Do you worry about maintaining your fitness and nutrition during holiday weekends? With all the tempting BBQ fare, tasty beverages, and pool or beach time, a little anxiety can set in. I have been competing for over 4 years now, and every year I add new techniques to my survival and enjoyment strategy.
Preparing for a competition isn’t the hardest part of competing… enjoying life while preparing for a physique competition is the real challenge. Don’t get me wrong, there is a time when nutrition and training must be as close to 100% as possible, but for all the holidays, long weekends, and vacations that are not within a couple weeks of a show, I prefer being in the moment and not driving 45 minutes to the nearest open gym.
So, as I sit here next to the pool enjoying a post-run stretch during this 4th of July weekend, I’d like to share my strategy for making fitness gains during vacation.
I look forward to vacation as a time to get proper rest by waking with the sun, and not to the alarm clock. I enjoy the relaxed morning schedule to eat my oatmeal with fresh berries I picked up from the road side produce stand and sip my coffee on the patio before I go for a nice run. Running is not my typical form of cardiovascular exercise so I really enjoy these days without a gym. I love getting outdoors to breath in the fresh air, and leave it all out on the road.
I have a 6 mile route that I absolutely love running. It has several rolling hills and dead ends at a private beach. I mix up my running to keep things fresh mentally and physically. For example, one morning I may run the route at a steady pace. The second morning I may jog on the down hills and run backwards on the up hills (really hits the quads and hips), or sprint all the up hills, or do walking lunges on the up hills, or… well, you get the picture.
A nice stretch and maybe some pushups, sit-ups, dips, or any other body weight exercise finishes up my morning routine and I am ready to enjoy the rest of my day.
