Family Exercise on Vacation

Family vacations tend to be so busy that, by the time you get home, you feel like you need a vacation just to recover from your vacation. In the middle of braving amusement parks, walking along boardwalks and managing to catch all of your flights and have free time to try to decompress, there is not much time left for fitness.

Despite the busy schedule, it is possible to get some exercise in as a family, even when you are busy enjoying the sights and experiences of your trip.

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Family getting ready for rock climbing © Lightfieldstudiosprod | Dreamstime.com

The first point to consider is certain types of vacations offer more chances to exercise as part of the normal itinerary. The first trip that comes to mind is perhaps one of the most popular with families. Theme parks offer great opportunities to get exercise during the normal day’s activities. All of the walking and standing will give you more of a workout than you would receive at home. Suffice to say, if your vacation takes you to Walt Disney World, you probably do not need to emphasize extra exercise too much.

Other vacations with intrinsic exercise include trips to national parks and beaches. These destinations offer many chances to swim and hike, letting families work out naturally during the vacation.

Some trips do not offer nearly as many chances to be active; however, and require families to take the extra step to get exercise during downtime.

Cruises are popular among families, especially Disney Cruise Line and other lines with family-friendly excursion and amenity options. The problem with cruises and other stays of the like lie in the relatively tight quarters. Sure, you can walk the whole family around the decks a few times throughout the day and go swimming, but this lacks the extended rigor of walking through theme parks as well as the strain of walking on the beach and playing in the ocean. Luckily, most cruise ships are equipped with fitness rooms. If the kids are too young to use these, set them up with the onboard kids club while mom and dad get in some exercise.

Exercise and leisure are relative on vacation. If you stay plenty active at home and feel like you can skip a day, a vacation is the perfect time to do that. On the other hand, vacations might be one of the best opportunities to imprint physical activity as a fun endeavor for your kids by presenting it as a fun way to spend time on vacation. Who knows, they might even bring home a healthy habit.