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An active vacation is a trip that addresses two needs first, to get away, and second, to stay fit. If you're planning a fitness-filled trip for summer, consider these tips:
Be realistic about your fitness level. Unless you're already very fit and have trained well for the rigors of a sport, a vacation is not the time to have lofty illusions what you can do. Instead, it's an opportunity to enjoy yourself while maintaining fitness. If you've never walked more than several miles on flat terrain, it makes no sense to sign up for an all-day hike. The exception is if you've signed up for a fitness boot camp, during which you know from minute one that relaxation is not the goal.
Consider your companion's or family's fitness level. If you're going with someone either less or more fit than you, be cognizant that there must be compromises. Most likely, the more fit person will have to be patient and scale down expectations of the activity's intensity level.
That's especially critical if young kids are part of the activities. If kids feel they're being pushed too hard to participate at an adult level, it won't feel like a vacation because they'll be miserable.
Do some research on group activities. If you've signed up for a guided group activity, you need to ask the following: Are you likely to be compatible with other people in the group? Are people classified according to fitness levels? How is this done? When people sign up for short and long versions of an activity, such as a bike ride or a hike, what happens to those who take the short version or when people quit in the middle of an activity? Do they end up sitting in a van waiting for others to finish?
Wear the right clothing and footwear. Several years ago, my husband organized a hike in Maui with some work colleagues. Despite my husband's advice and reminder to wear hiking boots, one family decided to wear flip-flops on the rocky terrain. They soon realized that they could not descend into the valley with such flimsy footwear. Unfortunately, they also refused to bring their own car, so they spent hours waiting for the group to return.
Make sure the equipment you bring or rent fits and works. If you're buying new equipment for the trip, don't leave the shopping for the day or two before it leaves you little or no room to correct mistakes or exchange an item in time. If you're not bringing your own gear, get specifics from the gear rental place, to minimize the risk of surprises. Waiting until you arrive at your destination and attempting to wing getting equipment is leaving activity to chance.
Build some down time into the active vacation. After a long day of fitness, give those tired and aching muscles a break. Remember that rest is repair time for your body. Besides, active vacations are meant to be rejuvenating. What's the point of taking it if it leaves you feeling worn out and in need of, well, a vacation?
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(Lisa Liddane is a health and fitness writer for The Orange County Register and an American Council on Exercise-certified group fitness instructor. Write to her at the Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, Calif. 92711 or send e-mail to lliddane@cregister.com.)
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(c) 2005, The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.). Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service.
