Working Out While on Vacation

We get caught up in the day to day churn of waking up, going to the gym, coming home, sleeping, maybe having time for one hobby depending on one’s circumstances, and then rinsing and repeating the next day for the majority of the week.  Holiday time is time to decompress from ALL of that.  ALL of that means going to the gym as well and everything that comes with it.  You need to give your mind and body some rest.  Do something completely different.  Fitness is critical, and I’m the first person to say everyone should do SOMETHING (I’ve even started a blog on it!), but by and large, unless fitness is your life, you want to mix it up.  I don’t want you to look back on your life and have it be a blend of work and working out. I know that’s morbid and extreme, but realistically, guess what?  Americans took, on average, 17 days of vacation in 2018 (https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2019/08/28/what-does-america-have-against-vacation/).  Let that sink in.  I don’t know about you, but that’s incredibly short compared to some of our counterparts around the rest of the world.  We work, work, work, and work some more, and give little time to ourselves to spend time away from work.  

I don’t think anyone should workout while on vacations less than 3 weeks long. Don’t do it.  That’s my first piece of advice.  Here is my second piece of advice.  DON’T DO IT! 1)  you need to enjoy your vacations, and 2)  by taking this break, it will reinforce your love for working out.  Now, if you’re taking a vacation that’s more than 3 weeks, then maybe you should look at doing some bodyweight exercises.  Why 3 weeks?  “Strength levels can be maintained for up to 3 weeks of detraining, but decay rates will increase thereafter (i.e. 5-16 weeks).” (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23529287) 

If you are part of the group that only takes vacations up to three weeks long, then you need to take a break from everything during your trip.  I mean from everything.  You don’t need to diet, you don’t need to wake up early and lift or run.  None of it.  Eat junk food, go enjoy your time with your friends, family, and/or just yourself.  You’re not going to lose any muscle mass.  You’re not going gain fat. Go and have FUN!  This is coming from someone who wakes up at 4:30 AM in the morning just to get a morning fitness session. Go and enjoy your life.  We lift and workout so we can enjoy life.

Also, I promise you, taking these breaks will reinforce your love for working out.  Let me explain.  I just got back from a 2 week vacation (quickly approaching the American average) with my best friend in New Zealand.  We spent two weeks sleeping in a campervan and seeing some of the most beautiful places in this world.  We also ate copious amounts of junk food, chewed through multiple packs of gum, and eat at all kinds of restaurants with little regard to macros.  A trip that was well spent, with zero working out time. Do I feel like a slob?  Eh – not really.  I feel relaxed. I needed it.  In fact, I’m really looking forward to powering through chest day tomorrow.  It’ll be a sore week for me for sure, but it also invigorates me to appreciate gym sessions, dieting, and lifting again (going day after day and partaking in the grind can wear you down).  Trust me here – continuing your lift sessions when you’re halfway across the world won’t give you the peace of mind that you need. Take a break, and come back to it even more invigorated than before.

With all of the above in mind, if you are part of the extremely dedicated crew who just cannot get away, then the only advice I have for you is to do the bare minimum.  Do push-ups.  Do squats.  Do dips. Do pull-ups (if you can).  Four sets of max reps for each exercise.  And call it a day.  Make it a quick workout (30 min max).  You’re not going to gain muscle here – all you’re doing is just minimizing the recovery time that you’ll need when you get back into your routine. I also advise this for those who take vacations longer than 3 weeks.  Muscle memory is real.  If you’re out for a month, you may notice strength decreases when you come back, but you will quickly come back to your previous levels, I promise you.  Don’t waste time in a gym while on vacation. Go and enjoy them.