would have to be Charleston, SC.  I love Charleston.  I love the history, the architecture, the southern civility that is still is evident.  It is one of the most gorgeous places I have been too and is so steeped in culture and history.  I can't wait to take my girls.

6. Do you prefer to travel at a certain time of year?  With my husband and my work schedules we don't have a lot of lead way here.  We tend to travel in June, July or August.  Although we are thinking about a New Years trip for next year...

7. If you had to choose, would you go to the beach or the mountains?  Mountains, hands down.  We like to hike trails and be outside and explore nature.  Although, as I can actually SEE the fruits of my labor in my exercising...the beach may be an upcoming option.  We shall see where we are by summer. 

8. Have you ever needed a passport to travel?  Yes, when we took our last trip to Canada...although they don't stamp you which is sad.

9.  Do you collect anything in your travels?  We collect magnets from every place we go with the girls.  Full vacations or day trips it doesn't matter,  Every time we go to grab a snack or drink out of our fridge we can think back on the wonderful times we have shared as a family.

10. Where do you plan to go next?  Not sure yet...maybe Storybook Forest? 

Storybook Forest-Idylwild Park