The summer is right around the corner and that usually means packing for a week’s length vacation somewhere following an airplane ride. You have kept at your diet and workout leading up to this and hope that hard work pays off in getting laid in whatever destination you chose. But how fucked up would it be if your splurge on booze and the good food available softens you up in two days?
No one wants to work out while they’re away on vacation and anyone who tells you otherwise is full of shit. But you can limit the damage by doing the bare minimum and being smart about your meals…at least a few of them and their timing.
1 – AVOID AFTER MIDNIGHT MEALS
Crushing a plate full of eggs, hash browns and buttered toast is great after leaving a bar or club, but eating all of those calories after drinking your balls off will make you look and feel like shit the following morning. Try your best to make a late dinner (since you know that you’ll be up late) the last meal of the day.
2 – PLANKS
Doing planks are easy, quick and can be done anywhere. So while you’re waiting for your buddy to finish getting ready, do a few right there on the hotel floor. Even a minute or two at a time will give your body a nice little workout.
3 – BREATHING EXERCISES
You can do these in the shower and they merely consist of some isometrics for the abdominal area. Breath hard in and out while holding it on the in, kind of like doing a vacuum pose.
4 – DRINK LOTS OF WATER
This one is important for a bunch of reasons and the obvious one is that you are going to be putting so much poison (i.e.: alcohol) in your system that you need to flush it out. So drinking water throughout the day and especially while you’re hitting the bar will go a long way in keeping you hydrated and limiting your hangover symptoms the next day.
5 – HOTEL FITNESS CENTER
Most of these suck bad but even a few sets with dumbbells will give you a nice pump and help you psychologically when you’re feeling out of shape.
6 – TREADMILL
If the fitness center has a treadmill, doing a half hour or so on it after breakfast will make you sweat out some of those calories and even the drinks from the night before. And if you happen to be one of those guys who dances at the club all night, you’ll be getting in a double dose of cardio.
7 – TRY TO LIMIT THE ‘BAD’ CARBS AT BREAKFAST
The reason for this is the same as for the guys who reintroduce carbs into their bodies after depleting it of the same at contest time. You don’t want to ‘spill over,’ and that means taking in too many carbohydrates and looking soft. The morning and early afternoon will be time for the beach so you want to look your very best. Eat some good (complex) carbs and a lot of protein to feel full.
8 – PUSH-UPS, SIT UPS
Just like the planks, you can do a few sets of push-ups and sit ups in your hotel room and get your blood flowing again. All of these will take you only a few minutes a day but will pay for themselves.
9 – LIMIT THE HIGH CALORIE CONCOCTIONS
If you’re traveling to a Caribbean island, they are known for their frozen drinks that taste good for a reason – they are full of sugar and calories. So enjoy them but don’t go overboard.
10 – BEACH JOG
A low impact jog on the beach will give you a good workout because of the sand. The uneven surface makes it harder to run but the softness keeps it safe for you.